By Laura Martinez
Next weekend I’m attending the 9th Annual Women’s Summit (June 27-29, 2025), and you should too. Why? Let me tell you a little story.
A Summer To Remember
It was the summer of 2018 when I walked into my first Virginia Women’s Summit . I didn’t know anyone there at the time, and I was hesitant to just show up at an event with no one else but my own company. Yet, I felt that I needed something to lift my spirits after the 2016 election. And while I had been involved in activism at the local level at the time, working hard and hoping to make a difference, things still seemed too uncertain for my liking. Despite my doubts, I registered for the event and showed up.
Hey, 90% of life is showing up, so there is that.
The minute I set foot there, I felt an electrifying energy that defied all expectations. A sisterhood united in a common goal, to look after each other, make the world a better place, and elect representatives who could help realize that goal.
After a day of workshops, meeting amazing people, music, food, and candidates up and down the ticket, I returned for the Sunday brunch. The energy was palpable. The event ended with every one up on their feet dancing to the Batala drummers.
In that moment, I realized that this was something bigger than me, and that together, there was nothing we couldn’t achieve.
Not Even The Pandemic Could Stop the Women’s Summit
The Women’s Summit has faced many challenges. In 2020, the Summit went virtual, which also gave rise to the Friday Power Lunch, a weekly Zoom podcast that has helped us keep our sanity since. 2021 resulted in a Summer of Summits all over the Virginia Commonwealth, with a virtual element for those of us who couldn’t travel. This format made an encore in 2022, and the energy never waned.
The Summit returned to its original format in 2023, and the energy has kept us going through thick and thin.
The 2025 Summit Program At A Glance
This year’s program is a joyful one. Friday night is everyone’s favorite National Postcard Palooza, where postcard writers from around the country get together to share tips, supplies, and get to network in person, followed by meet-up gatherings and even an appearance by gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger.
In the evening, there will be a grassroots community celebration of our 2025 Virginia Candidates. Fun for everyone! Here are a few of the candidates and elected officials you’ll meet over the weekend: Abigail Spanberger-Candidate for Governor, State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi-Candidate for Lt. Governor, Senator Tim Kaine, Rep. Jennifer McClellan & Don Beyer, Speaker Don Scott, State Sen. Danica Roem, Del. Candi Mundon King, Del. Dan Helmer, Del. Kathy Tran, Del. Michael Feggans, and lots and lots of candidates for Delegate and School Board. Oh yes, and we’ll be learning the line dance “Boots on the Ground” because we need to hit the streets and talk to voters after the weekend.
Saturday will be a day with a jam-packed program, from morning to night, featuring speakers addressing the audience from the small stage, as well as small sessions for hands-on learning and discussion. As the sun goes down, the Rue Music and Arts Festival will take over with live music, as well as an arts and craftivism station.
I recommend staying for the Sunday Badass Brunch. It’s one of my favorite things ever. This year’s theme is Telling our Stories and will feature artists, authors, and activists. It will also be the launch of the Persisterhood Oral History Project, with the stated mission of collecting and preserving the stories and voices of the women who’ve stepped up to defend democracy since 2016. In other words, our stories.
There will be over 35 speakers on the main stage as well as some dozens of workshop facilitators. Here are just a few of inspirational folks you will hear and met: Andrea Miller (NWPC-VA), Antjuan Seawright (Blueprint Strategies), Neera Tanden (Center for American Progress), Billy Ray (Screenwriter & Democratic strategist), Carly Figueroa (Courier VA Creators Pilot Project), Clara Bingham (Author “The Movement”), Dr. Shellie Bowman (Central Commonwealth Black Caucus), Ellie Smeal (Feminist Majority Foundation), Heather Booth (Lifelong Activist), Krysta Jones (Author “Ella Goes to City Hall”), Kyle Spencer (Reporting Right), Lauren Burke (Virginia Black News), Leah Greenberg (Indivisible), Liuba Grechen Shirley (Vote Mama), Lynlee Thorne (Rural), Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition Newsletter), Simon Rosenberg (Hopium Chronicles), Tom Bonier (The TARA Group), Tram Nguyen (New Virginia Majority), and Yasmin Radjy (Swing Left).
Why Do We Do This?
In the words of Robbin Warner, one of the founders of the event, “The real measure of our success isn’t the number of people who attend or the political celebrities on the main stage. We know our event is a success when we see smiling faces in the crowd laughing, networking, and telling us they feel rejuvenated and ready for the big push to the November General Election. That’s why we keep volunteering to put on this event year after year.”
The Women’s Summit is a labor of love organized by the badass women of Network NOVA, and we’ve been joined by badass women everywhere. Joy and enthusiasm are contagious!
Do you feel you’re living in Groundhog Day? Many of us have been doing this for the past ten years. Yet, we know that we’re not going to stop now. If this is your first time, you will enjoy it, trust me. This is a welcoming group of people with a single mission: to support one another and make the world a better place.
Whether you have been working the polls, writing postcards, protesting, becoming the supporting person at home for your activist friends, or you are simply worried about what’s happening around you, this event is for you. It will lift your spirits and give you a chance to celebrate achievements, plan for future actions, make new friends, meet with old friends, and have a jolly good time while at it.
Remember, joy is an act of resistance. We could use some joy right now.
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