Excerpt:
At the 26th annual Dallas Women's Foundation's luncheon, Mavis Leno, wife of talk show's comedian Jay Leno, shared with the audience accounts about her journey into activism to help empower Afghani women and girls under the Taliban regime.
"Global Women's Voices: A Dialogue" was carried on by CNN Muslim journalist, Maria Ibrahimji, who together with Leno discussed how local voices can make positive change globally. The voices of local Dallas/Fort Worth Muslim women were heard during the event, when Texas Muslim Women's Foundation was acknowledged for its local efforts in building bridges among communities.
Leno's story started in the late nineties when she joined Feminist Majority Foundation, an organization for women's equality, non-violence, economic development and empowerment of women and girls in all sectors of society. Leno was shocked to learn about the deteriorating status of Afghani women, who prior to the Taliban included women as elected officials in Kabul.