187: The Self-Empowered Woman: Beyonce & Chime for Change

Dear Followers,

 

I hope that you will be able to tune in to" The  Women's Concert for Change: The Sound for Change Live from London" tomorrow night at 9 P.M. on NBC. And I REALLY hope that you'll let all your girlfriends  (and female relatives) know about this ground-breaking event for girls and women.

This important event is the centerpiece of CHIME FOR CHANGE, which is a new fundraising campaign founded by Gucci. The idea is to raise both awareness and money to highlight female empowerment around the globe. Funds will be distributed to over 50 non-profit organizations in 38 countries, and focused on the key areas of education, health care and justice.

Beyonce is the artistic director of the concert (as well as the co-founder of CHIME FOR CHANGE), and the program will begin with a 45-minute performance--other performers, like Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Jay Z and Florence + The Machine will also perform. Presenters during the program include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Gloria Steinem, Halle Berry, Madonna, Zoe Saldana and other A-list celebrities.

The concert event will be broadcast to over 175 countries and will celebrate inspirational stories from around the world. One goal is to generate awareness about local and global issues that affect girls and women, and the other is to raise money to help non-profit organizations that are trying to create much-needed change.

CHIME FOR CHANGE is a foundation that was created by the creative director of Gucci, Frida Giannini, actress Salma Hayek-Pinault and Beyonce Knowles-Carter. The "advisory board" of advocates, issues experts and global leaders include former U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife, Sarah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Beyonce is the mother of one-year old daughter Blue Ivy, and obviously feels strongly about this movement. In her words, "I have always felt strongly about equal opportunity for women. Girls have to be taught from early on that they are strong and capable of being anything they want to be. It's up to us to change the statistics for women around the world. I'm honored to be in the company of women who live fearlessly and set an example for the next generation of young ladies. I am really happy that so many amazing artists and presenters have come together to support CHIME FOR CHANGE. Our goal is to have a great time together while we unite and strengthen the voices of girls and women around the world."

Ticket buyers for the live concert in London will each be able to choose which of the many projects CHIME FOR CHANGE supports, and this means that their ticket money will be directed to a specific non-profit organization.  Frida Giannini added, "We have reached a significant moment in the history of girls' and women's empowerment and now is the time for change. I think it is essential for girls and women to see and celebrate what is possible. I hope that through CHIME we can help the voices calling for change to become so loud that they cannot be ignored."

Looking forward to your comments...