By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Women need to feel good about themselves before they can help others.

That’s part of the message Bertice Berry brought to Springfield Thursday. She is a sociologist, author, and speaker who motivated about 350 people attending the Illinois Women in Leadership conference. And she says all issues are women’s issues.

“Whatever affects a family affects a woman first, she said. “When you empower women to women, you have empowered them to heal everybody, to help everybody, to care for everybody. That’s who we are, it’s what we do.”

And she does not buy into the idea that women need to be rivals.

“There’s a whole lot in the media that trains, socializes, teaches women to not like who we are,” Berry said in an interview. “We have been told there is only enough ‘whatever-there-is,’ and if I get all of it, that leaves none for you. None of that has ever been true. Love is not zero-sum. In fact, the more love I put out, the more there is for the world.”

Organizers said about 350 people attended the eighth annual conference.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]