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Tag: women's history month

  • The “Difficult” Woman

    The “Difficult” Woman

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    There is no shortage of examples of the “difficult” woman in history. Better known as “crazy.” For when a woman is deemed too difficult, the crazy label always comes in quite handily for those looking to silence her “psychotic” nature. Few ever stopping to consider that “psychotic” behavior is pretty much anything that doesn’t fit into the limiting box put forth by patriarchal society. And that limitation is very much by design. Hence, the rate at which far more women are diagnosed with “mental problems” than men. Because, shit, they straight-up invent mental disorders specifically for women (see: hysteria, Angry Woman Syndrome, Post-Abortion [Stress] Syndrome)—all created to hem in very natural reactions that would not be seen as “problematic” in men.

    People have continued to fool themselves into believing that “we’ve come so far” and that a level playing field has been formed. One on which women can thrive and “have it all.” That odious phrase that would never need to be applied to men because they’ve always had everything, no questions asked. Looking back on the women who have been branded with the “cuckoo” mark, it’s plain to see they were set up to fail. Frances Farmer, Zelda Fitzgerald (who was somehow viewed as “crazier” than F. Scott), Sylvia Plath, Princess Diana and, perhaps most illustriously of all, Britney Spears. Frances and Zelda were both relegated to mental institutions; Plath suffered her “madness” while only able to cast some of it out of her through her poetry and The Bell Jar; Diana was painted as the irrational, paranoid woman, whose paranoia was then preyed upon by the likes of Martin Bashir for profit.

    Britney, however, might have suffered the worst “consequence” of all: being betrayed by her own family. Who used the perception of her “insanity” (a.k.a. a normal reaction to living in a fishbowl and having every move she made interpreted as another sign of her incompetence) to their benefit. Specifically, Jamie and Lynne Spears colluding with Tri Star Sports & Entertainment’s Lou Taylor to entrap Britney in a conservatorship. Truly, the stuff of Hollywood horror story legend.

    As many remember, it was Britney snapping one night on February 16, 2007 (thus, the mocking t-shirt that reads: “I Feel Like 2007 Britney”) by shaving her head at a Tarzana salon that provided all the cannon fodder anyone needed to call her “crazy.” Frances Farmer endured a similar phenomenon on October 19, 1942, spurred from the instant she was stopped by a police officer for being parked on the side of the road with her high-beams on in a blackout zone (this being a wartime practice meant to prevent enemy aircrafts from detecting a target). Talking back to the officer (including telling him, “You bore me”), she was accused of being drunk (without any test actually given) and thrown into the clink for the night before she paid her bail.

    Other “drunk and disorderly” accusations were lobbied at Farmer in subsequent months that year as well. Namely, while in Mexico to shoot a movie version of John Steinbeck’s Murder at Laudice. Upon arriving, she found that the shooting script wasn’t even completed, so what the fuck else was she to do but entertain herself while she waited? Something any man in her position would have done as well—without the curse of being called “drunk and disorderly.” It was Mexico in the 1940s, what did anyone expect? Especially since the movie never even started filming.

    This led, soon enough, to “too much free time” on Farmer’s hands as she was additionally accused of disturbing the peace. She then endured something akin to the Spears family’s treatment of their star member upon trying to return to her Santa Monica abode after the botched film shoot, only to find that it had been cleared of all her possessions and another family was living in it. Farmer stated that her mother and sister-in-law were responsible for this abrupt ousting, after which she ended up staying at a room in the Knickerbocker Hotel. Of this bizarre turn of events, Farmer would later remark, “I suppose it seems peculiar that I never asked questions, or received an accounting, but I didn’t give a damn. At the time I neither knew nor cared.”

    Just before her “forced transference” to the Knickerbocker, studios were continuing to pass her around during this period. Mainly because Frances was declared to be a “difficult woman” for actually “deigning” to make suggestions about the character she was playing. Per Patrick Agan’s The Decline and Fall of the Love Goddesses, “She incurred studio wrath by demanding they rewrite the glamor out of [her] character [Calamity Jane in Badlands of Dakota] and give her back her original grittiness. Again she lost the battle and another mark was chalked up against her on Hollywood’s list of troublemakers.” That word “troublemaker” being reserved for any woman who doesn’t do as she’s told without “making a fuss” about it. The same went for women like Plath, Fitzgerald and Princess Diana, who were viewed as “problematic” and “threatening” because of their unwillingness to suffer in total silence. Plath spoke out in her venomous writing, and so did Zelda and Diana, for that matter (with the latter doing so secretly through biographer Andrew Morton).

    All these examples, of which there are so many more, prove solely that the “difficult” woman is often not so difficult at all. She merely expressed herself “out of nowhere” (as though she hadn’t been saying the same thing for some time while being ignored) when a man in the oppressor position expected her to go along as usual (e.g., Britney saying no to “one dance move” and then being admitted to a psychiatric facility by her father in 2019). And the same cycle of gaslighting a woman into thinking she’s “crazy” continues (for if she wasn’t to begin with, she certainly would be if forced to endure enough repetition of mantras like “you’re crazy,” “you’re imagining things,” et cetera).

    Just look at Britney being accused of insanity every day on her Instagram now that she’s free. For, no matter how many monuments or “holidays” we seem to generate (e.g., Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day) to tell us that women are important and deserve to be heard without the risk of seeming “difficult,” the actions of the world daily persist in emphasizing the contrary.

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    Genna Rivieccio

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  • The 4 highest-ranking women in the U.S. military speak about the obstacles they overcame

    The 4 highest-ranking women in the U.S. military speak about the obstacles they overcame

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    Army Gen. Laura Richardson flew helicopters in Iraq and led an assault helicopter battalion. She now leads U.S. Southern Command.

    “Where else in the military can you be a helicopter pilot, work at the White House, work at the United States Capitol, work at the Pentagon, and lead American sons and daughters in combat,” Richardson told CBS News.

    Hundreds in U.S. history have held the rank of four-star general or admiral, only 10 are women.  

    Richardson is one of four of those women who spoke exclusively to CBS News this week about the challenges they faced to achieve what they did.

    “And there’s four of us, right?” Richardson said. “A first. And so, pretty soon, there will be no more firsts.”

    Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan, the head of the Coast Guard, is the first female service chief in U.S. history, and the only woman to be a de facto member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

    “The journey we’ve all been on has taken sustained, persistent effort, endeavor,” Fagan told CBS News. “Yes, there’s been some difficult people along the way, but, you know, they’re not sitting here in these chairs right now.”

    Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost leads the U.S. Transportation Command. As a teenager, she had her pilot’s license before her driver’s license. But when she enlisted, she wasn’t allowed to fly fighter jets because she was a woman.

    “A senior leader from that school said there really is no reason that women should be here,” Ovost said. “And you don’t belong here. I talked to … fellow wingmen. They were helping me so that I would be sharp, so that when I ended up flying with that person again, I would demonstrate that I had every right to be there.”

    Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the number two officer in the Navy, once commanded a carrier strike group. On her first deployment, though, her commanding officer told her she wasn’t welcome there, a situation each of these women has faced.

    “He made it very clear to me that he didn’t think women should be on our ship and he was going to make sure that I did not succeed,” Franchetti said.

    That discrimination was met by determination. 

    “I just worked harder,” Franchetti said. “And, you know, I was gonna make sure that what he wanted to have happen wasn’t going to happen.”  

    The four women acknowledge, though, that there’s still a long way to go.

    “It’s all about who’s on the bench, and who are we in the pipeline reaching way down, not just at our colonel level, but to the majors and captains and grooming them to fill our seats,” Richardson said. 

    Norah O’Donnell


    Norah O'Donnell

    Norah O’Donnell is the anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News.” She also contributes to “60 Minutes.”

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  • What to Stream During Women’s History Month

    What to Stream During Women’s History Month

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    There’s a scene in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women that goes down in history as one of my favorites in all of cinema.

    In it, Saoirse Ronan, who plays the spirited and independent Jo March, gives a monologue about how women are expected to be one dimensional — either opinionated or loved, smart or pretty, dedicated to her career or to her husband.

    In her frustration, she says: “Women … they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for.”

    It’s a powerful scene, carrying a powerful sentiment, but it doesn’t end there. After her triumphant declaration, Jo breaks down, revealing what she’s ashamed to admit to herself: “But I’m so lonely.”

    This monumental scene is both emotional and political. Her poignant but vulnerable musings express the central tension of the film: the desire to be seen as a complex, capable individual while society tries to pin you down as the opposite.

    What’s so special about that scene — besides Saoirse’s acting masterclass — is that Jo is putting language to something that so many of us can’t name. Although this is super relatable to most women, it’s difficult to accept that despite the advancement of women over the years, so much of this is still true today. Socially, women are taught to view themselves as less deserving and when they assert that they’re worth more, they’re often punished.

    In most cases, sexism is so ingrained in society that it takes years to apprehend the unconscious biases that plague our daily life. This sexism gets reinforced by the media because until recently men created the representation of women.

    This is why the presence of women in media is so critical. Telling female-driven stories help reshape how women see themselves outside of the strictures of the male gaze.

    Directors like Greta Gerwig are more and more common — women telling dynamic, well-rounded stories about the diversity and expansiveness of the female experience.

    In Gerwig’s podcast conversation with Barry Jenkins for A24, she discusses the monumental importance of being mentored by female directors. “I’d never met a young woman who said she wanted to be a director … I had fallen in love with film, but it just still felt out of reach. And all of a sudden I was like, Oh, wait, are we allowed to say we want to do this?”

    From her undergrad days as a fledgling director to now, Gerwig notes how much has changed for female directors. And how revolutionary it is.

    In the podcast, Gerwig continues: “People are like this year of “women in film.” And I’m like, not only do you have Sofia Coppola and Kathryn Bigelow, you also have Maggie Betts and Dee Rees and Valerie Faris and me and Patty Jenkins and Angelina Jolie. And those are all very visible films.”

    It’s not just the number Gerwig is impressed by, but also the variety. She continues. “There’s thousands more. And that is an extraordinary moment, I think. And those are all such different films from each other. It’s not like, “Here is the kinds of films women make.” It’s like, I can’t think of two films more different from Battle of the Sexes to Mudbound to Wonder Woman.”

    Gerwig is right. All these films vary greatly, but they’re equally reflective of a moment where women are rapidly gaining agency.

    You can see the difference. There are even memes about how heartthrobs like Timothee Chalamet and Harry Styles seem like Men Written By Women. In a world where famed directors like Tarantino famously and unflinchingly depict violence against women — I won’t even get into the Sam Levinson/The Weeknd drama on set of The Idol — it’s refreshing to enjoy the female gaze, rather than the oft-reductive male gaze.

    So bask in the glory of The World By Women. Here are just a few of the best female-directed films that are streaming now:

    Lady Bird, Netflix

    via A24

    Because of my affinity for Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan, it’s no surprise that Lady Bird is first on my list. In the podcast, Jenkins describes its magic saying: “you’re watching this movie … and everybody’s laughing their heads off the first 45 minutes and then you start to hear a few people sniffling in the back and on the side and then you realize, I’m watching a very, very heavy, sad kind of film. And it all coalesces into this very hopeful kind of thing that feels earned.”

    Mudbound, Netflix

    Every emotion you’ve ever felt is perfectly rendered in the award-winning feature, Mudbound. Director Dee Ross places the audience in the post-war South, watching the splintering of two families — one white, one Black. It’s more than worth all the heavy feelings it evokes.

    Till, Amazon Prime

    We should all be talking about Chinonye Chukwu. The director behind Till, one of the most heart wrenching films of 2022, was the first Black woman to win the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance fro Clemency in 2019. Till depicts the famous racial tragedy of the lynching of Emmett Till, focusing on the journey of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, as she pursued justice.

    The Woman King, Netflix

    How to describe The Woman King. Part action film, part social commentary, the film depicts the true narrative of the Agojie, a female fighting unit in the Kingdom of Dahomey in 1820. A slate of incredible actors, including Viola Davis and Lashana Lynch are powerfully directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.

    Kajillionaire, HBO

    Run, don’t walk, and see this unforgettable film. Miranda July’s feature is about many things — con artists, California living, a bubble factory, and waiting for The Big One. But mostly, it’s about tenderness. It’s likely the strangest movie you’ll ever see, but it’s one that will stay with you forever.

    Do Revenge

    via Netflix

    Finally, a good high school film! Taking all its cues from the iconic teen dramedies of the 90s, Do Revenge is more than just another YA Netflix movie. For starters, it’s good. Really good. Behind the incredible costume design, Sarah Michelle Geller cameo, and carefully curated cinematography, it’s a story about how we treat women. And how women treat each other. Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, this film will go into the anti-hero hall of fame.

    Women Talking, Apple TV

    In this revelatory Oscar-nominated adaptation of the Miriam Towes novel, the women of an isolated religious colony reveal a shocking secret about the men in their community. This film mixes the heavy with the lighthearted for an immersive, unique watch.

    Promising Young Woman, HBO

    One of the buzziest dramas in recent years, Promising Young Women is not another trite take capitalizing on the political moment. It’s a real meditation on pain, morality, revenge, and the worst parts of ourselves and the people around us. This is another heavy watch, but its fast pace and provocative questions will remain in your mind long after.

    Clueless, HBO

    This nostalgic 90s classic is the perfect example of what happens when women are in the driver’s seat. Based on Jane Austen’s Emma, this whimsical adaptation is as charming as Cher — based on the novel’s titular Emma Woodhouse — is handsome, clever, and rich. There’s a version of this film in which Cher is merely a shallow object built for our ridicule and to serve as comedic relief. However, Cher is complex, redeemable, and the center of a film ultimately about female friendships.

    Nomadland, Hulu

    Chloe Zhao is one of the industry’s best and brightest. She shot to fame after the success of Nomadland, a startlingly beautiful exploration of the American West. This award-winning feature made history when Zhao won best director. It’s the perfect balance of sweeping landscapes and displays of personal emotion.

    She Said

    The Me Too movement changed our culture forever. Directed by Maria Schrader, She Said tells the story of the women behind the movement. It follows the journies of Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey in their New York Times investigation to exposed Harvey Weinstein’s history of abuse and sexual misconduct against women.

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    LKC

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  • New HealthTech Report Challenges Perceptions About Women Ages 40+, Health, Wellness and Technology

    New HealthTech Report Challenges Perceptions About Women Ages 40+, Health, Wellness and Technology

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    FemAging Project to host three online events focusing on the research results and revealing unique data about the health, wellness and product preferences of women of color ages 40-65.


    LOS ANGELES, March 1, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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    Today, the FemAging® Project (www.femaging.com), a global initiative focused on supporting and leveraging innovation to improve the health, wellness, and well-being of women ages 40-plus, released the FemAging 2023 report. Produced with the support of AARP, the report features the FemAging Index, a nationally representative survey of 1,000 U.S. women ages 40-65, and introduces the 2023 FemAging Tech Champions, 20 global innovators developing groundbreaking innovations for older women. First introduced by the FemAging Project in 2020, the FemAging sector features innovations in software, beauty, fashion, devices, wearables, and other areas for women ages 40-plus. The FemAging Project will host a series of online events sponsored by AARP, focusing on the research results and highlighting data from the study about Blacks, Asians and Hispanics. The first, held on Wednesday, March 1 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT, features the world premiere of the FemAging research and a conversation titled: “What Black Women Aged 40+ Want in Health and Wellness.”  

    The FemAging Index features surprising information about the health, wellness, and technology preferences of U.S. women ages 40-65. Uniquely, the research provides insights about older women of color, with a special focus on Asian-American women ages 40-plus. 

    Key FemAging Index insights include:

    • 58% of respondents have significant or very high concerns about their ability to remain active, healthy, and independent as they age. 
    • Women facing health issues associated with aging and hormonal changes due to perimenopause and menopause are focused on sleep management, stress/anxiety, and cognitive issues (i.e., reduced ability to concentrate and forgetfulness).
    • Women of Color ages 40-65 have unique health and wellness needs and sometimes respond differently to menopausal symptoms — regardless of severity. 
    • Older women are technology-adoption trend-setters in some areas. 41% of women ages 40-65 use voice-enabled solutions (such as Alexa/Siri), 30% utilize “smart home” technologies (i.e., thermostats and appliances) and 8% report using digital/cryptocurrencies. 

    “Since we launched the FemAging Project in 2019, we have seen great improvements in the availability of products, services and innovations targeting women ages 40-plus, said Denise Pines,” co-founder of the FemAging Project. “But, much more work needs to be done. The FemAging 2023 report features data, analysis and strategic innovation advice that can help drive global FemAging innovation further ahead in the months and years to come.” 

    “The FemAging Project has been a leader in helping to identify and drive understanding of the growing FemAging market, along with the unique ways women of color are impacted by aging and menopause,” said Edna Kane Williams, Senior Vice President, AARP. “We look forward to seeing how innovators respond to the opportunities and insights presented in the research.” 

    FemAging 2023 Tech Champions Lead the Way in Innovation for Women Ages 40-Plus

    The FemAging Project has named the 2023 FemAging Tech Champions, 20 innovators developing products, services, and solutions for women ages 40-plus. This year’s FemAging Tech Champions include Bloomer Tech, which has developed a smart bra featuring sensors that can potentially diagnose heart disease earlier in women, Stripes, which is developing products (and communicating boldly) for menopause, vaginal dryness, and other issues, and Syrona Health, which provides women’s health services targeting women at all stages of their lives. 

    FemAging Exchange Conversation Series, Fast Pitch Competition, and Femmaya, a GPT-Powered Intelligence Platform 

    Beginning on March 1, the FemAging Project will hold the FemAging Exchange Conversation Series, three events focusing on its research and providing health, wellness, and innovation insights about women of color. On April 13, the Project will hold the Fast Pitch Competition, in partnership with Keiretsu Forum SoCal, which will feature FemAging innovators competing for cash and in-kind services. To learn more and register for the Conversation Series and pitch competition, visit www.femaging.com/femagingera. 

    In Q2 2023, the FemAging Project will launch Femmaya, a unique intelligence platform powered by GPT, the same technology behind ChatGPT. Femmaya can answer questions about women’s health and aging, identify emerging innovation trends in beauty, devices and other areas, surface interesting companies and more. Visit https://www.femaging.com/contact-us to submit a request to join the Femmaya waitlist. 

    “Over the past three years, we’ve steadily grown the breadth and depth of FemAging research, events and intelligence to accelerate innovation and investment in solutions for women ages 40+,” said Fard Johnmar, FemAging Project co-founder. “We remain committed to developing high-impact research, services and other offerings to help ensure the most pressing needs of these women are recognized and addressed.” 

    About The FemAging Project
    The FemAging® Project provides health and tech industry leaders and investors with research, strategy, education, and intelligence that helps drive global innovation focused on the health and wellness needs of women ages 40+. Learn more about the Project at www.femaging.com.

    About AARP

    AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age.

    Source: FemAging Project

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  • UPDATE: Brenda Bisner Reveals the Driving Force Behind One of the Most Powerful Female Disruptors in the Entertainment Industry

    UPDATE: Brenda Bisner Reveals the Driving Force Behind One of the Most Powerful Female Disruptors in the Entertainment Industry

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    With a commitment to online safety for all children, and representation in children’s entertainment, Brenda Bisner is a dynamic female leader driving the future of a safer, more empowered media landscape for all of the children in the world.

    Press Release
    –

    Mar 24, 2022


    CALGARY, Alberta, March 24, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    As one of the most well-respected names in children’s entertainment, Brenda Bisner, Chief Content Officer at Kidoodle.TV® (owned by A Parent Media Co. Inc.), shares a powerful, decades-long commitment to creating a better world for both children and women. In light of Women’s History Month, a time spent commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in history, Brenda Bisner reflects on how her challenging childhood fueled her passion as a mother and business leader today.

    “When my career started, it was uncommon to see ‘women supporting women.’ It just was not something that women saw, and it was very much understood that there were ‘places’ where females belonged,” said Bisner. “My take away from that was that I could change the narrative with my own actions and empower everyone around me for the better; now, as a mother of a young woman, I’m proud that I can help push forward a new generation of female empowerment, starting in my own home and celebrating that women are powerful and can accomplish anything.”

    Brenda Bisner is a Children’s Media Executive who creates IMPACT partnerships for organizations that positively benefit Children globally. She creates opportunities that are disruptive and beneficial for the intended and focused need of creating a better experience, and world, for the children to stream in, safely.

    After spending decades in media and entertainment, with a career spanning 22 years in the business, working with countless household name brands, she is a deeply beloved digital media maven and expert, who is well-respected by colleagues for her enthusiastic future casting, her kindness and bravery, plus her fierce passion and deep knowledge of the fast-changing children’s digital landscape. Brenda Bisner is also a member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences™ and a member of CHIEF. She is also a judge for the Kidscreen Awards, the Juno Awards, the Rockie Awards and the Webbys and many other organizations as her voice and opinion are incredibly relevant. 

    “It’s amazing what Brenda has achieved over the last few years with Kidoodle.TV. She elevated our content library, image and has shown relentless dedication to serving all of the children in the world the opportunity to enjoy content safely, which is at the heart of our entire mission – to keep kids Safe Streaming™,” remarked Neil Gruninger, President at Kidoodle.TV. 

    Inspired by fearless women like Gloria Steinem, Betty White, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the work Brenda Bisner does in securing successful acquisitions of children’s media programs brings curated, age-appropriate content to children around the world. Kidoodle.TV® is a go-to service for millions of families globally, and Bisner has been critical in this aggressive growth of the family-friendly content offering. Brenda is a powerful and inspirational example of the unique, modern-day balance of loving a career, being a mother, and paving the path for more women to do the same.

    When asked for advice she would give to the next generation of women, Bisner said, “It all starts with the love you have for yourself; being kind starts with you and is a non-negotiable for everyone you meet. Say ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ and don’t forget to drink your water!”

    Join the Kidoodle.TV® Safe Streaming™ family on connected TVs or by downloading the app on a mobile device or tablet. 
     

    About APMC and Kidoodle.TV®
    Kidoodle.TV® is a family-focused Safe Streaming™ service committed to ensuring children have a safe alternative to stream their favorite TV shows and movies. Available in over 160 countries and territories on thousands of connected devices, Kidoodle.TV provides peace of mind with every show available on Kidoodle.TV strictly vetted by caring people committed to Safe and Free Streaming for Kids™. Kidoodle.TV is available on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Fire TV, LG, Samsung, VIDAA-enabled Hisense TVs, Chromecast, Roku, Vizio SmartCast, Amazon, Jio, Xfinity X1, Connected TVs, HTML5 Web, and many other streaming media devices. Kidoodle.TV is owned and operated by A Parent Media Co. Inc., a family-based company. Kidoodle.TV is certified by the kidSAFE® Seal Program and is the proud recipient of the Mom’s Choice Award®, a Stevie® Award, platinum winner of the Best Mobile App Award, and Parents’ Picks Award – Best Elementary Products. Visit www.kidoodle.tv to learn more. *Content availability varies by location.

    Facebook: facebook.com/kidoodletv

    Twitter: twitter.com/kidoodletv

    Instagram: instagram.com/kidoodletv

    Media Contact: 
    Contact | media@kidoodle.tv

    Source: Kidoodle.TV

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  • Celebrate Women’s History Month With Sandra Day O’Connor Institute Civics Challenge for Middle Schoolers

    Celebrate Women’s History Month With Sandra Day O’Connor Institute Civics Challenge for Middle Schoolers

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    Press Release
    –

    Mar 10, 2022


    PHOENIX, March 10, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    The O’Connor Civics Challenge, an online civics competition for 6th to 8th grade, is accepting submissions through April 15.  

    Students may choose one civics topic and express their knowledge of civics through various art forms. Artistic categories include a written essay, mixed media art including a poster, drawing or painting, poetry, sculpture or short video, including a song or storytelling. 

    Finalists in each grade will be awarded Apple products, including a Macbook Pro for First Place winners in each grade. 

    The #OConnorCivicsChallenge encourages students to learn about civics topics, then share what they’ve learned with others through their artistic creations. The six submission categories are: Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch, the Judicial Branch, Citizenship: Rights & Responsibilities and Checks & Balances.

    In addition to student prizes, middle school teachers whose classrooms achieve a minimum of 25% class registration for the Civics Challenge can earn a $100 gift card. The O’Connor Civics Challenge is part of the multigenerational programs of the Institute and its “Civics for Life” focus on lifelong civics learning for all ages.

    Learn more or register today at www.OConnorInstitute.org/cc.

    About The Sandra Day O’Connor Institute For American Democracy

    Founded by retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the O’Connor Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3), continues her distinguished legacy and lifetime work to advance American democracy through multigenerational civil discourse, civic engagement and civics education. 

    Media Contact: Heather Schader | heather@oconnorinstitute.org | 602-730-3300 x8 | @SDOInstitute

    Source: Sandra Day O’Connor Institute For American Democracy

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  • The She-Cession: Women Disappearing From the Workforce

    The She-Cession: Women Disappearing From the Workforce

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    Women’s History Month begs the question, what does the future hold for women and work?

    Press Release
    –


    updated: Mar 8, 2021


    WASHINGTON, March 8, 2021 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Generation USA, a global workforce development nonprofit, today announced its social campaign celebrating the eight diverse women in its C-suite, working to further opportunities for women, particularly women of color, through the organization’s reskilling programs and career and additional support offered at no cost; the mission of Generation is even more critical as the recession has decimated jobs in sectors dominated by female workers of color and the organization credits its own diversity for the success of their efforts and in turn, the impact for students and alumni reentering the workforce.

    “It was important for me to join an organization that intentionally values equity, diversity, and inclusion in its growth plan,” said Morgan Watson, Chief of Staff. “We want to set an example for our students, our alumni, and our partners that building a diverse organization — most importantly at the executive and leadership level — is crucial for success in the 21st century.”

    According to the National Women’s Law Center, women have lost 5.4 million jobs since the pandemic began and women participating in the labor force is at its lowest since 

    1988. Black women and Latinas had higher rates of unemployment before the pandemic; in February 2020, 2.8 percent of white women were unemployed, compared with nearly 5 percent of Latinas and Black women. In December, those rates nearly doubled, with Black women being twice as likely to be the breadwinner of their families compared to white women.

    “More than 50% of our participants are women and nearly a third have dependents,” said Sienna Daniel, Chief Growth and Impact Officer. “Our programs are geared to help get women into a sector where traditionally, they’ve been left behind.”

    Generation’s reskilling programs prioritize women and underserved communities for admission into its reskilling programs, now all available online. The nonprofit celebrated its largest online graduation last month, with over 10 percent of students securing jobs before the ceremony. Generation supports students after graduation as well, creating a community that helps women of color lead sustainable career paths. 

    “At Generation USA, we’re a diverse staff of more than 90 individuals, over 74% who identify as women,” said Jeannie Guzman, Chief People Officer. “More than 75% of our leadership team identifies as women, too. We believe this is key for our organization — to represent the same diverse backgrounds of the students we seek to serve.”

    As Generation works to transform the education to employment ecosystem, the nonprofit along with its partner Verizon, have committed to reskilling 500,000 individuals by 2030, focused on elevating women and marginalized communities in the workforce.

    For more information about Generation USA, admissions, or how your company or college can get involved visit: usa.generation.org.

    About Generation

    Generation is a nonprofit that transforms education to employment systems to prepare, place, and support people into life-changing careers that would otherwise be inaccessible. The global pandemic has led to an unprecedented surge in unemployment. Even before the pandemic, more than 75 million young adults were out of work globally, and three times as many were underemployed—and 375 million workers of all ages needed to learn new skills by 2030. At the same time, certain jobs remain in high-demand, and 40 percent of employers say a skills shortage leaves them with entry-level vacancies. To date, more than 40,000 people have graduated from Generation programs, which prepare them for meaningful careers in 14 countries. Generation works with more than 3,900 employer partners and many implementation partners and funders. For more, visit usa.generation.org.

    Media Contact

    Amy Kauffman
    amy@newswire.com

    Source: Generation USA

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