There is a woman named Kiki Rogers who lives in the parking lot with us behind the church. She recently invited me to a Women’s Safety Forum and I said I would enjoy going with her. Come to find out, she was the moderator, so we got there early to set up for the forum.
The forum was held at Forge, a building that belongs to the University of Arizona in downtown Tucson. There were vendors from all kinds of organizations that dealt with women’s issues in one way or another. There was the Food Bank, a LegalShield representative (get a lawyer on a subscription basis for a low monthly fee of $30), a karate club that teaches women self-defense, an organization called Delta Defense that deals with training and insurance for those who might have to shoot someone in self-defense, The League of Women’s Voters, the AAUW that helps business women to get equal opportunities, and of course, Kiki who sells insurance and has a radio show called Kiki’s Keys to Unlocking Your Best Life. She describes her show as sharing stories of people who have been through their worst and are now living their best.
As I mentioned before, Kiki was moderating a discussion with a couple of panelists.
Kiki’s questions to the panelists had to do with things like how to be aware of your surroundings and prepare for anything you might encounter, how to say no and not look like a target, how to deal with toxic work environments, how to use fear to your advantage, etc. Then they opened up for questions from the audience. Several people were concerned as to whether they could defend themselves if they were elderly. One woman is 89 and walks with a cane. They told her that her cane would be great as a weapon if someone was threatening her. They had briefly touched on listening to your instincts, so I spoke up about being aware of red flags during a dating relationship and not ignoring them. I once spoke to a couple of girls who were just starting to date and I told them what to watch out for before getting too deep into a relationship.
After the program ended, people were invited to come up and write their names on paper and put them into a bowl for a drawing. I didn’t participate because some of the door prizes were for classes or other things that would be good for people who won’t be leaving Tucson in less than a week. Instead, I went around to all the tables and picked up literature and candy or whatever else they had on their tables! 😉
I learned a lot at the forum, and I also enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Kiki a little better on the way to and from the forum. I was glad for something different to do this evening and for the opportunity to be around a bunch of women (and a couple of men who must have felt rather out of place)!