Mother-daughter duos make women's empowerment gathering a family affair
New York event helps duos to explore their passions and feel ‘seen’ during the Commission on the Status of Women
LOUISVILLE — Participating in this year’s Commission on the Status of Women was a family affair for some of the Presbyterians who gathered in New York City in early March.
The Presbyterian News Service caught up with a few mother-daughter pairs who took part in the 70th session of CSW, an international gathering aimed at promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Sitting down for interviews at Church of the Covenant were Laura Browne and her daughter, Julianne; Punky Dahl and her daughter, Haley; and Laura Zhang-Choi, whose daughter, Ella Choi, commented later.
CSW70 “has been a life-changing experience for me,” said Laura Browne, who’s based in Phoenix, Arizona. “It has just been absolutely amazing, and (it’s) amazing to be surrounded by my Presbyterian sisters. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
The mother-daughter duos were among nearly 70 participants recruited by Presbyterian Women and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations to take part in various activities, such as timely discussions and educational sessions, worship services and advocacy opportunities.
“I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the CSW,” said Ella Choi of Stewartsville Presbyterian Church in New Jersey. “It was an extremely eye-opening experience, and I learned a lot about how faith and female empowerment are integral to one another.”
Before the event began, the Brownes of Orangewood Presbyterian Church decided to apply but didn’t really think they’d get accepted since CSW70 sounded like such a dream gig to them.
“I thought, ‘Are you kidding me?’” said daughter Julianne Browne of Phoenix. “A place where I can actually go and talk to people who are doing good in the world, learn from them, bring stuff back? That sounded like everything I had been wanting for so long.”
The dream became a reality when the Brownes, who’d heard about the opportunity from Presbyterian Women, received the greenlight to participate.
“When we found out, we were screaming” with joy, Laura Browne said. “We’re happy to be here.”
This year’s theme of ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls spawned many webinars and sessions on related topics, ranging from gender-based violence to survival in war-torn regions.
Laura Browne said she came to the gathering to learn about the gender wage gap and women in leadership. It’s “very depressing that it's 2026 and there's still a huge gender wage gap in many countries.”
Julianne Browne, on the other hand, was focused more on sexual violence against women and how various countries are addressing it. “It's close to my heart because pretty much every woman I have met in my life, especially my friends — every single woman — has had some kind of violent experience at the hands of a man, including myself.”
Getting the opportunity to hear conversations on important topics impacting women is what made Zhang-Choi of Stewartsville, New Jersey, want her daughter to attend CSW70 this year.
“We have a lot of discussions at home, but I want her to participate and witness,” regarding challenges that don’t “just exist in Stewartsville or in New Jersey, but worldwide, women face a lot of the same challenges,” said Zhang-Choi, who’s seeking a call from the Presbytery of the Highlands in New Jersey. Also, “I wanted her to see the beauty of God's imagination for all humankind,” the diversity, and the importance of making space for everyone to belong.
Choi is a sophomore at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City. She said “participating in CSW with my mom made it even more meaningful and impactful. Not only did it deepen our relationship through faith, but it also connected us through a shared understanding of how gender equality has progressed across generations. It reminded me of the work women, including my mom, have done for gender equality, and it motivated me to advocate for future generations of women by uplifting female voices in faith spaces.”
Many people participate in CSW and related events, such as the NGO CSW70 Forum, so they’ll be able to learn about policy and issues, hear the experiences of women around the world and use the knowledge to inform their advocacy work back home.
“This gives you an outlet to not only learn what's going on in the world but to communicate it to other groups,” said Punky Dahl, who’s based in Oklahoma City but attends Southminster Presbyterian Church in Tulsa. “You don't just come to CSW to do nothing with this knowledge. .... You come to CSW to bring hope, to take back hope.”
Participating as a mother-daughter duo this year provided a much-needed layer of support, Punky Dahl said. Both she and her daughter hold various leadership positions in the PC(USA), including in Presbyterian Women of Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery.
“It’s been really good” to have Haley here because "some of the sessions are very heavy, and when you can sit down and you can discuss it with someone you love, and get two different opinions, but come together as one, it makes such a huge difference, so I'm very proud that she wanted to come, not only to support me but to see what was going on,” Punky Dahl said.
Haley Dahl came not as an official delegate but to get a feel for what CSW is like. She got to take part in CSW-related events that did not require a UN badge. She was impressed with a panel that discussed the intersectionality between homelessness and gender-related issues and has begun thinking about how to apply what she learned to her local area. “That was something I was excited about to now have some statistics” and a framework to bring back.
PMUN and partner organizations, such as Ecumenical Women, offer worship services and other faith-based activities that bring delegates together periodically during CSW, even before the official event begins. PW also hosts gatherings.
Prior to CSW, “I didn't feel like I belonged or like people would accept me because I am queer and I'm a woman,” Julianne Browne said. “I never felt like people in organized religion were looking out for me. I felt very ostracized, so for a long time, I just didn't want to go to church.”
But after participating in a regional online orientation, something clicked for Julianne.
“I was just so moved by the stories of these people and just what they want to do, where they're working, the things that they're doing, and it was a really big deal to me, because it felt like the first time in a very long time that I had gotten like a sign, and all I've ever wanted to do … was help people,” Julianne Browne said. “That's been a thing for so long, and I really struggled to find a way to do it, and this felt like a call to action. It felt like a sign, so it means a lot to me to be here.“
Upon arrival, she has felt accepted by everyone, including delegates and other contacts who’ve been interested in her backstory. “Every single person that I talk to welcomes me and tells me how exciting it is that I'm here and that they're really excited to do good,” she said. “I mean, really every single person. I have felt seen.”
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