Last Wednesday, Amanda ReCupido went to Gotham Hall for the New York Women’s Foundation‘s “Stepping Out & Stepping Up” fall dinner The “Stepping Up” award recognizes New Yorkers who “serve as role models of courageous leadership, vision and commitment to women and girls as individuals and as partners,” and this year’s honorees included social activists Elizabeth and Herbert Sturz and author/journalists Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas D. Kristof. ReCupido spoke with Ana L. Oliveira, President and CEO of the foundation, who discussed how the evening’s honorees affect change for women at both the local and global level. (Indeed, Oliveira explained, the Sturzs have founded 24 nonprofit and government agencies between them.)
WuDunn spoke about the importance of investing in women and girls locally as a prerequisite to investing globally. Her and Kristof’s new book, Half the Sky, focuses on women and girls in the developing world, focusing on the issues of human trafficking, gender-based violence, and maternal care.
The evening also included music from Mary J. Blige, who dedicated her performance to the power and unity of women. Other attendees included New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg (as the date of co-chair Diana Taylor ), Consul General of Mexico Ruben Beltran, designer Catherine Malandrino, record executive Steve Stoute, and a scattering of additional New York socialites.