Queen City embraces empowerment on first Women’s Day pop-up event

STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) - Ladies were inspired to embrace their full potential during the Queen City Women’s Day. The Saturday event was held to celebrate, support, and amplify the impact women have on the community.

Rachel Louis is a tarot card reader who anticipates her pop-up business will have its own space someday. She says events like Women’s Day are more than just recognizing businesses but a mark of a cultural shift.

“It’s wild to me to think that gender has separated us for so long. And they were still even stuck in the binary of it, so I think it shouldn’t matter what gender you are to have your own your own business, and be allowed to be successful in the world,” Louis said.

From the corporate world to the nonprofit streets, women today are in charge as presidents, directors, and chief executive officers.

Susan Venable is the founder, CEO, and president of Artis Transitions, a nonprofit that helps families and individuals who are facing unfortunate circumstances like homelessness and evictions. She understands that women still have to prove their strength but knows they should feel empowered by their accomplishments.

“We’re known to be the backbone of society, pretty much, from the very beginning, from the motherland to now, we have very strong attributes we can carry a load of many.”

The Queen City is one example of many women in leadership, business, and power. Participants in Women’s Day express how support shown goes a long way.

“I think people really underestimate the value of being surrounded by support of people being surrounded by examples of women in business seeing that I can do that, and I can go that far,” Louis said.

Empowered women like Louis say Queen City Women’s Day helps them believe that a woman can do anything a man can.

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