WLI Shines Light on Refugee and Immigrant Women

The firm’s Chicago Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) Holiday Lunch, held in partnership with the Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights, was dedicated to giving back and engaging with those in need.

Chicago Office Managing Partner Linda Coberly, who is the immediate past president of Heartland’s board of directors, invited Iranian artist Anahid Ghorbani to speak to the more than 65 Winston women attorneys in attendance at this December 19 event. Betsy Leonard, Heartland’s Vice President of Engagement, also shared information about the organization’s work relating to women’s empowerment and healing for refugees.

Anahid Ghorbani received her MFA in photography from Columbia College Chicago in 2017 and is the recipient of the 2017-2018 Diane Dammeyer Fellowship in Photographic Arts and Social Issues offered through a collaboration between Heartland Alliance and Columbia College. In a moving presentation, she shared the experiences of immigrant and refugee women through her eyes and art and discussed her efforts to give voice to women in exile and make them visible with dignity.

Anahid invited attendees to contribute to her current project, titled “The Color is Red,” by writing messages on red balls sharing their thoughts about the contributions that immigrant and refugee women have made in the United States.

Members of the Chicago WLI also will be donating items needed for Heartland’s refugee assistance programs, such as the National Immigrant Justice Center, for which Winston regularly provides pro bono representation.

Click here for more photos from this event.