Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network Launches

After initial news regarding their creation, the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN) held a launch event Wednesday night and you can see the pictures here.

Though Kimora Lee Simmons was announced as the spokesperson, Valeisha Butterfield is described as the founder and is clearly the lady in charge.  You can find out more about her and some other happening women that are involved in one unclear capacity or another at WEEN's new website in the About section.

Since this was simply a social event there's not much here to which to respond.  However a commenter on my initial post, in which I express my suspicious inclinations regarding this organization, had the following to say:

They actually started this WEEN thing way before the congressional hearings were announced. Things like this take planning; you can't just spring it up in that short amount of time. The first WEEN meeting (which a friend of mine attended) was held right after the Don Imus thing. Since then, they have been planning - creating a website, getting members, being strategic. This is just the formal launch.

Instead of being cynical, you should recognize that regardless of when the first meeting took place, that the organization is needed. That's why the first meeting - in which only 20 guests were invited - had over 200 guests respond and nearly 100 attend.

You're right, things like this do take planning and, since these issues have been fairly big for years now one would expect something to emerge at an industry level sooner or later.  That it began after the Don Imus controversy doesn't really say much about deeper concern since that was the point where it became clear that there was going to be a big backlash against business as usual.

How this group will actually function and what their true agenda is remains to be seen and will only be revealed by their actions.  Just because they claim to be responding to real social concerns does not mean that their organization's actions will ultimately address such concerns in a relevant manner.

Given the fact that this organization has come into existence so late in the game regarding the foul treatment of women in hip hop suggests that something beyond social concerns are driving this group.  The fact that external social pressures have been growing that could affect corporate bottom lines and that HSAN is involved should be enough to make anyone wonder why this group is gathering now.

I only said I was being cynical in a sarcastic manner.  I'm really just being realistic given everything I've seen to date.

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