On March 18, the Women’s Empowerment Group will meet at the Long Beach Public Library for the first time in 2026 — its January and February meetings were both canceled due to snowstorms. The woman-focused organization has been getting together for nearly 10 years, having done so for the first time at the library in 2017 and once a month ever since.
The group began as a project created by Anissa Moore, who, nine years ago, was halfway through her groundbreaking term as the first Black member of the Long Beach City Council, and would go on to become the first Black council president in 2019. The first meeting, Moore recalled, was meant to be a one-time event to highlight women of the community, but she quickly realized it needed to continue.
“When we all connected, we pretty much said we all need this,” Moore said. “We need support. We need the encouragement. So we made a pledge to each other — a commitment — that we would meet once a month. And we’ve been doing it ever since.” The group met virtually during the pandemic, but returned to in-person gatherings at the library when it was safe to do so again.
The women are from Long Beach and throughout Nassau County, and they include business owners, entrepreneurs, musicians, social workers, and educators, among others. Meetings offer attendees an opportunity to hear polished speakers offer professional insights, and give community members a chance to share personal stories and experiences.
“It’s really interesting, and we all share the same story,” said Mindi Dovberg, who came to the group’s first meeting and has remained a regular attendee. “Everyone tells it differently, even though we have the same story, because we’re all individuals. It’s pretty incredible.”
At that inaugural meeting, Dovberg had an opportunity to speak, and shared her thoughts on gratitude after suffering a severe back injury. She gave the presentation with her distinctive style. “I stood there with my cane, with a feathered boa around my shoulders,” Dovberg said. “You have to wow the audience, right?”
Moore regularly invites guest speakers to hold forth on a range of relevant topics. Financial experts have been asked to offer guidance on financial literacy and building financial health. Life coaches have been invited to contribute to the discussion, and health and wellness coaches have been brought in to focus on crucial women’s issues. The women also regularly exchange views on relationships of all varieties — familial, professional, platonic and romantic — as well as building healthy conflict-resolution skills.
Moore explained that they also examine the world of women’s careers. “We have different women telling their stories in terms of their professional journey,” she said, “with the hope of encouraging other women to move into those fields. And a lot of those fields have been male-dominated fields. We feel that this is a way in which people can find something that really speaks to their heart, and they can leave there empowered.”
With the March 18 meeting taking place in the middle of National Women’s History Month, Moore looks forward to capitalizing on the additional source of inspiration. “There are women who are right here on Long Island, local heroines, that we should really focus on and honor them,” she said. “Learn from the challenges that they’ve had to get where they are, and celebrate them. I think that if we do that, I think it will really motivate the younger generation.”
Nearly 20 people attended the first meeting. Over the years, the group has roughly doubled, with close to 40 women showing up on a regular basis and a handful coming sporadically. “It’s much better than sitting at home on your couch when you could be at the library,” Dovberg said. “It’s interaction. It’s community. It’s eye-to-eye. It’s really awesome. That’s what this night provides for everyone.”
