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March 3, 2017 | Deeds Digest No. 41
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Hello #ChangeMakers!!!
It’s Women’s History Month, which we have been observing ever since 1911 in dedication of International Women’s Day, but not officially recognized until 1980 when President Jimmy Carter issued a presidential proclamation declaring the WEEK of March 8, 1980 as National Women’s History WEEK. That proclamation recognized the women who were “too often … unsung and [whose] contributions went unnoticed; [but whose] achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love … built America…".
In 1987, urged by the National Women’s History Project, Congress designated the whole darn MONTH of March as Women’s History MONTH!
I think you might agree with me that, while recognition of women and our contributions to this country is important enough to set aside A WHOLE MONTH to observe, we’d actually rather see some real progress on women achieving full equality.
Some progress was made in that regard this week when the Nevada state senate, on a 13-8 vote, determined that it wanted to see Nevada become the 36th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. This “radical” amendment stands for the basic idea that men and women have equal rights under the Constitution. There's more work to do in order to actually assure passage of the ERA, but the fact that Nevada’s senate stepped up and paid attention to all those women (and the men who support us) who marched across this country in support of our equality a few weeks ago is indeed something to celebrate!
In honor of Women’s History Month, let’s all “Do” what we can to correct the gender imbalance in representative legislative bodies all over this country. It is the year 2017, and yet, women occupy only a fraction of elected offices at the local, state and federal level. It’s no wonder that we can’t seem to pass laws that would equalize our opportunity when a bunch of men who haven’t walked in our shoes are setting the agenda. At the bottom of this week’s Digest, learn about some of our allied organizations who are doing what they can to support women who want to run for office. And learn what you can “Do” to either sign up or help them out!
This past week, I had the pleasure of visiting with a number of women in tech at both Google and Facebook. These are women who are shattering barriers and entering spaces where they were told they “didn’t belong.” They are working to change the face of these companies and that’s what we need to do in politics, too.
All those “rooms” where women are told they don’t belong? Let’s barge the heck into them, speak up, stand up and demand that we be heard. I’m so amazed by our young #ChangeMakers from the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders who, tomorrow, are going to do just that. They’ll be “in the room” with State Senator Judith Zaffirini’s staff helping to add the finishing touches to a bill that they inspired, seeking to expand a sex-trafficking awareness and prevention program in high schools throughout the state. I’m so freaking proud of them!
I’ve said it once and I’ll keep on saying it, because it’s true, #Changemakers – my money’s on you!
Much love,
-wendy
P.S. Reading this for the first time? Be sure to subscribe below!
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This week’s #ChangeMaker: Mildred Dresselhaus
Our #ChangeMaker of the week is Mildred Dresselhaus - the “Queen of Carbon.” Mildred was the first woman to earn a full professorship at M.I.T. She has also been a pioneer in the science underlying nanotechnology - which is no small feat.
We honor Professor Dresselhaus not simply for her professional accomplishments, but also for her advocacy for women in physics and engineering. From being the first full female professor and organizing the first Women’s Forum at M.I.T. to earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Mildred Dresselhaus’ work has undoubtedly left a tremendous mark on the world.
Know a hero making a difference in their community? Send us a picture of someone you’d like to see as #ChangeMaker of the week here, along with their story, and you might just see it in the next Deeds Digest.
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“I am no longer interested in shouldn’ts or couldn’ts or rules not written for me.” Check out this empowering video developed by ESPNW on women in sports.
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Remember our #ChangeMaker of the week? Check out General Electric’s powerful campaign that imagines a world where female scientists are treated like the celebrities they actually are!
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Next Wednesday, on International Women's Day, the Women's March organizers have called for a one-day strike demonstration of economic solidarity for equity, justice and the human rights of women. Learn how you can join your sisters from the March across the country in making March 8th A DAY WITHOUT A WOMAN:
- Wear RED in solidarity
- Do not engage in paid and unpaid labor
- Avoid spending money (with exceptions for small, women- and minority-owned businesses that support gender, racial, and economic equity)
We hope you'll participate! And in the meantime...
Our fight for women’s reproductive rights is far from over. Here is a quick primer on this critical and complex issue:
Now what? In addition to the “Do’s” listed below, Congresswoman Katherine Clark offers some good tips on how to resist.
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Help Us Get More Women in Office!
Representing over half the population in number but only 20% of elected office seats, it's clear that we need more women elected officials. Many orgs are working to change this statistic and you can help support them! Whether by running yourself or taking part in the activities to follow, help the three amazing organizations below fulfill their mission to increase our representation:
She Should Run
- Women are underrepresented at all levels in the 500,000+ elected offices across the U.S. She Should Run is challenging all of us to take 500,000 collective steps up for more equal and effective leadership. From raising your own hand to run, to encouraging a girl in your community to lead, let's all commit to completing at least one step to help them reach 500K!
Running Start
Ignite National
- Among other initiatives, Ignite National has college chapters across the country that organize activities like voter registration drives, policy workshops, and meetings with elected women and candidates. Let's all forward this email to a college-aged woman we know, and urge her to join a chapter if one exists at her school - or start one on her campus!
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