APRIL 2018 38 | {news, updates and events} HEAR HERE The best stories we saw this month about those who give generously and work for a better future. AT ARIZONA FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN LUNCHEON ADVOCATE ASHLEY JUDD ENCOURAGES WOMEN TO FIND THEIR VOICE #METOO

APRIL 2018 | 39 Sometimes all it takes is one voice to make a change. Golden Globe-nominated actress, Arizona Foundation for Women’s 2018 Sandra Day O’Connor Lifetime Achievement Award honoree and humanitarian Ashley Judd has been using her voice to speak out against sexual misconduct since childhood. She was one of the first to speak out against the now scandalized film producer Harvey Weinstein, she was a frontrunner in the #MeToo movement popularized in October 2017 and even appeared with fellow #MeToo ‘Silence Breakers’ on the cover of Time Magazine’ s Person of the Year 2017 issue. While her experiences weren’t validated when she suffered sexual abuse as a child, she’s now leveraging her international platform to advocate for those whose voices haven’t been heard. “What I hope to do is advocate for those who, for a variety of reasons, don’t yet have the mechanisms, the platform and the voice,” she said. “I think that we all internally have resilience. It may not be tapped into yet, but helping people find their own agency and self-efficacy is what, ideally, I hope to be doing.” At the Arizona Foundation for Women luncheon where she was honored last month, Judd encouraged women to find their own voice, share any experiences of sexual misconduct with a safe and validating confidante and prioritize caring for themselves. Judd, who shared that she doesn’t typically accept awards, also expressed her admiration of the award’s namesake, Sandra Day O’Connor. “She’s such a pioneer and she’s such a brilliant mind and she’s such a sweet spirit. That she would choose me and personally sign the letter inviting me to come to Phoenix, it means a great deal,” Judd said. “I generally don’t accept awards — that’s not why I’m in this gig — but this one’s special.” Self-care, a concept that has gained popularity in recent years, was one of the primary themes of Judd’s remarks, which she attributed to her ability to continue to serve as an advocate and humanitarian. “As an advocate for women I have to be an advocate for myself and that starts with healthy self-esteem, healthy boundaries, really good self-care, knowing that I can’t transmit that which I do not have, so making sure that my cup stays full,” she said. It’s a practice Judd hopes will be adopted by not just women, but by what she calls “a very sleep-deprived society.” Additionally, she looks forward to a future where men and women are no longer limited by gender roles and expectations. “I think that the patriarchy is just as limiting to boys and men as it is to girls and women and I look forward to the day when everyone can be exactly as they are, who they are, without society feeling that we have the right or the need to add or take away from the essence of their humanity,” Judd said. To learn more about the Arizona Foundation for Women, visit azfw.org .