Happy/Not Happy Fifth of July: The Case for Action

Issue 234 — July 5, 2023

Happy Fifth of July. It’s National Bikini Day in case you hadn’t noticed. And National Graham Cracker Day (who makes these things up?).

I needed that moment of levity coming off a Fourth of July that was tinged with anger, sadness, and a new resolve, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling last week eviscerating academic affirmative action precedents. Best selling author of The Memo and Right Within Minda Harts called it a sucker punch in her LinkedIn Post responding to the ruling.

But by the end of her post, she had switched to action mode, suggesting donations to HBCUs. Doing something is always the best antidote to despair.

Last week also marked a year since the high court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade and 50 years of women’s human and civil right to make their own childbearing decisions without government interference — which is the bedrock of gender equality. That’s all the motivation I need to recommit to Take The Lead’s mission of making intersectional gender parity in leadership a reality by 2025.

People thought that was overly bold 9 years ago when I cofounded Take The Lead, but now they really think we’re overly optimistic. And to be sure, in the aftermath of the Dobbs and pandemic setbacks, it’s quite aggressive.

Everyone else says it will take anywhere from 70 to 150 years. But here’s why I believe we can take the energy of the setback and focus it onto a faster trajectory forward.

“They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.”

You’ve probably heard this axiom. It’s durable because it’s true, or can be true, if we have the right mindset about our own power to drive the agenda. It’s not complicated, but neither is it easy. That’s why I’ve asked some people I admire to share what keeps them optimistic and able to continue working toward a more just and inclusive world despite the backlashes, pushbacks, and outright assaults.

Vada O. Manager, founder and CEO of Manager Global Consulting and former Nike executive, and Take The Lead’s 2022 Alexander Barbanell Leading Man Honoree, told me this: “I stay optimistic considering such unfortunate decisions from SCOTUS [because] I know that I remain affiliated with institutions such as Arizona State University (on their Board of Trustees) and the Helios Education Foundation who are committed to ensuring that postsecondary attainment for disadvantaged students especially — Black/Latino — will continue with direct support and in innovative ways. I believe you saw/liked unambiguous statements from both entities reaffirming that commitment.”

Full disclosure, The Helios Education Foundation received our Leading Philanthropy award last year. Both were given at the annual Women’s Equality Day Power Up Concert and Conference on August 26, 2022.

These are the people who keep me optimistic and able to bounce back after being knocked down but never out.

Coming together to celebrate positive actions is exactly why it’s so important for us to convene with others who are dedicated to gender and racial equality in all arenas, and to be persistent and consistent in advancing gender parity in leadership. Setbacks are not permanent markers of defeat, but rather temporary detours requiring us to change course and strategize anew.

That’s exactly why I so hope to see YOU at this year’s Power UP Concert and Conference to be held on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles (remember, every year we do this on August 26, Women’s Equality Day!) and it will be streamed virtually everywhere in the world. Being together in that space will be both a balm and a build up to a better future for ourselves and the larger community.

I’m excited that we will be inspired by the music of MILCK (Connie Lim) whose song “Quiet” as in “I won’t keep quiet,” became a global phenomenon of hope and healing when she sang it at The 2017 Women’s March. 

It’s an incredible story of one woman pouring her heart out to share her experience. Women everywhere related to it because of her heartfelt authenticity and started doing their own renditions.

From the 2022 Power Up Concert, L-R: Paul Luna, president of the Helios Education Foundation, Gloria Feldt, Jane LaRocca Roig and Vince Roig, Vice Chair and Chair respectively of Helios, Kim Tarnopolski, 2022 Power up Concert and Conference Chair, Vada O. Manager, founder and CEO of Manager Global Consulting and Helios Board Member.

Music has the power to mobilize people. The stirring words of singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, “You’re not gonna get what you want if you’re always waiting for someone to do it for you,” underscore the importance of initiative and courage in overcoming challenges.

Is there another women’s leadership conference that includes an amazing concert? I don’t think so. But if there is, it can’t be better than this one. My great friends Alyson Palmer and Elizabeth Ziff of BETTY will be there and our beloved concert pianist and composer, Marina Arsenijevic will make her third appearance at our event by popular demand. We’ve invited Alicia Keys because who wouldn’t love to be in the room when she sings “This Girl Is On Fire?” Would you all please join me in intentioning that she says “yes?” Thank you!

Look at the brilliant lineup of speakers so far too — and more are added every day. I’ll share some stories and details about them in weeks to come. Yes, you need to be there, in person or virtually. And don’t let me forget to tell you that on this Fifth of July, there’s a flash sale on tickets — half price. This isn’t going to happen again, so grab them while you can.

When I speak to groups, I’m often asked how I stay optimistic. I tell them that I have been doing this work long enough that I have experienced making progress. I have had the privilege of being part of making progress, albeit that sometimes it seems like we are going backward and forward at the same time. Forward always wins ultimately despite the inevitable and sometimes vicious backlash.

As Winston Churchill said, who had the courage to stand against the Nazis in World War II when many world leaders were prepared to appease the onslaught, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” A setback can only define you if you allow it to. With courage and persistence, even the greatest setbacks can be turned into catalysts for change.

I’ll give Vada the last word: “This is no time for me to rest or retire as long as such inequity exists. We both have grandkids/progeny for whom this will impact their lives/relationships.”

Let’s make it a happy Fifth of July and each day hereafter.

GLORIA FELDT is the Cofounder and President of Take The Lead, a motivational speaker and expert women’s leadership developer for companies that want to build gender balance, and a bestselling author of five books, most recently Intentioning: Sex, Power, Pandemics, and How Women Will Take The Lead for (Everyone’s) Good. Honored as Forbes 50 Over 50 2022, and Former President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, she is a frequent media commentator. Learn more at www.gloriafeldt.com and www.taketheleadwomen.com. Tweet Gloria Feldt.