This week, I’m writing about a favorite convening that is not called a conference but a festival — the WOW Festival! WOW for “Women of the World.” I was invited to participate in a panel on the climate crisis and to share the still in-progress plans for a global campaign for climate justice led by women — named Project Dandelion.
Read MoreThis International Women's Day, #EmbraceEquity
We've waited 100 years for equality in our Constitution. When will Congress act? This week, I write about the history of International Women’s Day, the need for Congress to affirm the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, and the difference between equality and equity, and why we all need to work for both in our offices and communities.
Read More“The Martha Mitchell Effect”
One of the five Oscar nominees in the Documentary Short category tells the story of Martha Mitchell and her pivotal role in the Watergate scandal in a political and psychological thriller that I highly recommend. “The Martha Mitchell Effect” had its World Premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and is now streaming on Netflix.
Read MoreHow Ukrainian Women Are Working to Safeguard Fundamental Human Rights in the Face of War
Oh, Sister! is a new documentary from Nobel Women’s Initiative. The 20-minute film spotlights how Ukrainian women are working to safeguard fundamental human rights in the face of war. It also shows the central role that women and civil society play in keeping life going in times of war.
Read MoreA Love Letter to Newsletters
On this Valentine’s Day, I’m sharing my love for many of the women I admire who have committed to writing the posts that help keep me and so many others informed and inspired — my ‘newsletter sisters.' These are newsletters I always open. They offer news you might otherwise miss, insights you'll appreciate, along with valued perspectives and often much needed inspiration.
Read MoreDonate to Turkey and Syria's Earthquake Response
As situation worsens with aftershocks, the freezing conditions, and every day that passes, the needs are enormous. Connected Women Leaders faculty members Michelle Nunn, the president/CEO of CARE, and Gulseren Onanç, founder of the Equality, Justice Women Platform in Turkey, are working with their organizations to deliver aid, supplies and support to those affected by the earthquake. If you can, please help and please share this post with friends and colleagues.
Read MoreFlipping the Script on Black History Month
What if we re-imagined Black History Month as Black Futures Month? Activist Alicia Garza says that she thinks about it that way in her work at the Black Futures Lab and Black to the Future Action Fund. In a great interview in YES! magazine, she says that "One of the most important things that I take from Black history is that Black communities have always been futurists… Because of the way that the rules have been rigged against our communities, we’ve been forced to imagine a new future with possibilities for freedom."
Read MoreWhat I'm Reading: Reckoning By V
My dear friend V (formerly Eve Ensler) has a new book out this week that I hope you will add to your reading lists. “Unflinching, intimate, introspective, courageous, Reckoning explores ways to create an unstoppable force for change, to love and survive love, to hold people and states accountable, to reckon with demons and honor the dead, to reclaim the body, and to see oneself as connected to a greater purpose.”
Read MoreOscar Noms For Four Sundance-Supported Docs!
It’s exciting and gratifying to note that so many Sundance alums have been nominated for Academy Awards, especially for all who appreciate the importance of creating opportunities to connect audiences with untold stories, new voices and new ideas. In the Best Documentary Feature category, four out of five nominations went to Sundance-supported films: All that Breathes, Fire of Love, A House Made of Splinters, and Navalny. And at the annual Women at Sundance event this year, I had a special opportunity to interview three Iranian American women filmmakers whose films are being presented at this year's Festival.
Read MoreWatch These Films — and More! — at the Sundance Film Festival
January is not only my birth month, (this year marks the beginning of a new decade for me!), but it’s also the month of the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, widely considered the premiere festival for launching independent films. There are so many dramatic films, documentaries, short films and episodic series worth watching at this year's festival.
Read MoreA Letter from an Afghan Educator: Optimism in the Face of Agony
Shabana Basij-Rasikh is the cofounder and president of the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), the country's first and only girls' boarding school. She’s presented twice at TEDWomen—in 2012 when she had so much hope for the girls of Afghanistan, and in 2021, to talk about her school’s harrowing evacuation after Kabul fell to the Taliban. I want to share with you an update on Shabana's vital work. She and her staff and students made it out of Kabul, but so many women and girls remain in Afghanistan, denied an education and all the opportunities that come with it.
Read MoreRemembering Barbara Walters, A Legend, An Inspiration and A Friend
The passing of Barbara Walters is such a loss. We both faced challenges in our careers as women in media. Along the way, we also learned the importance of showing up for other women.
Read MoreFavorite Books I Read in 2022
I didn't do my usual "books I'm reading" post over the summer this year so I thought an end-of-year list of the books that I read and enjoyed in 2022 might be useful — for last-minute gifts or for reading over the holidays. Here are seven books that moved me this year. I haven't seen many of them on other end-of-the-year lists, and I wanted to give them a shout-out.
Read MoreUN Commission Expels Iran For Its Treatment of Women
As I listened to the reports of this historic action, it seemed like just the right timing for a tribute to the American woman who is responsible for the fact that a global declaration of support for human rights in every country exists. I’m referring to the great Eleanor Roosevelt.
Read MoreWATCH: Sen. Raphael Warnock gives reelection victory speech
What Warnock's Victory Tells Me About My Home State of Georgia
On Tuesday, Senator Raphael Warnock won his run-off against the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate Herschel Walker and will be returning to Washington in January 2023 for six more years as Georgia's representative to the US Senate. It’s a big win for Georgia and an important win for Democracy. Here are three takeaways from the run-off that I felt were important to share with you.
Read MoreU.S. Institute of Peace Announces María Eugenia Mosquera Riascos as the 2022 Women Building Peace Award Recipient
I am so pleased to share this announcement about this year’s winner, María Eugenia Mosquera Riascos of Colombia! I am a member of the Women Building Peace Council and I am thrilled to be involved with honoring and elevating Maru’s important work.
Read MoreInternational Women’s Voices: A Fresh Perspective on Gender Equality
This week I want to share with you a recent newsletter from SES, an organization led by my friend and Connected Women Leaders (CWL) colleague, Gülseren Onanç in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s important for all of us who are engaged in the work towards greater social justice and gender equality to know what other committed women and male allies are leading around the world.
Read More‘When Gratitude Is the First Word and the Last... Everything in Between Is Enough‘
Thanksgiving is a challenge for me. On the one hand, it is my favorite holiday because it’s a rare time for family to gather without being centered on gift giving or even decoration — except, I confess, I can’t resist the cute turkey shaped napkin rings. On the other hand, I understand the importance of expressing gratitude and how beneficial that can be for one’s health and well-being.
Read MoreFive Takeaways from the "Roe Wave" Election
Like many of you, I've done a lot of reading about the election over the past week and I wanted to share five takeaways that have stuck with me.
Read MorePower Is in Our Hands. Women Can Determine This Election.
I’m counting on women and young people to show up here in Georgia and everywhere to vote in numbers that will make history and make it clear that reproductive rights must be restored everywhere and that actions must be taken to protect and preserve the planet and implement solutions for a more equitable share of the earth's resources.
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