These Black Women Are Changing the World - Gennette Cordova

As a part of our series on women who are changing the game, today we present Gennette Cordova, journalist, copywriter, and founder of Lorraine House - which serves to empower women through art, activism, and philanthropy, and is named for celebrated, Chicago born Lorraine Hansberry, of Raisin in the Sun fame.

A Google search of Cordova’s name reveals unwanted propulsion into the spotlight. Targeted by former Congressman Anthony Weiner in what has now come to be known as “Weinergate” (the controversial period after which the Congressman sent unsolicited personal photos to various women via outlets such as Twitter) and lead down a path that could have easily led to peaking in public persona as tabloid fodder, Cordova (a college student at the time) used her intelligence and inclination to string strong words together gracefully. Not only clearing her name, but introducing what would become her work to the world; prior to contributing text to Nike campaigns, or Huffington Post think pieces and interviews with other influential black women such as Angela Rye into the media sphere.

(Image via Twitter.com/GNCordova)

Cordova has been questioned ethically in write-ups for publications such as the Harvard Political Review, “For all I know, Cordova isn't being fully honest, maybe she sent something provocative to Weiner…”, even as her testimony is used as confirmation that Weiner “sought to transform informal online conversations and partisanship into sexually charged exchanges” However, Cordova’s professional presence, extending to the sphere of social media, has been nothing short of equitably and ethically focused, and through her words as well as her real-life activism, we are provided with a template of what it looks like to maintain ownership of who you are in public as well as private spheres; never subscribing to the theory that your name has or can become synonymous with the mistakes or suggestions of others.