Cokie Roberts hit the nail on the head. “If you’re not inspired by this, you’re made of stone,” the veteran journalist cracked Tuesday night at the Kennedy Center.
Roberts, along with a slew of celebrity guests, media personalities and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, celebrated the world’s women at the 10th annual Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards. Clinton, the founder, keynoted the program, which was emceed by actress Sally Field and publisher Tina Brown. “For the past 10 years of the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards, no matter where I am in the world I always come back to Washington,” Clinton said.
She praised Burma’s Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the Global Trailblazer award, calling her a woman with “unfaltering grace and the strength of steel.” “I call again for the Burmese authority to allow her and her party to participate in Burma’s political process and that they be granted freedom of movement, expression and assembly,” Clinton said.
When it was her turn to speak, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg went rogue and solicited e-mail donations to help honoree Sunitha Krishnan build a shelter to protect 1,200 human trafficking victims in India. “I decided that I had to get off-script and I am personally pledging $50,000 tonight,” the designer said, urging audience members to whip out their Blackberries and give.
Later, “90210’s” AnnaLynne McCord gave a passionate speech on behalf of the women of Haiti. (We smell future politician).
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, Afghan businesswoman Fatema Akbari, Jewish and Arab peaceworkers Liron Peleg-Hadomi and Noha Khatieb, and Cameroonian presidential candidate Kah Walla were also honored.
Among those who attended: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, Huffington Post’s Howard Fineman, former “Hardball” producer Tammy Haddad and Rima Al-Sabah, wife of the Kuwaiti ambassador.
