The sky is on fire from wildfires raging out of control across the entire Western region. The devastation to land, homes, wildlife and lives is unprecedented.
Flash back to our Women Funded 2019 Conference held in San Francisco almost exactly a year ago, when speakers, including global climate experts and environmental justice leaders like Mary Robinson, warned us about the exact situation we currently face. Robinson also noted that women are at the center of this global environmental crisis — both in bearing the brunt of the impact and holding the solutions to ending climate change.
Thanks to women’s leadership, cross-sector nonprofit organizations and reproductive justice leaders are addressing climate change as a reproductive justice issue. They are calling attention to the intersections between climate change and women’s and girls’ health. They are exposing health impacts like the link between extreme heat and health risks for pregnant people. They are addressing clean water access as an issue with both reproductive and overall health implications. Perhaps most importantly, they are making the intersectional connections between sexism, racism, classism and climate change.
Women’s foundations and efforts like The Hive Fund for Climate & Gender Justice are providing the support that makes possible these intersectional, women-of-color-led conversations and gender-lens approaches to the climate crisis we face. Women — especially women of color — are the bright light leading us out of this man-made disaster.
Thank you for supporting the innovative leadership of women across the country and around the world. Your visionary philanthropy is enabling the most promising solutions for our planet.
It is a privilege to stand with you as we all work for environmental justice and to reverse climate change.
Yours for equity and justice,
Elizabeth Barajas-Román
Women’s Funding Network
President & CEO
WFN MEMBER INITIATIVES
The Freedom Fund and Survivor Alliance will be hosting a webinar, "Anti-Racism in the Modern Anti-Slavery Movement: A Survivor Alliance." Kenneth B. Morris Jr., Co-Founder of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, will talk about the linkages between historical and contemporary forms of forced labour.
September 17, 2020 10:00am-11:00am PST/6:00pm-7:00pm BST
Join Women's Foundation of Boston for a Women & Girls Empowerment Webinar, "Five steps to Becoming a Confident, Persuasive and Effective Public Speaker: A workshop with student-activist Jana Amin." As an activist and public speaker, Jana's goal is to inspire girls and women to take control of their own narratives.
How Women Lead will be hosting #GetOnBoard Week, an exciting virtual summit with 20+ board-related activities for board-ready and active female board directors. Thousands of board seats for women are opening up in the coming years, and now is the time to support your corporate board journey.
November 16-20, 2020
For more information, click here!
Join Victorian Women's Trust for their online event, "Agency & Resistance: Centering the Voices of Survivors in Violence Prevention." Nicole Lee (violence prevention expert and disability activist); Fiona Hamilton (proud Trawlwulwuy woman and family violence educator); and moderator Jess Hill (author of See What You Made Me Do) will unpack problematic victim-survivor stereotypes, and the importance of recognising the agency and resistance inherent in their stories.
The Vera Institute of Justice will be hosting a webinar, Is 2020 the Tipping Point?COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, and the Ongoing Fight for Justice, featuring Insha Rahman (Vera’s Vice President of Advocacy & Partnerships) and Sarah Omojola (Associate Director of Vera’s New Orleans office). The webinar will take place on Tuesday, September 15,from 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Eastern, and you can register here!
Another webinar will take place on Thursday, September 24,from 3-4 PM Eastern, called Local Activism and Leadership in Immigration, which will feature a conversation with Philadelphia Councilmember Helen Gym and Vera’s Vice President of Initiatives Kica Matos. Register here!
FrameWorks Institute has launched a new series, "Framing COVID-19," which focuses on framing social issues during the coronavirus pandemic.
The National Museum of African American History & Culture will be hosting an online panel, "Historically Speaking: The Legacy of John Lewis through the Lens of NMAAHC." National Public Radio host Michel Martin will moderate a distinguished panel of Mr. Lewis’s friends and colleagues as they discuss his storied life and accomplishments.
Friday, September 18
7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific
A case before the Supreme Court could force abortion patients to have unnecessary surgeries. - Vox
Heidrick & Struggles released their annual "Board Monitor U.S." report, finding that increased diversity was a top priority for Fortune 500 Boards this year. Nearly half, or 44%, of non-executive director appointments in the United States last year were women, the highest proportion in 11 years.
The time is ripe to push for gender equality and social change. And women’s funds hold the key. Read more here.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, female leaders have excelled. From Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, to President Tsai Ing-wen, read more here.
This week, the Academy announced its new Diversity Rules for Best Picture Oscar. Beginning in 2024 with the 96th Oscars, films will have to meet inclusion standards both on camera and behind the scenes. - New York Times
Pakistan's Human Rights Ministry has issued a report finding that women in prison face poor conditions and receive inadequate medical care. - Human Rights Watch
Katara McCarty is the founder of EXHALE, the first emotional well-being app designed specifically for Black women and women of color. - Black Enterprise
If you choose virtual learning for your kids, you’ll likely be disqualified from expanded paid leave from the government. - Fortune
Actors America Ferrera and Eva Longoria have launched "She Se Puede" to increase Latina voter turnout. Data finds that Latinas are less confident about voting than their peers. - Fortune
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, often described as Europe's last dictator, has been opposed by three high-profile female figures. However, all three have disappeared from public view or fled the country. - CNN
WATCH: More than a majority of voters and activists are women, which means that women can decide the 2020 election. Cecile Richards, Co-Founder of Supermajority, talks about the group's mobilization of women voters.
