The Willie’s Warriors Leadership Initiative preserves Rev. Willie T. Barrow’s legacy
BY TIA CAROL JONES
The Reverend Willie Taplin Barrow believed that if you educate a women, you educate a nation. Barrow wanted to bring women together so they could test their strength, empower themselves and empower others to change the world.
Barrow was a civil rights activist, known Internationally. She worked with The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and in the early eighties she co-founded the Rainbow Push with the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson.
Barrow focused on equity and social justice for women. Before she passed, Barrow was trying to create a space for Black women’s leadership to be supported. Barrow wanted women to be connected to change the world. She wanted to establish a leadership institute to support and mentor women. She left an estate gift to bring her vision to reality.
The Willie’s Warriors Leadership Initiative was established in 2018 by the Chicago Foundation for Women to honor Barrow’s legacy. The mission of the initiative brings women from different sectors in Chicago and empowers them to effect change in their own way. Since 2018, there have been 50 women, and three cohorts, have participated in the program.
Barrow was Dr. Patricia Carey’s godmother and Carey is the executor of Barrow’s estate. Carey said from an early age, Barrow wanted to fight for people and create change. Barrow wanted to
establish a pipeline so that there was a constant line of Black women leaders focused on justice and equity.
“Reverend Barrow was known as the “Little Warrior” in Chicago. She was not challenged by obstacles in her way. She found ways of moving them over or moving through them or around them, but she
didn’t give up. That’s the warrior spirit,” Carey said.
Felicia Davis Blakley, president and CEO of the Chicago Foundation for Women, said Barrow wanted a space where Black women could learn, build relationships and feel affirmed. Blakley described the initiative as a really important effort.
“There’s a lot around building relationships, there is a lot around first and foremost just affirming their leadership. The space is intentionally set for Black women and supported so that they can feel safe to have these conversations,” she said.
Coaching is built in for them. Each cohort is different because it is co-created with participants sharing skills with the rest of the participants. There is an awakening for the participants in the program where they understand they have the knowledge, skills and ability to increase their leadership.
Davis Blakley believes that the Willie’s Warriors Initiative can be part of a broader conversation of how workspaces can be more welcoming, acknowledging and affirming of Black women and their
leadership.
The Chicago Foundation for Women has programs for women’s leadership, including supporting women leaders in grant making.
It also trains women of color to serve on non-profit boards, which is an important to decision making and governance of those non-profit organizations.
“There are a lot of non-profits in Chicago that are serving women and girls and particularly women and girls of color, but when you look at their boards, they don’t reflect that diversity,” she said. Carey said
Barrow would be delighted about the Willie’s Warriors Leadership Initiative.
“She would be thrilled because these women who have gone through the program, have gone through an organized leadership seminar over several months to understand systems, different kinds
of leadership to understand themselves as leaders, to identify themselves as leaders,” Carey said. “Part of what Willie’s Warriors learn is that there are different kinds of leaders and different kinds of
leadership.”
The program is accepting application for its 2022 cohort. The deadline is Friday, Dec. 10. For more information, visit www. cfw.org.
