“The time is now for women to use their voices and to demand their view without equivocation, without apology, with full knowledge that not only is this the right thing to do, it is what must be done,” declared actress, activist and filmmaker Kamala Lopez at Alexandria House’s eighth-annual “Women Speak” luncheon May 3.
“We owe to our mothers and sisters who spent the ‘60s and ‘70s protesting and marching and fighting. We owe this to the girls here today and those not yet born. And, most importantly — please hear this — we owe this to ourselves. Because the bottom line is that until we as women truly value ourselves individually and collectively, no one will value us,” stressed Lopez, whose new documentary “Equal Means Equal” is a no-holds-barred look at discrimination against women in the United States today.
The event supports Alexandria House, a community-based transitional home and neighborhood center for homeless women and children founded by Sister Judy Vaughan and 12 others in 1996.
“All is well with the soul of Alexandria House,” the member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet announced at The Ebell of Los Angeles. “In the midst of budget cuts, struggling to survive, hateful rhetoric against women — especially women coming to our country to seek a better life because of what we’ve done in their own country — all is well with our soul. Please, please know that.
“But we really need your support to keep this ministry going and growing,” she added. “It’s crucial. The need is so great in our community.”
To donate new or gently used household goods or clothing, email: [email protected]. To make a financial gift, call (213) 381-2649 or email: [email protected].
