Forging a more inclusive world for women

Kristy Banas, Chief Human Resources Officer, WTW

 IWD 2024

International Women’s Day (IWD) is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women around the world. It’s also time to recommit to the work that lies ahead in forging an equitable, inclusive society and workplaces.

This year’s IWD theme, #InspireInclusion, aims to forge a more inclusive world for women — something we are passionate about at WTW. In support of this theme, we asked our colleagues to share details about who inspires them and why.

In celebration of Black History Month and International Women’s Day, I am inspired by Rosa Parks. In 1955, the ‘simple’ act of taking and holding her seat on a public yet segregated bus — asking only to be given the same respect and rights of others — required great bravery, grit and determination.

Ms. Parks’ personal pursuit of inclusion and the stand she took to say “no more” was a critical moment in the U.S. civil rights movement. She was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, which spurred a widespread bus boycott across Montgomery, Alabama. The boycott lasted more than a year, until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled bus segregation unconstitutional. She remained heavily involved in civil rights throughout her life, serving as a role model for us all.
 
Let’s #Inspireinclusion.