Among the significant changes that this inauguration of new leadership represents was the notable diversity of awesome women who participated in Wednesday’s ceremony... from our new Vice President to the 22-year-old supernova, Amanda Gorman, whose poem will become my daily meditation on all the ways we can meet this moment in the story of us.
Read MoreThe Whiplash of This Week
How do we recover our balance from such a day? Some thoughts on the way forward...
Read MoreOur History Matters. Progress on the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum.
In our nation’s capital, there are many museums celebrating nearly every aspect of American history — from space to stamps to spies — but among all the national Smithsonian museums, there is not one dedicated to recognizing the contributions of American women in every aspect of this country’s history. That soon may change!
Read MoreEquality Can't Wait, Our Future Depends On It
Never has better representation of women's lives, ideas, challenges and accomplishments been more needed to strengthen and sustain our democracy. So this week, I want to write about three organizations working to elevate women's voices in media.
Read MoreMy Mantra This Thanksgiving: Thank You
As many of you know, 2020 is the 10th year of the TEDWomen conference, a conference I co-founded with the TED curatorial team to elevate the stories, ideas and innovations of women around the world by extending the opportunity for more women to give TEDTalks. Since that first TEDWomen in Washington, DC, more than 300 women (and some good men) have given TEDTalks at TEDWomen conferences and their talks have been seen by hundreds of millions on TED.com.
Another significant outcome over the years has been the TEDWomen community, both here in the US and around the world, ignited in part by the TEDx organizers, many of whom have also produced TEDxWomen conferences in their communities, creating a truly global community. This year, when health and safety guidelines made it necessary to go completely virtual, we turned to five of the TEDxWomen organizers and asked them to select one speaker from their community as part of the TW2020 program.
Apiorkor Ahshong-Abbey performing her poem "Fearless"
My partners at TED, Helen Walters and her awesome team of curators, and myself created the other 12 talks, and on Nov. 12, we went “LIVE” to a large global community who joined us for three sessions of talks and two interactive discovery sessions. It was thrilling to see it come together — given the challenges of observing Covid restrictions and recording talks with speakers and performers entirely remotely! The hosts were live and so were two interviews — one with Gloria Steinem on the future of women and one with Maria Teresa Kumar on the impact of the Latinx vote on the 2020 presidential election.
Gloria Steinem: "To Future Generations of Women, You Are the Roots of Change."
TEDWomen 2020 (click to watch)
Appropriately, the theme for TEDWomen2020 was FEARLESS, and many thought that described the decision to convene a TED conference just 7 days after an election which was observed so closely around the world! There were many definitions and dimensions of fearlessness shared by our speakers, and I wanted to share a few on the eve of this Thanksgiving.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the rightly elected President of Belarus who is now in exile because the current president (some call him a dictator as he’s ruled for 28 years) refused to accept the outcome of the election, spoke about fearlessness as the necessary companion to freedom. An idea worth spreading... She and the movement for freedom in Belarus is modeling how fearlessness is a component of movements for freedoms and human rights.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: "How to Be Fearless in the Face of Authoritarianism"
TEDWomen 2020 (click to watch)
Astronaut Megan McArthur who will blast off the earth into space next spring as the pilot of the Dragon One spacecraft, shared how she copes with fears and risks, not by being fearless but by being prepared and by being willing to learn by doing.
Other speakers—notably economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard—gave advice on leadership as did Yukon Regional Chief Kluane Adamek of the Kluane First Nation, who as the youngest chief in her region, urged others to follow in the footsteps of her people — by putting more women in leadership roles and learning from the power of reciprocity.
We also witnessed fearlessness in the works of architect Liz Diller and in the performance of Ghanian poet and activist, Apiorkor Ahshong-Abbey, whose poem "FEARLESS" opened and closed TEDW2020.
Over the next few months, all the talks from this TEDWomen will be posted online at TED.com or the TED YouTube channel. One talk that is in my heart and on my mind today, the day before our national Thanksgiving Day, was given by a speaker form Sri Lanka, JayaShri Maathaa, who talked about her decision to give up a successful life and work to teach Buddhist practices to others. She describes how during the pandemic, she found real transformation in two words — thank you — and repeating those words three times like a mantra morning, noon, and night, brought her the greatest joy and peace.
JayaShri Maathaa: "A Magical Mantra for Nurturing a Blissful Life"
TEDWomen 2020 (click to watch)
I decided to try the mantra myself, and even though I am harboring sadness at not being with family on this holiday and I'm tired, like most of you, of the forced separation and of needing hugs and in-person celebrations and yes, conferences — I’m hoping it will help me cope.
Thank you for reading this. Thank you for all you are doing/giving/being in the world. Thank you for voting and participating in democracy. And thank you for wearing your mask.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
— Pat
“We cannot do much about troubled times and conditions in life, but we certainly can do something to calm ourselves during troubled times. The human mind is like water. If it gets affected by external conditions, it creates movement and you cannot see the depth. This magical mantra, ‘Thank you,’ and the true feeling of gratitude in your heart can help you deal with any life situation peacefully, joyfully and blissfully. May all beings be well, happy, free from all suffering and be enlightened.”
The InfluencHER Project, Connecting Women & Practicing Tolerance
Nearly a year ago, I was invited by Christine Heenan of the Clarendon Group to serve as an editorial advisor for The InfluencHER Project. Please enjoy this week's compilation in lieu of my weekly opinion piece, and join us in this effort to elevate women’s voices. The point of InfluencHER is to expand our sources of information, to introduce new ideas and ways of seeing and thinking, and to create a space for dialogue and, yes, tolerance.
Read MoreHow to Help in Georgia & Turn the Senate Blue
Georgia has quickly become the center of the political universe, as a win for Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, campaigning for the two US Senate seats in a runoff election on January 5, will determine the balance of power in the Senate. I’ve received so many emails from friends all over the country asking how they can help. Now more than ever is the time to stay engaged and step up for support.
Read MoreWe Have a New President and Vice President!
The American people have spoken. Congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris!
Read MoreWomen Will Decide This Election, So Let's Vote!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Women, we have the opportunity to make real change happen with our votes. The statistics make it clear that women will make or break this election, and polls show at this point that the majority plan to vote for Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris.
Read MoreThe First Women-Led Recession Makes Voting More Important Than Ever
From the frontlines of the Covid pandemic this week, I want us to think about some startling new facts about who is hurting the most and what we can do about it. After decades of progress for working women, this recession has the potential to roll it all back in one fell swoop.
Read MoreLet's #WomanUP for Kamala Harris
Senator Kamala Harris has secured her place in history already as the first woman of color to be on a major party’s national ticket and last week, in the first and only vice-presidential debate, she became only the third woman ever to engage in a nationally televised debate.
Read MoreShow Up, Woman Up and Vote!
I launched ShopBADW.com, my “purchase with purpose” shopping website, last October with the publication of my book, Becoming a Dangerous Woman: Embracing Risk to Change the World. The shop offers eco-friendly, sustainable products that are designed and made by women. 100% of the profits are going to organizations that support and lift up women. Learn more.
Read MoreDangerous Women Vote!
After Tuesday night, the imperative to vote has never been more urgent. A new doc featuring Stacey Abrams explains how voting rights are under threat. Get vote ready with a list of ways you can work as a citizen to secure this election.
Read MoreWoman Up, But Not 'On the Basis of Sex' Alone
As a tribute to the precedent setting, culture shifting cases that Justice Ginsburg defended as a lawyer and protected as a Supreme Court Justice, I am expanding my Woman Up campaign to focus on men running for the U.S. Senate. After all, we can’t make voter choices on the basis of sex singularly or we miss the opportunity to ‘Woman Up’ for some very good men — and in order to take back the Senate, these races are key.
Read More
Working Together to Woman Up
There are still many barriers for women seeking political leadership, and gratefully, many more organizations being formed and initiatives put into action to make it more likely that women who take the risks to run — to woman up — will also win. Here is some information on some of these groups and the important work they do!
Read More
It's time to WOMAN UP in the House (Again)
This week, I'm highlighting five women of color running for the House. Let's give them a lift in the coming days and weeks. (I'll be featuring more women running for the House in an upcoming post.)
Read MoreIt's time to WOMAN UP in the Senate.
The key to shifting the power in the Senate this election will be women! Women voters. Women candidates. This is why I’m devoting all my social media platforms for the next 10 weeks to profiling the women whose wins will change the power balance between political parties and between women and men in the US Congress.
Read MoreThe DNC and Georgia ‘Women Up’
Georgia is a state with a proud history of what John Lewis liked to call "good trouble” and today, many of Georgia's women leaders are continuing to stir up good trouble for democracy, racial justice and equality. More women from Georgia spoke during the DNC than any other state. I am feeling a sense of pride in my sister Georgians and a powerful dose of hope, too, that these voices represent our future. Let’s hear from them!
Read MoreThe Fight to Vote. The Untold History.
Even the most informed among us, are catching up to a lot we didn’t know, learn or celebrate until now. This is why, as we celebrate 100 years of white women voting this month, it's important to unlearn what we were taught in school and seek out the truth about what really did happen.
Read MoreLive Chat: Become a Dangerous Woman with Pat Mitchell
I joined the women of The Riveter for a live conversation about becoming a dangerous woman. Watch us as we redefine what age, leadership, and risk taking can look like.
Read More
