ICYMI: Best 20 Take The Lead Stories of 2020
Take The Lead picks its tops 20 blog posts of 2020.
Sometimes it feels like picking your favorite child or friend. We love them all.
But of the nearly 150 blog posts on Take The Lead’s award-winning Movement Blog published in 2020, we tried to curate the top 20 for the year, as they each represent the mission to inform and inspire women at all levels of leadership and career in all industries working for parity, fairness, equity and inclusion.
“Of the nearly 150 blog posts published on @Takeleadwomen ‘s award-winning #MovementBlog in #2020, we curated the top 20 for the year, each informing and inspiring women at all levels of #leadership.”
Here’s our list; you can skim and click. We include the first few paragraphs so you can get a sense of the story and the information, so you can quickly assess what you need. Arranged by calendar month, we chose stories that reflect insights from innovative leaders and entrepreneurs plus well-researched and deeply evidenced assertions about the latest for women in the workplace today.
“We chose stories that reflect insights from innovative #leaders and #entrepreneurs plus deeply evidenced assertions about the latest for #women in the #workplace today. #MovementBlog #2020Roundup”
January: You Go First: Salary Transparency Almost Closes Gender Pay Gap
The good news if you are a woman working in healthcare, architecture, engineering, education and a few other industries is that pay equity is the norm when your organization has pay transparency. The bad news is if you are a female in food services, retail, customer service, transportation and a few more male-dominated fields, you will likely be paid less than men doing the same job. The new Payscale report, Does Pay Transparency Close the Gender Wage Gap? “aimed to determine whether increased pay transparency could mitigate the unconscious bias of managers and HR leaders who set compensation,” according to Payscale.
February: She Had To: 19th CEO, Co-Founder on Creating News With Gender Lens
She got the idea for her latest ambitious journalism venture four years ago while on maternity leave for her first child. As more non-profit journalism sites were launching in the media landscape, Emily Ramshaw says she thought, “Why is there not one for women, politics and policy?” A journalist with 18 years experience, including six years at the Dallas Morning News and 10 years at Texas Tribune, most recently as editor-in-chief, Ramshaw says she started thinking then about launching a sustainable non-profit journalism site. The result is The 19th Project launched now online and with a full staff in July. Ramshaw is co-founder and CEO, defining the effort as aiming “to capture this ongoing American story,” the “unfinished business” of women “underrepresented in politics and policy journalism and in newsroom leadership.”
“As more non-profit journalism sites were launching in the media landscape, @Eramshaw says she thought, “Why is there not one for #women, #politics and policy?” @19thnews. #womenleaders #MovementBlog2020
”
February: Tapping Your Higher Power: Jamia Wilson on Filling Your Authentic Mission
Oh no, he didn’t. When Jamia Wilson was an undergraduate at American University majoring in broadcast journalism, an older white male professor emeritus called her into his office over what he called “a cause for concern.” Wilson, now Executive Director and Publisher of Feminist Press at City University of New York, knew it was not about her grades, her work, her performance or anything she could imagine. Wilson, a Black woman who wears her hair naturally, remembers, “He said, ‘I see you have promise and could do well but not unless you change your hair. You would not get work in major media markets.’” Wilson, who was 19 at the time, and later graduated in 1998, says, “I had always imagined myself as the Black Christiane Amanpour. This was before Melissa Harris-Perry was on MSNBC.” Wilson remembers that he said, “You need to think about your image. You should look at Condoleezza Rice, she has a more polished look.” This is what spurred Wilson into media activism. “It got me mad enough about the structures,” says Harris, who was recently named to Refinery29’s “17 Faces of the Future of Feminism.”
March: Close the Dream Gap: Miracle Entrepreneur Mentors Teen leaders
“My name is Miracle, because I am one.” Miracle Olatunji, 20, and a sophomore at Northeastern University in Boston, has launched more startup ideas and done more to mentor others, than most people twice her age. And her name comes from the fact that her mother was bedridden when she was pregnant with her in Nigeria, and was told her baby would not survive. Author of the 2019 book, "Purpose: How to Live and Lead with Impact," Olatunji says her declaration of a miracle is what she wrote as her senior year quote in her Charter School yearbook in Wilmington, Delaware. By then, she had already formed a few organizations.
“@Mirolatunji, 20, and a sophomore at Northeastern University in Boston, has launched more #startup ideas and done more to #mentor others, than most people twice her age. #MovementBlog2020”
March: Perfect Enough Yet? Why Women Of All Ages Can’t Let It Be
All of us—we can assume—want to be good at what we do. Even in the most trying of times, as we are in now. Many of us understand fully the need for validation, applause and recognition in the workplace. A nod from the manager, an email from the boss. It matters. A new study on perfectionism of 1,000 women of different ages shows that many of us are holding ourselves to standards of perfection that are not achievable, setting ourselves up not just for disappointment, but for disaster. “Even though most women know deep down that perfection is unattainable, they still strive for it,” explains Dr. Ilona Jerabek, president of PsychTests, the parent company of Queendom, that created and administered the study.
“A new study on perfectionism of 1,000 #women of different ages shows that many of us are holding ourselves to standards of perfection that are not achievable, setting ourselves up for disaster. #careeradvice #MovementBlog2020”
April: New WFH Income: 7 Ways to Monetize Your Quarantine Hustle
Most everyone I know has an income shift or even income elimination due to the shelter in place mandate due to COVID-19. So many in event planning, retail, hospitality, restaurants, and pretty much anything that requires other people and is considered non-essential have been laid off, or their income streams have dropped. According to MarketWatch, “Some 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits in a recent week — the highest ever increase in weekly jobless claims.” Complicating that scenario are women with young children and adult children who haven been laid off and moved back home. More mouths to feed, less money in the bank.
May: Can The Post-Covid Workplace Be Better For Women?
Women have been hardest hit by the economic impact of COVID-19 as an almost unimaginable milestone of more than 100,000 deaths have happened in the U.S. It makes sense women will continue to be the most affected after the pandemic subsides as well. It also makes sense to address those possibilities head on so the future approaches gender equity across all platforms and disciplines. Some new research says the new post-COVID workplace may indeed be more fair, but it will take intention and deliberate action. Yes, women have been affected more than men in the crisis. The most recent U.S. employment figures are that of the 20 million people who lost their jobs in April, women accounted for 55 percent of that total, according to the National Women’s Law Center.
“Women have been hardest hit by the #economic impact of #COVID19 as an almost unimaginable milestone of deaths have happened in the U.S. #pandemic #MovementBlog2020”
May: Leading In Chaos, How Resilient Are You?
Millions of us are testing the limits of our own strength—physically, emotionally, mentally—whether in isolation, working from home or facing the enormous challenges of essential work and the multi-dimensional threats of COVID-19. “We are facing a reality that most of us have never faced before,” explains Dr. Ilona Jerabek, president of PsychTests. “COVID-19 isn’t just a physical health issue. It has been a test of resilience, tenacity, and patience, as people try to protect themselves against an enemy they can neither see nor hear. This new, unprecedented reality of isolation and social distancing, of governments and medical officials learning on the fly, has left people wondering what tomorrow will bring.”
June: Nonprofits So White: New Report on Lack of Inclusion Offers Strategies
Nonprofits in this country are failing on their diversity and inclusion efforts, even as their missions address social justice and fairness issues, according to a new report of more than 5,000 workers in nonprofits. “The sad — but unsurprising — truth is that people of color and whites have a different set of experiences in nonprofit organizations. This gap in how professionals experience their workplaces — whether they receive mentorship, are granted promotions, or face microaggressions — is partially reflected in what we call the ‘white advantage,’” write Frances Kunreuther and Sean Thomas-Breitfeld, Co-Directors of the Building Movement Project, and authors of the report, Race to Lead Revisited: Obstacles and Opportunities in Addressing the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap.
“#Nonprofits in this country are failing on their #diversity and #inclusion efforts, even as their missions address social justice and fairness issues, according to a new report. #MovementBlog #YearInReview #Highlights”
June: Be Proud: Maintaining LGBTQIA Inclusive Workplaces This Month and Always
J.K. Rowling offended trans individuals and groups on Twitter with an offensive definition of women. Pride parades were cancelled across the country due to COVID-19 safety concerns. New research shows workplace discrimination against LGBTQIA employees is prevalent. To be truly inclusive, diverse, equitable and fair to all persons, company and organization leaders have work to do. According to PR Newswire, while 79 percent of human resource professionals believe their company is diverse, according to new data from Clutch, their employees tell a different story. According to the Clutch study, “one in five workers say they value hiring more women into leadership positions, and 17% value increased recruiting of underrepresented groups. Only 14% of employees value heightening LGBTQ awareness and sensitivity at their company.”
July: Show Me, Show You: Why Media Visuals Need to Reflect BIPOC Women
Simone Biles is on the new August cover of Vogue. Viola Davis is on the August cover of Vanity Fair. It’s a good month for visual representation of strong BIPOC women leaders in mainstream media. But it’s been a long time coming. And it’s not nearly enough. Even as the Biles photo shoot was criticized for how the lighting reflected the athlete’s skin tone as photographed by Annie Leibovitz, the trend of celebrating a wider range of women leaders is positive. Davis’ Vanity Fair cover story was the first ever for that magazine by a Black photographer, Dario Calmese. What does visual representation matter for women, and BIPOC women in particular? Because what you get is what you see. And representation needs to be more fair as a way to have a more fair, diverse, inclusive and equitable society. It is not just about fashion and media and photography. It is about being able for everyone to see themselves in images of popular culture.
“What does visual #representation matter for #BIPOC women in particular? Because what you get is what you see. And representation needs to be more fair as a way to have a more fair, diverse, inclusive and equitable society. #MovementBlog2020”
July: Do More: 5 Ways to Ensure DEI Efforts Are Working In Your Organization
Two months into a cultural reckoning that reached a tipping point with the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police officers and the global protests that followed, companies, organizations, non-profits, institutions, universities and celebrities have made public mission statements of intention to address racial inequities. An intensifying renewal and resetting of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts is in the works across the country. “Promises to try harder don’t work,” Ellen Pao, founder of the nonprofit Project Include, tells Forbes. “
August: Feel The Heat: Co-Founder CEO Develops Tech Solution to Reopening
Seeing nurses and other frontline healthcare workers wearing trash bags to protect themselves during shifts at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic because of a shortage of PPE equipment made Amy Yu upset. It also inspired the engineer CEO and co-founder of Antlia Systems get to work on a solution for protection. “It broke my heart,” says Yu, co-founder of Chicago-based Antlia Systems (named after the constellation). “So I used my connections to get more PPE and donate them. Then I was working hard to figure things out with engineering teams to find the best solutions to make safe places.” That effort resulted in the new Thermal Detection Kiosk with Identity Verification (ANT-FR-Q9) that identifies employees and guests as they enter a building space, checks for elevated body temperature, and even confirms whether they are wearing a mask – all in just under a second.
“Seeing nurses and other frontline #healthcareworkers wearing trash bags to protect themselves made Amy Yu, CEO and co-founder of Antlia Systems, get to work on a solution for protection. #womenleaders #MovementBlog2020”
September: Forever Legacy: Notorious RBG’s Drive for Equality in Law and Life
Thousands gathered for vigils near the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as near court houses around the country following the news of the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, from complications from pancreatic cancer. Men, women and children carried signs and lit candles in honor of the woman who spent a lifetime fighting for “the end of days when women appear in high places only as one-at-a-time performers.” Linda Hirshman, author of Sisters in Law: How Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor Went To The Supreme Court and Changed The World, writes in Washington Post, “In her last years, people made songs and movies about her, and the public bought out her bobblehead dolls. None of that mattered to the real RBG. She cared about the Supreme Court, making it again the engine of an expanding legacy of American equality.”
September: North Star: Soledad O’Brien on Listening, Point of View, Stories, Fairness & Values
“As an organization and an individual, you have to stick to your North Star,” Soledad O’Brien, founder and CEO of Soledad O’Brien Productions, told a virtual convening of two cohorts of Take The Lead’s 50 Women in Journalism Can Change the World. “The story of one’s arc of one’s life is to figure out what your values are,” says O’Brien, award-winning journalist, speaker, author and philanthropist who anchors and produces the Hearst Television political magazine program, “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien.” She adds, “I did that by 50. You need to learn, hear, listen to people. Your self-belief takes time.”
October: How To Fight Hate: CEO, Founder on The Positive Way Forward Now
Dr. Joynicole Martinez does not want to talk about her many advanced degrees. For the record, the founder and CEO of The Alchemist Agency has seven. Two bachelors degrees, three masters degrees and two doctorates. Martinez wants to talk about cultural change, racial, gender and economic equity and her mission to disrupt white nationalism and supremacy, racism, sexism and social injustice. “I feel incredibly positive. There was a time when the conversation would not have happened, when we could not have talked about racism. So the fact that it is part of our everyday? That says a lot,” says Martinez, an award-winning speaker and trainer focused on change management, diversity, inclusion and equity for more than 20 years.
October: Big Wisdom From Small Companies: 10 Women Biz Owners Share Keys To Success
October is Women’s Small Business Month, and Take The Lead honors the 11.6 million women small business owners in this country who are earning $1.9 trillion in revenue and employing 9.1 million people. Every day 825 women launch small businesses in the United States. Yes, the numbers tell a story of perseverance and success. One quarter, or 20% of all companies with $1 million in revenue are women-owned, with 39 % of all small businesses owned by women. The fastest growth areas are Florida, Georgia, Texas, Michigan and South Carolina. The numbers also tell another story, complicated by COVID-19, bias, historic patterns and systems of gender and racial discrimination.
November: Women Take The Lead: 2020 Sets Records in Representation in U.S.
Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourself in a way that others might not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before. And we will applaud you every step of the way.” These were the stunning words from the next and first Madam Vice President, Kamala Harris, from a Delaware stage before introducing President Elect Joe Biden after the election results were announced. “But while I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities,” Harris said.
““But while I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities,” @KamalaHarris said. #firstwomenVP #representation #MovementBlog2020 ”
November: Pandemic Parenting: 10 Best Steps For Mothers, Leaders During COVID
Amanda Zelechoski not only practices what she preaches; she practices what she researches. As an attorney, licensed clinical and forensic psychologist specializing in child and adolescent trauma, she co-founded the site and resource, Pandemic Parenting, to help others and herself as a mother of three young boys. During COVID lockdowns with remote work and remote schooling, “The stress at home can be bad,” says Zelechoski, associate professor at Valparaiso University, where she directs the Psychology, Law and Trauma Lab, and whose sons are 11, 8 and 5. “I work full time and with three young kids here I am now responsible for home learning. What kept me up at night was thinking these stress levels will skyrocket with stressed parents and kids locked in their homes,” she says.
December: It’s All Good: CEO, Author Minda Harts on Success, Surprise and The Future
What a year it has been—and in a very good way—for Minda Harts, best-selling author and CEO, founder of The Memo, LLC. This is true in 2020, an exceptionally challenging year particularly for women of color on so many levels. As the country faces COVID-19 fallout, racial justice atrocities and the need to rebuild and create new infrastructures and patterns with fairness, equity and inclusion, hers is a voice and stance validating the power of BIPOC and the urgent need for change. The author of The Memo: What Women of Color Need To Know To Secure A Seat At The Table, has been showered in accolades, applause and appreciation for her book that was praised by Time magazine—and so many more outlets, organizations, companies and businesses—earning her the #15 spot on the Top 40 Women Keynote Speakers of 2020. “Success is not a solo sport,” is her original adage so closely associated with her, it has its own swag.
“As the country faces COVID-19 fallout, #racialjustice atrocities and the need to rebuild and create new infrastructures and patterns with fairness, equity and inclusion, @MindaHarts validates the power of #BIPOC and the urgent need for change. ”
Happy Holidays from Take The Lead and we hope that this roundup of profiles, projections, assessments and trends is helpful to you in 2020 and far beyond.
“Happy Holidays from @Takeleadwomen and we hope that this #roundup of profiles, projections, assessments and trends is helpful to you in #2020 and far beyond. #MovementBlog2020”
