April 30, 2025
Ms. Foundation for Women Honors Lynda Carter, Jenice Fountain, Jeannette Pai-Espinosa, #WinWithBlackWomen and Alaqua Cox.
This year’s Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating our Collective P.O.W.E.R, raised over $130k in room for the Ms. Foundation for Women to support their advocacy, grantmaking and capacity-building work.
PHOTOS: HERE
Credit: Getty Images for Ms. Foundation for Women
NEW YORK, NY, April 29, 2025– Last night, the Ms. Foundation for Women, the nation’s first and oldest women’s foundation, hosted the Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Our Collective P.O.W.E.R. This year’s event celebrated the Ms. Foundation’s legacy with remarkable honorees who all emphasized the power of working together as a collective to uplift women and gender-expansive people in a time when their rights are more under attack than ever before.
The evening honored singer, actress and philanthropist, Lynda Carter, as well as grantee partners Jenice Fountain, Executive Director of the Yellowhammer Fund, and Jeannette Pai-Espinosa, President of Justice + Joy National Collaborative, the #WinWithBlackWomen leadership collective, and actress and advocate Alaqua Cox. The event was co-hosted by Danielle Moodie, host of iHeart’s #WokeAF Daily, co-host of the Daily Beast’s The New Abnormal and #democracyish, and Ms. Foundation Board Member. DJ Mary Mac also performed a special after-party set following the awards ceremony.
A highlight of the evening included a special live auction of a first edition of Ms. Magazine featuring Wonder Woman on the cover, signed by founding mother Gloria Steinem and Woman of Vision honoree Lynda Carter.
The Women of Vision Awards is the Ms. Foundation’s largest annual fundraising event, honoring feminist advocates, activists, and thought-leaders who ignite policy and drive progress. Since its inception, the Ms. Foundation has invested more than $100 million to support over 1,600 organizations across the country and strengthen the capacity of women-led movements to advance meaningful social, cultural, and economic change for all.
Below, please see highlights from the night and key quotes from the evening’s speakers.
HIGHLIGHT: Ms. Foundation President and CEO Teresa C. Younger:
QUOTE: Teresa C. Younger said “We’re not just some funder out there. You will hear from many of our partners, many who are in the room, who will say to you, it’s not just about the money that we give away. But it is about the relationships we have.”
HIGHLIGHT: Lynda Carter, Woman of Vision Award Recipient
Singer, actress, and philanthropist Lynda Carter was honored for her ongoing work to champion women and girls (particularly the geeks and nerds among us).
QUOTE: Lynda Carter said “When I look at the arc of the past 50 years you can see how things have changed for women, and how they haven’t. The fight for equal rights continues. The fight for choice continues. We are back to how it was. Yes. With control wielded over us, and freedom for the very few.”
HIGHLIGHT: Jenice Fountain, Women of Vision Award Recipient
Jenice, a Ms. Foundation grantee partner and Executive Director of the Yellowhammer Fund, was honored for her efforts leading advocacy and reproductive justice work in Alabama, Mississippi, and the Deep South.
QUOTE: Jenice Fountain said “We fight for reproductive justice, because the lack thereof is violence, regardless of mainstream media not covering it as such. When we say, “no justice, no peace,“ it is because lack of access to abortion is violence. When we say “no justice, no peace,” it is to acknowledge that state sanctioned family separation as violence. When we say “no justice, no peace,” it is to say that a lack of alternatives to hospitals for birthing is violence. When we say “no justice, no peace,” it is to say that there are so many oppressions. But what we do know is that we more than deserve the reproductive justice we are owed.”
HIGHLIGHT: Jeannette Pai-Espinosa, Women of Vision Award Recipient
Jeannette, a Ms. Foundation grantee partner and President of Justice + Joy National Collaborative, was honored for her work advancing the rights of women and gender-expansive youth through centering intergenerational activism.
QUOTE: Jeannette Pai-Espinosa said “But today, there’s no question that the primary political agenda for those in power is the erasure of our existence, our work, our communities, our dignity, and our rights. But we refuse to accept that it’s okay for women, girls, gender expansive young people of color to be relegated to the bottom of the hierarchy of human value. We will resist. We will persist.”
HIGHLIGHT: #WinWithBlackWomen, Marie C. Wilson Award Recipient
Named in honor of Ms. Foundation Honorary Co-Founding Mother and former President and CEO Marie C. Wilson, this award recognizes trailblazing leaders who uphold her legacy of advancing gender equity and inclusion, and are paving the way for generations to come. #WinWithBlackWomen is a powerful collective of intergenerational, intersectional Black women leaders that supports Black women running for elected office at the federal, state, and local levels throughout the nation and advances the policy agendas of Black women-led organizations.
QUOTE: Holli Holiday from #WinWithBlackWomen said, “We are not the same as we were before the 2024 elections. Don’t let anybody tell you any different. We are stronger. We are more organized, we are ready, and we are powerful, and tonight, #WinWithBlackWomen stands proudly in community with all of you, as we celebrate our collective power.”
HIGHLIGHT: Alaqua Cox, Free To Be You and Me Award
This award honors young activists enacting change and leading the way for future generations. Alaqua was honored for her work to increase representation for young women, particularly Indigenous and disabled youth.
QUOTE: Alaqua Cox said, “I firmly believe in the importance of authentic deaf representation in movies and television. Unfortunately, there are still hearing actors portraying deaf roles, missing out on the opportunities to showcase the talent of remarkable deaf actors like Marlee Matlin. This situation not only affects Marlee Matlin, but also other deaf actors like myself. It feels like an instance of employment discrimination, and I will continue to advocate for equal job opportunities in workplace accommodations. I encourage you to do the same, and I would like to thank the deaf community, mentors, and my family who have stood by me and supported me.”
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For more than 50 years, the Ms. Foundation for Women has shaped women’s philanthropy in the United States, providing a blueprint for the establishment of hundreds of local and regional women’s funds, influencing mainstream culture through nationwide projects and campaigns, and making grants totaling over $100 million to more than 1,600 grassroots organizations across the country. Through research, advocacy, and grantmaking, the Ms. Foundation is the national model for sustainable, trust-based philanthropic support of women of color-led movements. With equity and inclusion as the cornerstones of true democracy, the Ms. Foundation works to create a world in which the worth and dignity of every person are valued, and power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age.
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