Why 23K women flooded State Farm Arena for fiery sermons, empowering panels
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
Thousands of women from all over the world met in Atlanta last week to rejoice with one another over a collective theme of freedom and triumph.
The three-day Woman Evolve Conference was hosted by Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts, daughter of Pastor T.D. Jakes and successor leader of the Potter’s House megachurch in Dallas.
“Freedom is not the absence of threats; it’s the knowledge that you can overcome,” Jakes Roberts preached during an evening session at the conference.
Created in 2018, Woman Evolve is a spiritual movement led by Jakes Roberts to encourage women to not compromise one sector of their lives in order to have another — they don’t have to choose between being career professionals and mothers. Service and sisterhood are the foundations of its mission, along with spirituality.
T.D. Jakes, who started the “Woman, Thou Art Loosed” empowerment conference in 1986, set the tone. “Woman, Thou Art Loosed” first convened in Atlanta, and circled back there for its final iteration in 2022. From that point, T.D. Jakes passed the torch to Jakes Roberts, who continued the women’s empowerment conference through the organization she founded.
Last week was the first year Woman Evolve was held in Atlanta, and the conference officials estimated it had a $35 million economic impact on the city. The conference will return to Atlanta in 2026.
More than 23,000 people registered for the conference, including attendees traveling from the United Kingdom, South Africa, Jamaica, Canada, the Bahamas and France.
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
The conference included an invitation-only reception with the Jakes family, leaders within the faith industry and entrepreneurs.
Going into detail about his upbringing in West Virginia, T.D. Jakes described the process of caterpillars evolving into butterflies.
“The caterpillar gives up its life to become the butterfly, but understand that everything it becomes it already was,” the preacher said. “I just want to remind you that there is another you, no matter what you’ve been through.
“Ultimately, the path to better requires that you have the elasticity of mind and the liquidity of thought to find that part of yourself that can fly,” he continued. “My prayer for this weekend is that your wings will begin to push out of the cocoon and that you would become airborne in this moment and by the time you get ready to go back to your home, that you could fly on your own.”
Woman Evolve dove into a full-blown inspiration fest when Jakes Roberts was joined by Uncle Nearest whiskey company founder and CEO Fawn Weaver during the Mind Your Business Luncheon. Discussing passion, purpose and perseverance within entrepreneurship, Weaver gave sobering advice about the financial risks of becoming a business owner.
“Most people who think they want to be entrepreneurs are actually intrapreneurs. They don’t have the stomach for the risk,” she said. “That’s the reality of entrepreneurialism: If you have a weak stomach, don’t do it.”
However, she also reminded the 500 lunch guests that they should never stop learning within their respective fields, and they should be proud about gaining new knowledge even while acting as leaders in their own right.
“I don’t believe you ever stop learning. The question is: Are you comfortable showing you’re not perfect?” she asked the crowd. “If you just let [people] know in advance, ‘I’m learning while I’m leading,’ then they’ll come alongside you and help you.”
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
Stacked with sisterhood-building workshops, the conference also featured spiritual and relationship advice panels. Activist-evangelist Christine Caine commandeered the arena’s main stage, and inspirational speaker Me Ra Koh emotionally moved the audience with affirmation chants. Praise and worship dancers graced the stage in all white, and live music brought the crowd to their feet.
The conference gave attendees the opportunity to have conversations with self-made entrepreneurs. Hair care mogul and Mielle creator Monique Rodriguez led a discussion on business acumen. Social media influencer and fragrance brand owner Jackie Aina reminded conference attendees to never be afraid to invest in themselves.
Then, spoken word artist Tripp Fontane reminded the crowd to engage in social justice conversations and efforts.
But validation in personal achievement took a major focus when Jakes Roberts preached about “freedom” to a packed arena, reminding the women they were resilient. Despite their setbacks, they had only grown stronger with their life lessons.
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
“What you’re calling that threat is actually your coach,” Jakes Roberts said.
She veered to the history of Black women leaders in the U.S., expounding on Georgia politician Stacey Abrams’ continuous battles for social justice and voting rights.
Jakes Roberts was met with thunderous applause when she told the crowd, “Girl, you ain’t no punk! You started this fight!
“Don’t let the devil take you out of your spot!”
About the Author
Brooke Leigh Howard is a reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Black culture team, UATL.
