The Ruthe Boyea Women’s Center hosted its annual Women of Color Luncheon to encourage women on campus to engage with one another and to recognize their purposes and values.

The luncheon was hosted to empower and inspire women, while reminding them of their worth and value in their places of employment and within their communities. The Women’s Center strived to “embody diversity and inclusivity in a safe, warm environment.”

The event provided women of color with the tools necessary to have a seat at the table and to find tips to allow them to engage with other women, in an effort that they could leave the event with a better understanding of one another.

President Dr. Zulma R. Toro was among those in attendance at the Women of Color Luncheon. She said that she learned the significance of knowing her worth.

“It’s very important for you to know your worth and to use that to negotiate things that cannot be brought with money,” Dr. Toro said. “This is a place that all of us can learn, but can also support each other.”

This year’s keynote speaker Joelle Murchison, founder of ExecMommyGroup, introduced “Know Your Worth” as a guide for women to recognize their worth and value. She explained that women’s worth and value comes from within, noting that they must believe in themselves before they can expect someone else to accept them.

“You don’t need someone else to tell you your worth,” Murchison said. “You know what your worth is, and you can articulate that as you move forward. You don’t need somebody else to tell you. You know who you are, and you have demonstrated your worth, and you should not have to prove it to anyone.”

Murchison also touched on the importance of storytelling and how women can integrate it into their worth and value. According to her, women should tell their stories because they have a competitive advantage.

“We forget how important it is to share our stories,”she said. “Storytelling is powerful. People who can share a story have an advantage. They share their stories and help people think differently about them. The importance of recognizing even our stories that have left us battered, broken, torn in half and crumbled. They still have value.”

The Women of Color Luncheon continues to help women of color to support and encourage one another on campus.

“We are strong women and we should know our value,” Olawunmi Sodipo, a student worker for The Women’s Center, said. “That’s the core of where it begins. We can’t assess any other issues and problems if we don’t know our worth first. That’s the foundation.”