Glamour’s Samantha Barry and Model Christy Turlington Celebrated Female Changemakers in D.C.

Glamour's Samantha Barry and supermodel Christy Turlington hosted a dinner in the heart of Washington, DC, celebrating maternal health, policy changemakers, and the Hamilton Hotel's 100th anniversary. While the hotel hosted a dinner with 100 influential men a centennial ago, this year's guestlist featured a majority of women-identified attendees. The hosts had brought together a room of political changemakers, with a narrative focused on discussing maternal health equity and promoting the passing of paid leave. 

"I think Glamour, since its inception in 1939, has been fighting for women, including working women and moms. The fact that it's 80 plus years later and the U.S. is still one of only six countries in the world that doesn't have a federally mandated national paid leave for parents is a scandal," Samantha Barry told Vogue. "We wanted to put the weight of our journalism behind a push to make national paid leave happen. The best way that Glamour can do that is through the lens of women, which is how we do our storytelling."

Last week, Glamour Magazine released an expansive piece, The Time to Pass Paid Leave Is Now, and 28 Days in the Lives of Eight Women Postpartum, following the lives of 8 women in America with wildly differing levels of access to maternity care and paid leave. "Tonight, we're gathered at the seat of power in the U.S., bringing together some amazing change makers, journalists, people in office, and policymakers," Samantha Barry told Vogue.

Inside the historic Hamilton Hotel, the venue showcased two elegant long tables taking nearly the length of the ballroom dressed in ethereal candles, blossoming pastel florals, and pale gray linens, with a calla lily garnish at each place setting. The cocktail hour upstairs featured the choice of two specialty drinks, one playfully named I'm Never Leaving, created in collaboration with chef Sophia Roe. After mingling and nibbling on passed canapes, attendees were invited to take their seats. Hosts Samantha Barry and Christy Turlington took the stage for a transparent conversation on the ever-present need for universal paid leave in the United States. The pre-dinner discussion tackled topics ranging from maternal mortality rates and rampant racial inequities amongst women of color seeking maternal health care in the United States. 

In addition to being a quintessential famed face of ’90s fashion, Turlington is the founder of Every Mother Counts and has dedicated her work to spreading awareness and improving opportunities for access to maternity care after surviving her own postnatal complications. 

"I became a maternal health advocate the day I became a mother 19 years ago. The unexpected happened when I was diagnosed with a postpartum hemorrhage," said Turlington. "Half of all maternal deaths happen postpartum. My postpartum complication could have been the end of my life. That is too often the story for too many women, and they don't have the same access to resources. Every Mother Counts focuses on accessing equitable, safe, high-quality maternity care for every woman and mother everywhere."

Attendees included Tarana Burke, Ashley Biden, CNN's senior political correspondent Abby Philips, Sophia Roe, and many more. Also in attendance was Tiffany Mrotek: one of the eight mothers featured in Glamour's recent piece by Natasha Pearlman and Ruhama Wolle. After an exclusive look at a trailer from Every Mother Counts' upcoming film, guests dined on an autumnal-inspired four-course meal. The glamorous yet impactful evening concluded with a seemingly never-ending spread of desserts galore, including Glamour-themed cookies and sweets by local black-owned business owner and pastry chef Aleatra Dimitrijevski. 

"Glamour curated the suffrage suite to mark a hundred years of all women gaining the right to vote in America. Since one hundred years ago, the hotel had an all-men dinner; we flipped that on its head tonight and brought a hundred-plus person dinner, the majority women. There's a couple of very privileged allies and men that have come along," said Barry, stunning in a pale blue feather midi dress.