ATA held several information and entertainment sessions, followed by a lunch.
American Telugu Association (ATA) celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 19, 2017 at Royal Palace Banquets, 6254 W 111th St, Chicago Ridge, IL, a news statement from Asian Media read. The theme of International Women’s Day was “Be Bold for Change†resonated with everyone. About 250 people attended the event.
The event started with a prayer song and lamp lighting ceremony followed by welcome speech and history of IWD by Sunitha Reddy and opening remarks by Dr. Meher Medavaram.
Indian American Physician Dr. Sheela Konda, Vice chair of Radiology, Amita Health Care spoke on breast cancer awareness. Dr. Konda made a slide presentation on facts relating to breast cancer screening and prevention. This was followed by Mary Bedel, President of National Alliance on Mental Illness from Indiana. Bedel spoke on the importance of recognizing the signs of mental illness and how women can reach out to help themselves and their families.
Next, Swapna Reddy an Attorney and Co-Director of ASAP at Urban Justice Center spoke on the issue of Immigration and her work with the refugee population. She put to rest some of the speculations regarding the travel ban which has been imposed by the Trump administration. Audience had a chance to ask questions about Immigration issues. The event included various games, like Jeopardy and Telugu speaking competition. Audience were entertained by Hari Madhuri with her live singing and they danced to the beats of the DJ.
