Mind the (Gender) Gap – The reFRESH - FRESH Speakers

Written by Jackson Bird

This week we’re checking our biases, minding the gap, and making a plan to vote.

What we’re checking out…

Matthew Desmond explained in The New York Times how the overt racism on proud display these days makes it too easy for white liberals to feel good about themselves without examining their own racism.

Jia Tolentino is here to myth-bust your “African proverb.”

White men in tech want to help solve the internet’s harassment problem, but they tend to ignore the women who have been doing the work for years and lack a first-hand understanding of the issue, Cindy Gallop argues in Fast Company.

After being on the receiving end of all-too-common criticism that she didn’t “look like a CEO,” Sarah Atkinson, the CEO of the Social Mobility Foundation, posted this photo and has started a trend for women and people of color called #ThisIsWhatACEOLooksLike.

via @SarahHatstand

An analysis confirmed that far more men are in decision-making positions around the world with regards to COVID-19 than women, despite the fact that women leaders have down a significantly better job fighting the virus.

Speaking of the gender gap, The 19th found that 865,000 women in the U.S. dropped out of the workforce last month, compared to just 216,000 men, and that one in four women are considering leaving the workforce or downsizing their careers to keep up with the demands of living through the pandemic.

And the gender gap isn’t the only one we’re seeing widen as the pandemic drags on, racial and economic inequalities are worsening in education as schools cut programs and turn to virtual classes.

This deeply moving op-ed from Michele L. Norris will either serve as a sobering realization or an all-too-familiar concept.

by @hannahpahl

Voting is just one small step of the many actions we should all be taking consistently to make our nation better, but if you’re an eligible voter in the U.S., make sure you have a plan to vote next month. And if you’re planning to vote by mail, here’s a guide for tracking your ballot.

Our reFRESHing Talk of the Week is Xiye Bastida’s TED Talk about the consistent collective action that must be taken to combat climate change, titled “If you adults won’t save the world, we will.”

The latest from our speakers…

Rob Gore, Brittney Cooper, Aisha Nyandoro, and Alicia Garza were all named on The Root’s 100 Most Influential African-Americans of 2020 list.

And Alicia Garza, along with her Black Lives Matter co-founders Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi, were named among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020!

Jamia Wilson will be starting 2021 as the new vice president and executive editor at Random House.

In her latest installment of @work, Nilofer Merchant responded to a question about the ethical dilemma of purchasing a Tesla.

Aimee Allison explains why down-ballot races matter and highlights some of the women of color running for office this year, in Shondaland.

Ai-jen Poo wrote a moving call-to-action in memory of her grandmother for CNN.

On the latest episode of her Philanthropissed podcast, Esra’a Al Shafei discusses how a small number of funders have coopted the narrative in tech.

For anyone else feeling conflicted about expressing compassion for recently diagnosed political figures who have been lacking in that sentiment themselves, Simran Jeet Singh offers some thoughts.

Linda Sarsour has started a new podcast with Rafael Shimunov called Jesus Loves Linda and Raf. You can listen to the first episode here or wherever you get podcasts.

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