Zonta Club of Essex County virtually celebrates Amelia Earhart's legacy

The Zonta Club of Essex County, USA, teamed up with the Zonta Club of Morristown Area, USA, and the Women Have Wings organizations for a virtual commemoration of Zontian Amelia Earhart.

In honor of Amelia's Zonta history, Eliza Woloson, the founder of Women Have Wings, and Hilda Flavia Nakabuye, a climate change and women's rights activist, spoke to a gathering that included members of both clubs and Director Lisa Burton. Hilda is a past recipient of the Women Have Wings Award, which honors women of vision, courage and pioneering spirit, infuses their in-country movements with resources and fosters collaboration with the larger global community.

The club's connection with Women Have Wings began when Zontian Pamela Morgan connected with Eliza through their joint work with the UN CSW several years ago. Also, the funds the organization draws on for its awards come from selling the only flying and fully-restored sistership of Amelia's 1935 Lockheed Electra 10E.

In her speech, Hilda spoke of her personal experience that led directly to her current activism. Her family's farmland and youth were damaged by flooding in Uganda, and now the country is experiencing both floods and droughts simultaneously. She has experienced both the difficulties of being a young girl and the promise of her femaleness. However, education helped her prevail.

"The education of girls is a primary cause for me," says Hilda. "Education helped me to rise and see it as an empowering force to give girls the tools and vision to work for themselves and a more just and peaceful future for us all."