Nearly 200 people filled the Sun Room Tuesday night to hear Marie Wilson, president of the Ms. Foundation for Women, speak about women, politics and the national crisis.

Wilson’s speech, titled “In this Time of National Crisis: Where are the Women,” focused on the lack of diverse voices in the United States today.

“It’s noticed, but the question is what does it mean?” she said.

Wilson said the lack of voices is the missing opinions from both women and people of color.

“It’s not about being fair,” Wilson said. “It’s unfair not to include the voices of those who have different perspectives when we don’t know exactly what we’re facing.”

Wilson said she’s “not soft on the issue,” but she said people need to hear different views during a time of crisis.

She works in the Wall Street district, Wilson said, and she has seen first hand how the country has changed.

“I smell it every day,” she said. “I taste it every day. I watched it happen. I have people who will never return to my office, because they’re afraid.”

Wilson said the best reason for diverse perspectives is to help U.S. children.

“We need a lot of different people to speak to our children,” she said. “What we’re dealing with, we need the hearts and minds of other people.”

The absence of voices does not only apply to the United States, Wilson said.

“It’s interesting to see women in Afghanistan who are also missing,” she said. “Women can’t be seen in pictures. The actual people over there who are suffering are invisible.”

Wilson also spoke about women in politics and the changes she would like to see in the coming years.

“Everybody wants [women], but they want our votes,” she said. “We are interested in our visions.”

In 1998, Wilson co-founded the White House Project, an organization dedicated to getting more women elected to public office – including the presidency.

She also helped launch the campaign, Take Our Daughters to Work Day.

Wilson is the first of five speakers for Women’s Week, said Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics.

“Marie has Iowa ties, but certainly a national presence,” Bystrom said. “We thought she’d be a great person to kick off the week.”

Carrie Rasmussen, senior in political science, said she enjoyed Wilson’s speech.

“I was amazed by the accomplishments of this speaker,” she said. “Not only is she an amazing woman, but a fascinating speaker as well.”