After a personal epiphany, Dr. Shirley Graham decided to dedicate her life to gender equality, and she entered the TEDxFoggyBottom stage to share how feminism can save our collective future. Dr. Shirley Graham is the Director of the Gender Equality Initiative in International Affairs and an Associate Professor of Practice in International Affairs at George Washington University. She teaches two graduate courses: Global Gender Policy and Gender, War & Peace, and an undergraduate course: Women in Global Politics.
Shirley is from Ireland and growing up during the time of “the Troubles” in Northern Ireland influenced her decision to work on peace and security issues. Shirley’s research includes the analysis of gender discourses on peacekeeping amongst officers in the Irish Defence Forces and the role and challenges of military gender advisors in U.S. security cooperation missions. She led a civil society consultation process in Ireland, north and south, to inform Ireland’s first national action plan on women, peace, and security . She is a member of the U.S. Civil Society Working Group on Women, Peace & Security (WPS), a coalition of experts serving to inform and educate U.S. Congress, the Administration, and civil society on WPS thematic areas and issues.
Shirley is the founder and faculty mentor for the Student Consortium on Women, Peace & Security with over 200 members focused on researching and publishing about the necessity of women’s equal participation in all aspects of peace and security, the protection of women and girls human rights, and women’s role in the prevention of violent conflict. Each year, Shirley hosts an international women’s day event to highlight progress and gaps in achieving gender equality and providing a space for women’s powerful voices to be heard. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx