Inaugural Rita Henley Jensen Fellowship 2018
2018 Fellow: Christina St. Louis
Problem Solver Extraordinaire By: Christina Saint Louis | June 22, 2018
When I read the Women’s Equality Weekend conference theme, “Women: Combining our Unique Talents to Build a Better World,” I see undeniable possibilities for positive change. As a student at a women’s college, I’ve witnessed first hand the impact of being surrounded by talented women (seriously, you should try it) and I have no doubt that it has the power to shape the world for the better. In fact, women have already begun to do so by organizing the upcoming conference! Last week, we met Rachel DeGuzman who is using performance art to center the voices of women of color. This week, we meet the Honorable Joanne Yepsen, Senior Vice President at Mercury’s Albany Office. Joanne is a woman of many accomplishments. Since her first job in New York at Skidmore College, she has gone on to co-found a grassroots volunteer coalition called Sus2 | WOMEN’S ENEWS
tainable Saratoga, create Saratoga Springs’ first ever City Arts Commission, implement programs to end veteran homelessness, serve as the County Supervisor for Saratoga Springs, and serve two terms as Mayor of Saratoga Springs! As a consultant at Mercury, Joanne has been building support for the Women’s Equality Weekend from both the public and private sectors. Earlier this week, I asked Joanne about what unique talents she is contributing to the conference. She said, “Being a woman, having been an elected official, and being someone very engaged with the public, I see first hand that more laws and work have to be done to make women’s lives fairer… I’m a problem solver. If we identify a problem, I will work very hard to get things done and ensure that a solution is implemented to help others… That’s really
what I’ve done my whole life Joanne noticed a problem: and that’s what I’m going to “Being a woman, having been an elected official, and women veterans had needs continue to do: solve probthat were different from being someone very engaged with the public, I lems and make people’s lives the men who were returnsee first hand that more laws and work have to be better.” ing from war, but no one Joanne has been solving done to make women’s lives fairer… I’m a problem seemed to be treating those problems long before her role problems specifically. as Senior Vice President at solver. If we identify a problem, I will work very Joanne has made an inMercury. During her twelve hard to get things done and ensure that a solution credible career out of using years in public service, she is implemented to help others… ” her problem solving skills worked closely with women to better the lives of people veterans and even helped exaround her and she’s only ecute the plan for The Guardian House Saratoga, a home- one woman. Imagine the change that will come from less veteran’s house for women. At the time of its launch, HUNDREDS of women gathering at the Women’s Equality there were no other shelters exclusive to women veter- Weekend and combining their unique talents to solve the ans. Joanne also built a New York state-wide coalition problems that stand between women and equality. What of all the organizations that are serving women veterans unique talent will you be contributing to the Women’s and found permanent housing for homeless veterans in Equality Weekend? Saratoga Springs. Before working on behalf of veterans, WOMEN’S ENEWS | 3
Dr. Irma McClaurin, Activist Anthropologist By: Christina Saint Louis | June 29, 2018
similar to her own in the U.S. and in Chicago where she grew up. As an activist anthropologist, Dr. Irma is devoted to uncovering those who are missing from historical narratives and taking the actions necessary to be more inclusive as possible. She did so with the Black Feminist Archive and we are lucky enough to have her doing the same with the Women’s Equality Weekend conference! As co-chair, she believes that the key to understanding what’s next for women’s equality is to take into account who is not represented in the historical Seneca Falls Convention narrative and ensure their representation in the 170 year commemoration of it. Its no surprise that Dr. Irma describes a better world as one where equal pay is given for equal work, women of color are on the same footing as their white sisters, women have equal representation, and humanity has regained its sense of morality. You can catch Dr. Irma at the Women’s Equality Weekend where she, along with co-chair Deborah Hughes, will direct “Race & Gender,” a panel discussion on the impact of race and gender on the future of women’s equality. What are you waiting for?
I spoke with Dr. Irma McClaurin, a Black feminist activist and anthropologist, just days after her return from Taiwan where she met with the staff of Fulbright Taiwan to discuss the Irma McClaurin Black Feminist Archive at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Irma created the Black Feminist Archive in order to preserve the intellectual and activist contributions of Black women that are rarely recorded in traditional archives. Throughout our conversation, it quickly became clear to me that she is a woman on a mission to lift up other women and to tell their stories for years to come. Long before the archive, Dr. Irma traveled to Belize to study and document the experiences of Belizean womanhood in the remote district of Toledo. She wrote about her travels in her ethnography titled Women of Belize: Gender and Change in Central America. While there, she realized that despite cultural differences, womanhood in Belize was
4 | WOMEN’S ENEWS
Cynthia Terrell, A Champion for Parity Christina Saint Louis | July 6, 2018
If you have ever wondered what a firm believer in the promise of American democracy looks like, I urge you to take a look at Cynthia Terrell’s résumé. After graduating “reform doesn’t have to be a college with a degree in political science, partisan issue.” Cynthia went on to work in political campaigns, but discovered that voters didn’t have as much of a say as they should because of the American voting system. Since then, she has founded two nonpartisan organizations: FairVote, which advocates for electoral reform, and RepresentWomen, which works to increase women’s representation in elected and appointed office. When I asked Cynthia about her decision to take a nonpartisan approach to electoral reform she said, “reform doesn’t have to be a partisan issue.” With only 8 weeks left until the first ever Women’s Equal-
ity Weekend conference, I think there is a lot to learn from Cynthia’s vision of a more representative democracy. Cynthia describes the vision which is integrated into both of her organizations as falling into “three buckets”: 1. Gender Targets – recruiting, training, and funding female candidates 2. Voting Reform – changing the electoral process so it does not disadvantage women 3. Internal Legislative Measures – incorporating legislative practices that allow women to serve and lead effectively Together, these three buckets form RepresentWomen’s “Path to Parity” gender parity, that is. You can read more about it on their website. In fact, RepresentWomen recently launched a Gender Parity Index that scores women’s representation at the local, state legislative, state-wide executive, and federal levels and assigns each state a grade based on its performance. Cynthia said this is the first of its kind. I used the index to look up New York State and found out that New York’s parity score is 25.5 out of 100 points. Clearly we have work to do! It’s a good thing Cynthia will be at the conference, helping attendees strategize for gender equality. In addition to her political passions, Cynthia is also a woman of faith. Raised as a member of the Quaker faith, she attributes much of her understanding of equality to the teachings of Quakerism. Cynthia will host a Quaker meeting at the upcoming Women’s Equality Weekend that she hopes will connect attendees to the faith-related history of the original Seneca Falls Convention.
WOMEN’S ENEWS | 5
Deborah Hughes, Gender Justice By: Christina Saint Louis | July 13, 2018
world has since been a different story. After graduating college in Oregon with a degree in world religious history, Deborah decided that she wanted to be a pastor and moved back to Rochester to study at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School because their program emphasized social advocacy. In her last year of the Master of Divinity program she faced a barrier that hinged on her sexuality. “At the time that I was in seminary, the Presbyterian Church passed a change in their by laws that basically said if you are a lesbian you can no longer be ordained, so I had entered seminary as a Presbyterian and I had gone through the whole process, but it would not be possible for me to be ordained if I was out,” Deborah said. Despite that boundary, Deborah moved to Michigan to work at a American Baptist Church in Michigan. While serving in Michigan, Deborah was given the opportunity of a lifetime: she was asked to go to El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War and interview revolutionaries and government officials to get their perspective on the war. Though it was a volatile time, she was able to bear witness to the events happening in El Salvador and share those stories when she returned to Michigan.
Our Women’s Equality Weekend Co-Chair Deborah Hughes has directed the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House in Rochester, NY for over 10 years. The House is where Susan B. Anthony, the famous women’s rights activist and reformer, lived and organized until her death in 1806. As CEO and President of the House, Deborah uses Susan B. Anthony’s story to inspire others to do good in the world. When I spoke with Deborah over the phone, I was not only inspired by Susan B. Anthony, I was inspired by Deborah herself! As a child, Deborah grew up in a home where she was raised to believe that there were no boundaries to what women could do or accomplish in the world, but the reality of the 6 | WOMEN’S ENEWS
“At the time that I was in seminary, the Presbyterian Church passed a change in their by laws that basically said if you are a lesbian you can no longer be ordained...” Deborah’s experiences as a minister and community leader have allowed her to advocate for people to be themselves, to be loved, and to be appreciated. She is excited to tie that advocacy to the future of women’s equality at the upcoming conference in Rochester. To meet Deborah, register for the 2018 Seneca Falls Revisited: Women’s Equality Weekend!
Mayor Lovely Warren, Political Catalyst for Change By: Christina Saint Louis | July 27, 2018 Here are just a few examples of how the Mayor is bridging Rochester’s economic opportunity gap: • Partnered with IBM to access the issues affecting economic growth • Strategized ways to increase pay for workers in the healthcare industry • Developed career programs in manufacturing and advanced manufacturing • Diversified modes of transportation (e.g. bike sharing) • Created funding for business loans through a partnership with Kiva These initiatives are managed by the Mayor’s Offices of Innovation and Community Wealth Building which both work to understand the causes behind poverty and develop policies that help city residents build personal wealth and
The ultimate gift in legacy will be that children that are being raised in our city, in our most challenged neighborhoods, will know and believe that they can accomplish any dream that they want and that they set out and work hard for, Born and raised in Rochester, NY, Mayor Lovely Warren has a special bond with the host city. She is the Chairperson for the upcoming Seneca Falls Revisited: Women’s Equality Weekend conference. In 2014, Lovely made history by becoming the first woman ever elected as the city’s Mayor. She says that she and her team are “trying to change people’s lives one person at a time, one family at a time, and one community at a time.” Lovely was inspired to run for office after witnessing a gap between communities in Rochester that seemed to be thriving economically while others were stalling. After graduating from law school and serving as the City Council President, Lovely realized that she was in the position to help bridge the gap between Rochester’s communities.
achieve equal pay for equal work. You can read more about the offices here. When I asked Lovely about what legacy she wants as Rochester’s first female, African-American Mayor, she described a city in which geographic location would not affect economic mobility. “The ultimate gift in legacy will be that children that are being raised in our city, in our most challenged neighborhoods, will know and believe that they can accomplish any dream that they want and that they set out and work hard for,” she said. Isn’t that a vision we can all get behind? Register for the 2018 Seneca Falls Revisited: Women’s Equality Weekend and see for yourself how Mayor Lovely Warren is re-shaping the Rochester community!
WOMEN’S ENEWS | 7
Pam Elam, Renaissance Feminist By: Christina Saint Louis | August 5, 2018
“There’s something that you do for your day job...and then there’s something that you do for your heart and soul and, for me, that’s fighting for women’s rights.”
In New York City’s Central Park, there are currently 23 statues honoring men and absolutely none that honor real women! Pam Elam, President of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Statue Fund, hopes to break the “bronze ceiling,” as she calls it, by placing the first-ever statue honoring women’s history in the park. The statue, which will honor Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, is only one part of the Fund’s #MonumentalWomen campaign that aims to honor women in public spaces and support women’s history education. Pam was born and raised in Kentucky where she first developed an appreciation for women’s history. As a young girl, she looked for women’s history books in the library, stumbled upon a chapter about Susan B. Anthony, and discovered the power of feminist organizing. She even gave a speech about women’s rights when she was just 13 years old! Determined to learn more, she eventually left Kentucky to study women’s history under Dr. Gerda Lerner at Sarah Lawrence College. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence, Pam used her de-
8 | WOMEN’S ENEWS
grees in law and political science to work for New York City government for over 25 years, but her focus has always been women’s rights. “There’s something that you do for your day job...and then there’s something that you do for your heart and soul and, for me, that’s fighting for women’s rights” said Pam about her career in government service. She now spends her time working pro bono for women’s organizations. Later this month, Pam will be speaking on the Women’s Equality Weekend panel about how to honor women of the past. Until then, I leave you with a few wise words from Pam herself: “The goal of having a conferences like this is not only to celebrate anniversaries that are important...it’s to get together with other women who are fighting in their home communities to increase recognition for the vast and varied contributions women have made. It’s also to compare notes, to learn from each other’s experiences, and to maybe get a little inspiration along the way.”
Crystal Peoples-Stokes, Community Consensus Builder By: Christina Saint Louis | August 16, 2018
“When you’re in the legislative branch, you really can’t be successful or get anything done unless you work with many people. I tend to be a people person and enjoy problem-solving. I can get along with everybody and anybody.”
Women’s Equality Weekend Luncheon Chair and Chair of the New York State Women’s Legislative Caucus, Crystal Peoples-Stokes has served as a NYS Assemblymember for 15 years and has dedicated herself to putting people before politics. She says that her results-driven approach to leadership began in her community organizing days when she advocated around causes like public housing, lead poisoning prevention, and access to healthcare. Not familiar with the term community organizing? The Harvard Business Review defines it as “a process by which people are brought together to act in common self-interest and in the pursuit of a common agenda.” It’s no surprise, then, that Crystal has an undeniable talent for consensus building. “When you’re in the legislative branch, you really
can’t be successful or get anything done unless you work with many people. I tend to be a people person and enjoy problem-solving. I can get along with everybody and anybody. It does not matter about their ethnicity, gender, income status, where they live, or what occupation they hold. I use my people skills and I use them to the benefit of my job,” Crystal said in our afternoon phone call. As the leader of the Women’s Legislative Caucus, Crystal interfaces with 60 elected women from both up and downstate. Assemblywomen and State Senator’s alike – we have never had this many female Legislators in office ever. Clearly the distinguished lady has a great knack for consensus building and leadership. Crystal has fought for her vision of a better world where people are not judged on race or gender, institutions don’t maintain policies that have implicit or explicit biases attached to them, everyone has access to quality education, everyone has access to employment, and people live in safe communities. She has also used her powerful interpersonal skills to advocate for Minority and Women Owned Businesses and is on the forefront of other women’s causes. It was my pleasure as a “budding” political journalist to listen and learn from Madame Chairwoman. You can catch Crystal at the Women’s Legislative Caucus Luncheon on day one of the Women’s Equality Weekend.
WOMEN’S ENEWS | 9