by John Reid

Yesterday at the Verizon Auditorium in Manassas, messages of hope, inspiration, and connection filled the atmosphere at the Virginia Women and Family Support Center held their annual “Breaking Cycles” conference. The theme was ‘A Season of Rest and Healing,’ with several messages and activities pertaining to the mission of helping women understand how to find healing and growth, no matter the situation. It was the vision of founder Frances Robin, who started a dream of the former Carried to Full Term, into its expansion of serving women in a multitude of arenas, to see they were meeting the needs of the community. The vision was on full display as speakers, musicians, and entrepreneurs came together as part of the transformation process.

One way in which the attendees improved their health was through a session called ‘Coming Out of the Healing Cocoon,’ featuring wellness instructor Jessica Woelkers. The morning stretch session allowed women to heal through movement. For those who needed more time of relaxation, there was an Oasis Room which provided much-needed quiet time to meditate and enter a quiet space.

We met several entrepreneurs, each with their own special story to tell. One was Sarah Musa, who created the organization “Prospect in Mummy’s Tummy International,” which focuses on helping healthy mothers produce healthy babies. They also started a free nursery school in Gambia, West Africa known as Sarah’s Kindergarten and Primary School (SKAPS). Find out more information about them on their website.

The breakout sessions helped give voices to many women such as Dr. Vanessa Gattis, founder of the Prince William County Community Foundation. Dr. Gattis spoke on her story of transitioning out of the military into becoming a nonprofit organizational leader. Whether it was helping women discover and overcome trauma, to become their own CEOs, each session had a specific design to encourage, inform, and empower.

The keynote speaker of the conference was Kemba Smith-Pradia, who went from being the incarcerated girlfriend of a drug kingpin, to becoming an advocate for other incarcerated women. Her movie “Kemba,” which is now on BET PLUS, highlights the dramatic story of her ordeal, and how she continues to fight for women to this day. The event concluded with the singing of Youth Empowerment Coach, TEDx Speaker, and musician Emma G, who uses her gifts to uplift and motivate others.

As Virginia honors its first ever Black Maternal Health Week, we spoke with Dr. Carmen Gil Bailey, Medical Director/Deputy Director in Loudoun County, who held an interactive discussion on the major elements of health, and why this week was so important in the Commonwealth.

“I think it’s incredibly important, for the health and wellness of mothers, especially from communities that have historically been marginalized in their outcomes not being counted,” she said to the PW Perspective’s John Reid. “To see these women receive the resources, energy and attention it’s getting is a great first step. There’s still a lot of work to happen, but events such as this one, along with non-profit organizations and locally elected officials, coming together to form strategies to address the health of all, is really important.”

“I’m heartened and encouraged to see more attention come to this really important issue which has been with us for so long,” she continued, “and I hope to be part of the solution going forward, along with Frances and so many others.”

To see more of the photos and videos from the event, please visit the PW Perspective Instagram page.