Dear John,

Every year, Equality Now hosts the Make Equality Reality Gala in New York City, a one-of-a-kind, arts-based celebration that brings together visionary leaders, powerful performers, and global changemakers committed to advancing gender equality. Together, we raised over $1 million in support of Equality Now’s work to achieve gender equality. 

This year on October 14, we honored Malala Yousafzai, recipient of our Trailblazer Award, and the Pelicot Family, recipient of our Courage Award. We also were inspired by the incredible bravery of war correspondent Ann Curry and performances by Emeli Sandé, Charlene Kaye, Shoba Narayan, Resistance Revival Chorus, Katie Cappiello, and many other presenters and guest speakers. Throughout the evening, we demonstrated the importance of choosing joy, because in a world marked by uncertainty, joy is a powerful act of resistance and strength. 

We are grateful to our underwriting sponsor, the Montag Family Foundation, and Gala Co-Chairs, Janet Montag and Britta Jacobson. Additional thanks are owed to our honored guests, the Kering Foundation, and other leading sponsors, Philip Berlinski & Britta Jacobson, Molly Gochman, Adam & Melony Lewis, Sinha Family Fund, Kim & Dan Agnew, Bank of America, Patricia & Alex Farman-Farmaian, Elizabeth Holland & Sandeep Mathrani, InMaat Foundation, Mastercard, and Women Connect4Good, and our entire Host Committee for helping to make the evening possible.

We are also appreciative of you, John, for supporting our work and being part of our community. Achieving a gender just world will require all of us, and our successes would not have been possible without your ongoing support. Thank you.

With joy,
S. Mona Sinha
Global Executive Director, Equality Now

P.S. If you’re interested in joining us at the 2026 Make Equality Reality Gala on October 21, please email [email protected]. We also recommend following our social media as we will be sharing content from the night, including key moments like Malala’s acceptance speech.