We’ve really been through it, haven’t we?

After nearly a decade, Stephen Harper is no longer our Prime Minister. We now have a Liberal government, run by none other than Justin Trudeau.

Among Mr. Trudeau’s campaign promises, there was a vow to construct a cabinet that consisted of an equal number of women and men.

That promise turned into reality Wednesday morning after he was sworn in. However the preceding days brought some interesting press coverage.

Here’s a taste of what I’m referring to:

God bless Scaachi Koul. Jonathathan Kay and Tasha Kheiriddin left me flummoxed. As I watched them, I found myself imagining the days when people believed the earth was flat and were afraid of falling off.

Meanwhile, I kept furrowing my brow and asking “Where…”

Where does it come from?

The fear, I mean.

Here’s the thing that people don’t seem to understand about diversity: Intentionally giving women or people of colour–or even BOTH–positions of power will not bring civilization to its knees.

However it’s clear that such initiatives bring terror to the heart of grown adults. And I think that’s a shame.

Nothing will be lost through the purposeful inclusion of women in Canada’s cabinet. We are not less than–mindless automatons, incapable of making good decisions. We are fully human, and deserve to be treated as such.

This weekend women from around the world will be celebrated at an event that many haven’t heard of.

The Women’s Freedom Conference will take place on October the 25th, in New York City. Its format and purpose are truly innovative. Although the audience is bound to include people from all walks of life, the Women’s Freedom Conference is a celebration of women of colour. It’s the first event of its kind available digitally. I also believe it’s the only one of its scope accepting remote attendees.

Their mission impressed me. As per the conference’s web site, their goal is

to center Women of Color–our success, our concerns, our work, our activism, and our existence as vital contributors to making the world a better place. We want to make sure that women of color from around the world have a space to speak out and be heard, to teach others and to learn from each other, and to inform people of the work that they are doing in their respective communities.

In addition to attending their free webcast, there’s space available for in-person attendees. Visit this page to purchase your tickets. (Their online content is free.) If you can contribute financially to this event, visit their crowdfunding page.

For further details, you can read the complete press release for the Women’s Freedom Conference on their web site.

I’ll be there–even if only from my laptop.