As part of APAICS’ Women’s Collective Summit, WPLN Director of Strategic Impact, Mercedes Blackwood, joined ReflectUS and the Center for American Women and Politics on August 12 for a discussion about how to persuade outstanding women in your network to take the next step and run for office, since women are less likely to consider running for office than their male counterparts. Learn more and watch Mercedes' panel here.
WPLN Board Chair Jen Sarver joined the Texas Civic Ambassadors (TCA) Leadership Summit as a speaker. "The words that we choose are so important. When we connect with people’s hearts and their minds, we’re better at communicating," said Jen.
Please consider honoring the anniversary of the 19th Amendment by donating to WPLN, to help us provide training and educational resources to women all over the country. Donate here.
WASHINGTON POST | "They are Olympians. They are mothers. And they no longer have to choose": "For Olympian moms, that aspect of their lives [motherhood] is an essential part of their stories, their motherhood journeys highlighted in soft-focused television profiles, their triumphs often celebrated with victory laps or podium photo ops with their infants or toddlers in their arms." Read more.
YAHOO SPORTS | "If US women were their own country, they'd be top-5 in overall medal count": "It was the women who pushed the United States to the top of the gold medal table in the final hours of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. And it was the women who contributed most of the American success in ways they hadn't before." Read more.
NPR | "All but 5% of U.S. Capitol sculptures are of men. Some senators want to change that": "In all, the Capitol has 266 sculptures — including statues, busts and monuments — honoring notable figures in history. Of those, only 14 are of women." Read more.
THE HILL | "Latina lawmakers discuss efforts to increase representation": "'I have seen the need to bring, to bear my perspective when it comes to making policy. There's a reason people like me need to be here because we represent either as a woman, over half of the voting population in the United States, or as a woman of a Hispanic background, that's also a growing population that needs those voices,' [Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.)] said." Read more.
"But the presence and success of women candidates is not the only indicator of how gender shaped the 2020 presidential campaign. The digital timeline presented in Tracking Gender in the 2020 Presidential Election applies a gender and intersectional lens to key events during the 2020 presidential campaign.
It provides clear examples of how presidential politics remain influenced by gender and race, specifically in: how candidates navigate campaigns; how candidates are perceived, evaluated, and treated by voters, media, and opponents; and how voters make electoral decisions.
The 2020 presidential election overall, and this timeline specifically, offer evidence of progress – from fielding the most gender and racially diverse set of candidates ever to engaging more directly than previous contests with the effects of deeply-rooted gender and racial inequities – as well signs of persistent hurdles to presidential success – most notably, the belief that women, and especially women of color, are unelectable at the presidential level. Even more, the campaign moments highlighted on the timeline further illustrate how the 2020 presidential election itself represented a contestation over the degree to which voters would accept and even promote transformation in the raced, gendered, and race-gendered foundations of presidential politics."
READING | Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depends on It by Chris Voss with Tahl Raz: This book comes highly recommended by WPLN Board Member Amy Whited, who says, "Everyone who told me to read this book was right. Such good practical tips... 10/10 recommend." Research shows that men are often more successful at negotiating and more willing to do so, so this is a must-read for any woman who wants to be more prepared to effectively negotiate, for both personal and professional situations. Learn more.
WATCHING | Respect, based on the life of legendary singer Aretha Franklin:Respect was released in theaters on August 13, and the movie stars Jennifer Hudson as singer Aretha Franklin and follows her rise to international superstardom. Learn more.
LISTENING TO | The Storyfield podcast episode with WPLN Board Chair Jen Sarver:WPLN Board Chair Jen Sarver joined The Storyfield to discuss loss, taking a leap, and living a life that matters. Learn more.
EXCITED FOR | WPLN's 2022 conference: In the next few weeks, WPLN will announce its 2022 conference -- so stay tuned!
This month, we're celebrating the birthdays of the following women trailblazers and leaders:
Jackie Ormes, first Black American woman cartoonist (August 1)
Maggie Kuhn, American social activist who founded the Gray Panthers and advocated nursing home reform (August 3)
Gertrude Rush, first Black American woman lawyer in Iowa and one of the founders of the Negro Bar Association (now known as the National Bar Association) (August 5)
Maggie Gee, American aviator who was one of two Chinese-American women pilots during World War II (August 5)
Florence Bailey, American ornithologist who wrote what is considered the first modern bird field guide (August 8)
Esther Hobart Morris, America's first woman justice of the peace (August 8)
Era Bell Thompson, American journalist who served as editor of Ebony magazine (August 10)
Dolores Alexander, American women's rights activist and lesbian feminist (August 10)
Lucy Stone, American abolitionist, suffragist, and women's rights leader who was the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree (August 13)
Annie Oakley, American sharpshooter (August 13)
Gerty Cori, Austro-Hungarian-American biochemist who became the first American woman to win a Nobel Prize in science (August 15)
Marion Bauer, American composer and writer (August 15)
Bridget "Biddy" Mason, American nurse who was born enslaved, successfully challenged for her freedom, and became a businesswoman and real estate entrepreneur and later philanthropist (August 15)
Margaret "Mardy" Murie, American naturalist and conservationist who has been called the "Grandmother of the Conservation Movement" (August 18)
Dorothy Parker, American writer and satirist (August 22)
Sarah Frances Whiting, American physicist and astronomer (August 23)
Dorothea Tanning, American artist (August 25)
Althea Gibson, American tennis player and golfer, the first Black American to win a Grand Slam title, and the first Black American on the Women's Professional Golf Tour (August 25)
Elizebeth Smith Friedman, an American expert cryptanalyst who is believed to be the first American woman cryptanalyst (August 26)
Geraldine Ferraro, American politican who became the first woman vice-presidential nominee on an American major political party ticket (August 26)
Bertha Parker Cody, American archaeologist who is believed to be the first Native American woman archaeologist (August 30)
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, American journalist, suffragist, and civil rights activist who edited the Woman's Era, the first national newspaper published by and for Black American women (August 31)
ICYMI: Applications for the Louisiana Women Lead Class of 2021 are now open! This candidate training will equip you with everything you need to know inside and outside of a campaign and will take place on October 16, 2021 from 8am - 5pm. Learn more.
AUGUST 26 | Colorado Women's Alliance's "A Woman's Life in Public Office" Panel: Join our Colorado training partner Colorado Women's Alliance for this panel on how female elected officials from Northern Colorado balance work, family, and everything else. This event is free to attend but registration is required! Learn more.
SEPTEMBER 10 | VoteHer Fall Candidate Training Sessions: Join our Georgia training partner VoteHer Georgia for their candidate training series VoteHer In: Georgia Women Lead in September and October. These four sessions will help women decide if running for office is right for them, what to expect and consider when running for office, how to legally file and logistically set up a campaign, how to build one’s message and communicate effectively, and how to fundraise. The sessions are on September 10, September 24, October1, and October 15. Learn more.
SEPTEMBER 14 | Virginia Conservative Women's Coalition's Early Voting 101: Join VCWC to learn how early voting is going to work for the 2021 election! These remote trainings are FREE to supporting and founding members – but registration is required. Learn more.
OCTOBER 7 | Colorado Women's Alliance celebrates 10 years! The CWA is celebrating its 10-year anniversary on October 7th and is inviting you to join! The event will feature world-renowned rally racer Renée Brinkerhoff, a silent auction, and more. Learn more.
Support WPLN programs and resources by making a contribution today!
Women’s Public Leadership Network (WPLN) is a non-profit organization organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent provided by law.
Women’s Public Leadership Network (WPLN) educates, organizes, and inspires women to run for elected office, obtain political appointments, and become more involved in the political process across the United States.
Women who believe in commonsense, pragmatic public policy solutions are often missing in political and policy dialogue. WPLN offers tools and opportunities designed to equip women with the knowledge and resources they need, including easily accessible online content and access to a community of like-minded people who want to support them as they step up, engage in the political process, and lead.
Stay up to date with WPLN:
Women's Public Leadership Network, PO Box 723234, Atlanta, Georgia 31139
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