Feminist Update
Your weekly update on all things feminism. Keep up to date on the election, the news, and what is going on in the world of women.
WGF Updates:
WGF Continues to Advocate for Paid Sick Leave: Last Thursday, WGF met with the rest of the Pittsburgh United coalition fighting for paid sick leave for Pittsburgh workers for another rally in support of passing the legislation at the City Council building. Our own VP Tara Simmons spoke! A public hearing will be held this Thursday, July 30 at 1:00 pm at the City Council Building. READ MORE>>
RSVP to the public hearing here: http://pghneedssickdays.org/
Alpha Kappa Alpha Benefit at SAVOY: Join the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and the NPHC Sororities for a Day Party on August 15 from 4pm – 7pm at SAVOY Restaurant in the Strip District for an event to benefit the Women and Girls Foundation, along with the Family Foundations Early Head Start and Strong Women, Strong Girls. Admission is $10. Don’t miss it!
Girl Gov’er to Host Girls in STEM Conference: Stephanie Wang, Girl Gov Class of 2014-2015, is hosting a Girls in STEM Conference at the Upper St. Clair Library for girls ages 12-16 on Saturday, August 29. From the program: Interested in a STEM career? If so, come to the Girls in STEM Conference! In the morning, listen to extraordinary women from ATI, Comcast, Range Resources, and Highmark talk about their professions and what it’s like to be a woman in their industries. The event also features a special keynote speaker from Carnegie Mellon University, Mrs. Ayana Ledford, who will be talking about her project PROGRESS and about how to overcome gender bias in the workforce through negotiation. Afterwards, participate in Q&A breakout sessions and interactive activities! To sign up or for more information, contact Stephanie at GirlsinSTEMConference [at] gmail.com. Remember, space is limited. It sounds like a great event – keep up the amazing work Stephanie!
In the News:
Arizona Cardinals Hire First Female NFL Coach: Jen Welter has been hired as an assistant coaching intern by the Arizona Cardinals, making her the first ever coach in the National Football League. Welter previously was the first female coach in professional football. In April, NFL history was also made when Sarah Thomas was hired as the first female full-time NFL official. READ MORE>>
A Female MacGyver Coming to a TV Near You: Started by MacGyver creator Lee Zlotoff, the MacGyver Foundation, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, and the National Academy of Engineering, The Next MacGyver Competition has launched in an effort to promote more women in the STEM fields. They figure that if women and girls see more female engineers in the media, they will be more inclined to explore these careers. The competition started with 2000 applicants pitching stories about female engineers, and has now been whittled down to 12 students, 5 of whom will have the opportunity to develop scripts. READ MORE>>
Election Updates:
$4.4 Billion to be Spent on TV Ads: According to non-partisan Cook Political Report, predicted budgets for TV ads in the presidential election will reach $4.4 billion. The report also estimated that about $500 million of that figure will be due to looser campaign finance laws after the Citizens United Supreme Court decision. READ MORE>>
Social Media Skills to Play a Big Part in Election: Potential candidates are relying heavily on social media in their campaigns for the presidential election of 2016. Many candidates have announced their intent to run via Twitter. Hillary Clinton hosted a Q&A Session on Facebook. Lindsey Graham created a viral video. “Part of this whole social media thing is an attempt to reach younger and maybe more tech savvy voters than the traditional methods will reach,” says Yahoo Finance senior tech reporter Aaron Pressman. READ MORE>>
Featured Feminist:
This week’s Featured Feminist is Maggie Graham: a women’s rights advocate, entrepreneur, and social media whiz in Pittsburgh. Stay tuned this week for an exclusive story on what she’s up to and what’s ahead from WGF!
Breaking down barriers so that every girl can rise, and every woman can soar.