Whiz Kid: The Women's Rights Activist

Two years ago, Acalanes senior and Walnut Creek resident Jordan Myers met the best-selling author and producer Gina Otto, who travels around the country speaking on the need for girls to help one another and to keep girls in school in developing nations.

It was probably the most important interaction in Jordan’s life.

So it would only make sense that for Jordan’s senior project this year, she would focus on creating a program that would inspire and empower women and girls in our community.

Jordan’s event, “Unfinished Business: Empowering Women and Girls,” will take place at Lafayette’s Veteran’s Memorial Building this coming Tuesday at 7 p.m. The event features Otto, the author of Cassandra's Angel, a contemporary fairy tale about a spirited girl who learns that it's OK to not always be like everyone else. 

“I am thrilled and honored to be invited by Jordan to lead this event,” said Otto in a press release. “There is nothing more meaningful than to watch a magnificent, young woman, like Jordan, take up the torch and begin empowering young girls on her own.”

For Jordan, giving women more control over the own destinies is essential. Jordan agrees with the theory among many development experts that raising the status of women and girls leads to democratic and economic stability, especially in emerging nations.

The United Nations says that “Gender equality and women's empowerment are human rights that lie at the heart of development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.”

Jordan has landed some high-level sponsors for the event including UPS and Minuteman Press, who have provided enough support to make this event free.

She also partnered with Creative Visions Foundation, a nonprofit that supports activists driving positive change.

“With society and the media pressuring young girls into sex and drugs at an early age, being a teenager is extremely overwhelming,” says Jordan. “Maintaining a strong sense of self is very rare amongst teenage girls but I believe that can all change!”

In addition to Otto, Jordan also arranged to have Nicole Ari Parker be the Mistress of Ceremony for the event. Parker received the 2010 "Maverick Award" Women Empowering Women, and the 2010 "Renaissance Woman of the Year Award" from Collective Renaissance. 

Though planning the event has been lots of hard work, Jordan has realized that women’s empowerment is a cause she would like to work on.

“This has empowered me to be a change-maker,” said Jordan. “I’d like to start with my community-- I’d love to touch as many lives as possible.”

Interestingly enough, Jordan also has rowed with the Oakland Strokes team for three years. This has provided her with more inspiration to touch many lives.

“Oakland Strokes is a very competitive club team that mainly is led by really strong women who have definitely inspired me to do this event,” explained Jordan.

But Jordan realizes that “development cannot be achieved if 50 percentof the population is excluded from the opportunities it brings." Next year, Jordan will attend UC Berkeley to study and to continuing rowing.  

But it’s clear that Jordan won't lose sight of her passion for women’s empowerment.

“I definitely want to start local, and then go global,” says Myers. “I’m passionate about exposing poverty that effects people all over the world, and the need to educate women.”

The free event, for women and girls 13 years and older is taking place from 7 to 9 pm at Lafayette Veteran’s Memorial, 3780 Mt. Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette, CA. To RSVP, send an email to: unfinishedbusinessRSVP@gmail.com. Space is limited.