Premier Cora Richardson Hodge was a guest speaker at a women’s leadership summit focused on economic empowerment, community development and coastal resilience.
HerWorld MV was held on 19 August on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts and was presented by Inkwhelks Society Inc, a coastal non-profit organisation based on the island.
The gathering, which focused on ecological care, cultural memory and collective action, brought together leaders, artists, organisers and thinkers from various coastal communities.
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In a social media post on 29 August, Richardson Hodge said the event created “a powerful space” to examine how black communities can build economic strength and create pathways to wealth.
She said the conversations included professionals leading large firms, young people uplifting their communities and government representatives working to ensure public policy empowers the public.
“At the heart of these conversations was a shared understanding that building wealth is not only about creating opportunities for today,” Richardson Hodge said.
She added that the focus was on strengthening communities and ensuring that “the wealth, businesses, and opportunities we build can be passed on to future generations.”
The premier used her contribution to highlight similarities between Anguilla and other coastal territories, including Martha’s Vineyard and Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean.
She said that although the islands are separated by geography, they face “many of the same challenges and responsibilities that come with coastal living”.
Richardson Hodge said leaders across these communities are protecting coastal environments, investing public resources, building networks and developing partnerships to strengthen their populations.
She added that the experience reinforced that protecting islands is “not simply an environmental responsibility”, but also involves safeguarding culture, livelihoods, communities and future generations.
HerWorld MV describes itself as more than a traditional conference, with its programme designed to encourage intimate conversations around coastal stewardship, cultural memory and resilient futures.
On its website, organisers say participants are encouraged to connect ideas with lived experience, local knowledge and the real needs of their communities.
Inkwhelks Society works at the intersection of Caribbean culinary heritage, sustainable small-scale fisheries and blue-economy innovation.
The organisation was founded by Deon Thomas, a Jamaican-born “three-island chef” with professional roots in Jamaica, Anguilla and the United States.
Thomas has more than two decades of experience working across food, community and development, including with fishermen, farmers and low-income families.
Through its work, Inkwhelks Society promotes connections between food security, climate resilience, cultural preservation and local economic opportunity.
Richardson Hodge said she was grateful to the organisation for creating a space where participants could “connect, reflect, learn from one another and imagine the future we want to build together.”
