Women's History Month: Establish your legacy

INDIANAPOLIS , IN, UNITED STATES

03.25.2020

Story by Christopher Allbright 

Defense Finance and Accounting Service

Face your fears, use your voice, and define your legacy were three of the themes of the guest speaker at the Women's History Month event, March 12, at the Maj. Gen. Emmett J. Bean Federal Center.

Thresette Briggs, the guest speaker, shared her experiences of being raised in poverty in a single-parent home to overcoming her humble beginnings to become a college-educated businesswoman, mentor to others and motivational speaker. She also engaged the audience in some participation exercises.

This year's national theme was "Valiant Women of the Vote," which honors those who fought for suffrage rights for women. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that allowed women to vote in all federal and state elections.

The event was jointly hosted by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) and Women In Networking (WIN), and DFAS Indianapolis Women's History special emphasis program.

The event itinerary included welcoming remarks by Mary Aurtrey, the network director for the National Association for Female Executives/Women in Networking (NAFE/WIN) service organization. Aurtrey is also a DFAS retiree.

"Women still have a long way to go to achieve full equality with their male counterparts. Internationally, some women are still struggling and are not allowed to vote in politics, or work in certain jobs because of their gender," said Aurtrey, who is a retired U.S. Army sergeant major as well as a retired DFAS systems accountant. "That is why we encourage legislation to help women and honor and celebrate March as Women's History Month and throughout the year."

Briggs, who was the guest speaker, focused on "Overcoming Fear and the Struggles of Women." Briggs talked about how she does not allow obstacles to prevent her from attaining her goals.

Briggs is an advocate for women and women-owned businesses and women's rights, as well as president and chief performance officer of Performance 3, a nationally certified firm that works with diverse, global companies helping leaders high-perform by defining it and developing innovative solutions.

"Fear can be an immobilizing emotion," Briggs said. She encouraged the audience not to think about the worst thing that could happen if they tried, but instead focus on what they would be missing out on if they didn't try. The first step in overcoming fears was to find one thing they could control and change immediately. Then, once that was achieved, then they could take the next and next steps.

Briggs said that some of those fears aren't just imagined, but often are real. She listed some of the obstacles that women face, to include:

--earning, on average, less than men for the same work;
--carrying the majority of household and child-care responsibilities;
--facing workplace stigmas and double standards, being underrepresented in leadership positions, politics and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM);
--being more susceptible than men to domestic violence, sexual harassment and violence, and human trafficking.

She said that it takes courage to step out to pursue education and better opportunities. She said that women have to find their voices in the workplace and society.

One way to find your voice, Briggs said, is to vote. Under the national theme celebrating the centennial of the 19th Amendment, Briggs encouraged women to use their voices at the ballot box to address many of those issues she listed.

As part of her presentation, Briggs had the audience pair up with one another to discuss three questions, and tell how they would handle the situations:

(1) What is your biggest fear that's stopping you from speaking up, taking action, or making progress toward your goals?
(2) What is one action you can take now to address your biggest fear?
(3) How will you stay accountable to taking that one action? Who will help you?

After each question, Briggs had audience members share their answers. Briggs said it was up to each member of the audience to overcome their fears, get and give help from others, and create their legacies.

Audience member Sylanda McKinnon, a financial specialist in the Accounts Payable, said, "I thought it was great because she asked for audience perspective rarely do you have that happen in a speech."

By facing fears and overcoming obstacles, Briggs said people can determine their legacies. She gave herself as an example. After 20 plus years in corporate America, Briggs realized her dream of entrepreneurship when she launched her leadership development firm, Performance 3, in 2010. Her nationally certified firm now works with diverse, global companies.

At the beginning of the presentation, she briefly went over the history of the Women's Suffrage Movement that resulted in the passage of the 19th Amendment a century ago. She said that those women and their male allies worked for many years, and now the right to vote is their collective legacy. She gave the audience a challenge framed as a series of questions, "What is your story? What history are you going to leave behind? What is your legacy?"

• Date Taken: 03.25.2020
• Date Posted: 12.31.2020 08:05
• Story ID: 385979
• Location: INDIANAPOLIS , IN, US