Last Updated on September 28, 2002 by Paulette Brown-Hinds

Rancho Cucamonga
When an idea is a good one and the time is right, nothing can stop it from becoming a reality.

So it was with Women on the Move and its conference, “It’s Our Time!” to be held Saturday, September 28th beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Lions’ Center East and West, 9161 Baseline Road, Rancho Cucamonga.
When Dr. Wilma Ellis returned from Ireland a couple of years ago, where she had been a keynote speaker at a women’s conference, she excitedly shared her experience with a few women in her Baha’i community. She spoke of the informative and thought-provoking topics of the workshops, the bonding that had taken place among the women and men in attendance, and the spirit of commitment that had resulted from the event.
An immediate response to her remarks was to hold such a conference here and to invite organizations and individuals who were like-minded and anxious to take part in the advancement of the equality of women and men and the role of women in bringing about world peace. Thus, “It’s Our Time!” was born.
The small, dedicated group of women who responded to this idea decided to organize and became a non-profit, unincorporated association called Women on the Move, currently an outreach program of the Baha’i community of Rancho Cucamonga. The future plan of this ambitious and committed group is to sponsor a series of activities and events that will proclaim these principles of equality and eventually become a recognized, respected organization with members throughout Southern California and eventually around the country.
So, those who will attend “It’s Our Time!” will be the first participants in this initial endeavor of Women on the Move! – a fine beginning and the first step in fulfillment of the noble idea of the equality of women and men. It is truly an idea whose time has come.
Dr. Wilma Ellis will serve as keynote speaker. She was born in Altamont, Illinois and raised in California where she attended high school and did undergraduate work. She completed her undergraduate work and received her Masters of Arts and Doctor of Education degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
From December 1985 to April 2000 Dr. Wilma Ellis served on the Continental board of Counselors for the Americas, an advisory body that consults with the 43 national governing bodies of the Baha’i Faith in North and South America. Prior to her appointment as a Continental Counselor in 1985, she was from 1981 to 1985 a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, the elected governing body of the American Baha’i community.
She served as Vice President for Development and Public Relations at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia from 1983-1986. She is married and the mother of one son and two daughters.
For further information contact Barbara Marino at (909) 989-5991.