2026 Women's History Month: Raising Our Voices, Rising in Power

Raising Our Voices, Rising in Power

Hosted by

Mayor Daniel Lurie, Supervisor Myrna Melgar, Supervisor Connie Chan, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, the Human Rights Commission, Commission on the Status of Women, and the Department on the Status of Women.

Join us to recognize amazing women whose work improves the well-being of women, girls and non-binary people in San Francisco. We will be honoring five local awardees, hearing from city leaders, local artists and creators, and uplifting the crucial work that strives to ensure gender equity during Women's History Month.

Event Program

Red Lightning Woman Power | Performance and Blessing

Tiger Palm Shaolin Kenpo | Self Defense Demonstration

Welcome and Purpose

Dr. Diana Aroche, Executive Director, Department on the Status of Women

Opening Remarks**

Mayor Daniel Lurie

First Lady Becca Prowda (Video Message)

Supervisor Myrna Melgar

Introduction of Awards

Ani Rivera, Vice President, Commission on the Status of Women

Presentation of Awards

Empowerment Award: Olga Talamante

Presented by Supervisor Myrna Melgar

Youth Awards: Emily Gorodetskiy and Leah Mordehai

Presented by Mawuli Tugbenyoh, Executive Director, Agency for Human Rights and Dr. Raveena Rihal, Commissioner, Commission on the Status of Women

Workplace Equity Champion Award: LaVerda Allen

Presented by District Attorney Brooke Jenkins

Woman Changing the World Award: Dr. Nicole Barnett

Presented by Dr. Diana Aroche, Executive Director, Department on the Status of Women

A reading by Aisha Rae McCulloch | San Francisco Vice Youth Poet Laureate

Closing Remarks

Dr. Shokooh Miry, Commissioner, Commission on the Status of Women and Dr. Diana Aroche, Executive Director, Department on the Status of Women

Reception immediately following in North Light Court, featuring works by Galleria de la Raza

**Preview the Women's Agenda announced this evening at this link.

Meet our honorees

Youth Award: Emily Gorodetskiy

Emily is the co-chair of the League of Women Voters of San Francisco Youth Council, where she has been working with other young people to get them more involved in local government and how it affects them. They work on voter registration drives and have launched a podcast, District Voices, where they interview elected officials about how they got their start in politics. She's inspired others and created a space for young women to get involved in local government.

Emily also has fulfilled a Public Advocacy Fellowship with the International Youth Council on Gender Equality US National Team, served as a youth delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, and in HerEquity, which seeks to empowering other women in vc and finance and entrepreneurship " Emily is a driven young woman who has identified the need to support and inspire other young women, especially the early decisions about mentorship, funding, and credibility that quietly determine who advances and who does not. As Youth Council Chair for the League of Women Voters of San Francisco, she has focused on preparing young women not just to participate civically, but to lead decisively.

Youth Award: Leah Mordehai

Leah Mordehai is an accomplished youth leader advancing gender equity through policy, civic engagement, education, and advocacy at the local, national, and international levels. As a District 1 Youth Commissioner for the City & County of San Francisco, Leah has authored budget policy priorities and successfully passed resolutions addressing human trafficking, teen dating violence awareness, and sexual assault in schools, with a particular focus on protecting girls and creating safer educational environments.

Leah is the founder of Slavic Voice 4 Ukraine, a global youth-led nonprofit advocating for women and children impacted by war. She is leading a major event at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 2026) in New York City focused on conflict-related sexual violence against women in Ukraine as a weapon of war. Through this work, Leah elevates survivor-centered policy solutions and ensures that young women’s voices are present in international human rights conversations.

As Co-Chair of the League of Women Voters National Youth Council and founder of Plain Policy, Leah actively encourages civic engagement among girls by making legislation and voting accessible and understandable for young people, particularly young women and first-time voters. She has presented to over 500 students nationwide, emphasizing girls’ leadership, political agency, and representation in democracy.

In addition, as Vice President of the San Francisco chapter of the Junior Economic Club, Leah provides financial literacy education to girls and young women, helping them build economic confidence and long-term financial independence. Across all of her work, Leah demonstrates how youth leadership can dismantle barriers, expand opportunity, and create lasting systems of equity for women, girls, and non-binary people.

Empowerment Awardee: Olga Talamante

Olga Talamante is a life-long community activist, organizer, advocate and leader. She has mentored countless young people, especially young women and queer people of color, throughout her career spanning civil rights, LGBTQ advocacy, labor work, and international human rights and more.

In 2025, Olga was named the interim Executive Director of the Greenlining Institute, a role she served in until recently, and currently serves on the Board of Directors. She was the first Executive Director of the Chicana Latina Foundation (CLF), serving from 2003-2018. CLF’s mission is the Empowerment of Chicanas/Latinas through their Personal, Educational, and Professional Advancement. In her position she oversaw the granting of thousands of dollars to Latina college students and founded the organization’s pioneering Leadership Institute that has graduated over 700 Latina social justice leaders.

Prior to those fifteen years with CLF, she held various positions, including Regional Vice President, from 1986-2002 at INROADS, a career and leadership organization for students of color.

Olga’s family migrated from Mexico to Gilroy, California in the early 1960’s where they worked in the farm fields for several years. Those formative years formed the basis for her activism as an organizer and supporter of the nascent United Farm Workers labor union.

She is widely respected for her community activism and leadership. During the mid-seventies, she became well known for her experience as a political prisoner in Argentina. As a result of a successful grass-roots campaign, she was released after spending 16 months in prison. Since her return to the United States, she remained active in the Chicano, Latin American Solidarity, LGBTQ and progressive political movements.

Some of her awards include, the Cesar Chavez Legacy Award, the San Francisco Latino heritage Award, the GLBT Historical Society Award, the Horizons Foundation Visionary Award and the Commonwealth Club Distinguished Citizen Award.

Olga served as co-chair of the Horizons Foundation Board, National Center for Lesbian Rights Board and currently serves on the boards of El Concilio of San Mateo County, The Greenlining Institute, Chicana Latina Foundation, and is co-chair of the Caravan for the Children, which continues to advocate for the reunification and healing of the children separated at the border.

She holds a B.A. from University of California Santa Cruz, and Honorary Doctorate from the University of San Francisco.

Workplace Equity Champion: LaVerda O. Allen

LaVerda O. Allen founded Allen Construction Group in 1989 on the principle that small, local minority businesses can deliver the same quality and value on major projects as the largest firms in the engineering and construction industry. Through her leadership, she built a company that provides a full range of project and construction management services for prominent, complex civil infrastructure projects nationwide.

Allen has been widely recognized for her professional achievements, community involvement, and commitment to building equitable workspaces for minorities, particularly for women in a traditionally male-dominated industry. In 2012, she was honored by then-U.S. Representative Barbara Lee on her 80th birthday as " a stalwart leader in the development of minority, woman-owned, and disadvantaged business enterprise programs."

She also served on the Small Business Support Services team for Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in 2020 and received the 2018 Equity Trailblazer Award from Equality California. Her legacy continues through initiatives such as the LaVerda O. Allen Scholarship, which supports future leaders in education and community development.

Woman Changing the World Awardee: Dr. Nicole Barnett

Dr. Nicole Barnett is Planned Parenthood Northern California’s (PPNorCal) President/CEO. Previously, she served for 7 years on the PPNorCal Board of Directors, including 3 years as Chair.

Before joining PPNorCal, Dr. Barnett held key leadership roles at Kaiser Permanente, including COO/Chief Nursing Executive of Richmond Medical Center and Regional Director of Nursing for Northern California. She led major health equity initiatives, focusing on equitable, accessible care and community outreach to underserved populations.

A trained sexual assault response nurse, Dr. Barnett has provided forensic exams and expert testimony, work inspired by her early training at PPNorCal’s Fairfield Health Center. Passionate about mentorship, she has taught in nursing and public health programs across the Bay Area.

Dr. Barnett studied biology at Oberlin College, earned her registered nursing (RN) education from Contra Costa College, a Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) and MBA from CSU Dominguez Hills, and a Doctor of Health Sciences from Nova Southeastern University.

Registration is required.