By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE US Embassy celebrated Women’s Equality Day yesterday with a luncheon, honouring both the progress made towards gender equality and the ongoing challenges.

Women’s Equality Day marks the anniversary of the United States 19th Amendment’s ratification, which granted women the right to vote in 1920, and serves as a reminder of ongoing efforts to achieve full gender equality.

The event featured speakers Assistant Commissioner of Police Janet McKenzie and Robyn Dawn Lynes. Their addresses aimed to engage attendees in discussions about gender equality and raise awareness of issues such as the gender pay gap, underrepresentation in leadership roles, and gender discrimination.

In her remarks, US Charge d’Affaires Kimberly Furnish highlighted the importance of continuing the quest for equality. “It’s about women helping women. We need to lift each other up,” she said.

“While we make progress and strides, our work continues every day. Woman, we still fix disparity across the board - education, access to healthcare, inequal pay in our workplace, and even in education. Together we continue to work for a more just and equal society for all people,” she added.

She expressed the importance of advancing women’s equality and ending with yesterday’s theme “Count Her In”.

Notable guests included Allyson Maynard Gibson KC, University of The Bahamas acting president Janyne Hodder, president of the Senate Lashell Adderley, and Senator Maxine Seymour.