Celebrating Our Summer Leaders
July 27th is National Intern Day, and I’m thrilled for the opportunity to celebrate Women Employed’s 2023 class of summer interns. Each year, The Pattis Family Foundation Summer Leadership Program, Women Employed’s paid summer internship program, introduces ten college students to nonprofit work through workshops, guest speakers, and projects.
Over the course of eight weeks, Summer Leaders learn the history and look to the future of the women’s movement, participate in professional development workshops, learn about nonprofit careers, and hear from guest speakers about various aspects of social justice work. Our goal is to reach students who have lived experience related to our work and the passion to make the world a better place, to help guide and mentor them on their journey to a rewarding career in or related to social justice and advocacy.
It's my first year working with our summer leaders, and before taking over the program, I was told repeatedly that I would learn, grow, and get just as much out of it as they do. Seven weeks in and that couldn’t be more true. It’s been a privilege getting to know and work with this vibrant, talented, and driven group of students. And while I’m saddened that our time together is soon coming to an end, I look forward to staying in touch, following their college and career journeys, and can’t wait to see what they do next! One thing I know for sure after working with them this summer—the future of social justice work is bright!
Warmly,
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Black Women's Equal Pay Day |
Today we mark Black Women’s Equal Pay Day—a day to raise awareness about the pay equity barriers facing Black women in the U.S. Based on Census data from 2022, the average Black woman earns just 64 cents compared to a non-Hispanic white man’s dollar when looking at both full- and part-time workers.
Since our country’s founding, racism and sexism have shaped our economy, laws, and policies. As a result, pay discrimination and occupational segregation (the concentration of women, especially Black and Brown women, into low-paid and low-opportunity jobs) have long inflicted harm upon Black women, their families, their communities, and ultimately our entire economy.
To change this, we must prioritize fair and equitable wages, better jobs, and equal opportunities. That’s why Women Employed is advocating for expanded paid time off in the City of Chicago, paid family and medical leave in Illinois for longer-term care needs, an end to the subminimum wage for tipped workers, racial equity in higher education, and the federal Paycheck Fairness Act. It’s why we fought for recent wins in Illinois like the Paid Leave for All Workers Act—which allows paid time for short-term needs—a salary transparency law, and a $100 million increase in need-based financial aid through the Monetary Award Program (MAP).
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She Says: Meet Our Summer Leaders |
In this month’s “She Says,” we are thrilled to celebrate Women Employed’s 2023 class of The Pattis Family Foundation Summer Leadership Program, our annual summer internship program.We asked our Summer Leaders three questions. What did you like most about the program? How has your participation in the Summer Leadership Program (SLP) made an impact on your future career plans? And where do you see yourself in the next five years? Please read what they have to say in their own words!
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At the end of June, the Supreme Court handed down a number of decisions, several of which will roll back the clock on gender and racial equity—including striking down affirmative action in college admissions and blocking President Biden’s student debt relief plan. This pair of decisions will hinder or reverse the steps still needed to make education accessible and inclusive. Not only will they increase the barriers to admissions for women and people of color (and could have a chilling impact on race- and gender-conscious workplace programs as well), but they will also make it much more difficult for those same groups to break free from the devastating burden of student debt. Currently, women hold almost 2/3 of student loan debt in the U.S., and Black women hold more student debt than any other group.
But we are not backing down on advancing equity. We are doubling down. In the City of Chicago, we joined our partners to introduce two ordinances this month that will allow more working women to build financial security: expanding Chicago's paid leave ordinance, and ending the subminimum wage for tipped workers in the City. Chicago has always been a national leader in workers' rights. These measures will continue that leadership by helping ensure every working person in the city can take the time they need to care for themselves and their families without risking their paycheck, and guaranteeing that tipped workers—including restaurant servers, nail salon workers, car wash attendants, and so many other people in professions we depend upon each day—can earn a full and fair wage for their work, with tips on top.
Stay tuned to our channels for ways you can make an impact on these and other important issues. |
Wind Creek Hospitality Supports Women Employed's Mission |
This week, the leadership team at Wind Creek Chicago Southland presented Women Employed with a check for $70,000 to support Women Employed’s programs and services, which have been creating fundamental, systemic change for working women for 50 years.
Wind Creek, who was a sponsor for The Working Lunch in May, is developing a new casino in the Homewood and East Hazel Crest communities. Set to open in mid-2024, it will bring over 1,000 jobs to the Chicago area, many of them in supervisory and managerial levels. At the luncheon, Wind Creek made an unanticipated additional pledge of $70,000, allowing us to smash our $515,000 fundraising goal for the event, reaching over $550,000.
“We are grateful for Wind Creek’s generous donation that will help us continue to grow the economic power of women in Illinois—particularly low-paid women and BIPOC women, who face steeper barriers,” said Cherita Ellens, President and CEO of Women Employed. “We are thrilled to welcome Wind Creek to the Chicagoland area and are excited about their commitment to our local communities, diversity and inclusion, and working women.”
“This is who we are,” Roger Kuehn, General Manager at Wind Creek Chicago Southland, said. “Our donation to Women Employed is more than a contribution to a worthy cause, it’s an investment into our own workforce. We are proud to have strong partners like Women Employed to help us fill key roles in our casino and provide great opportunities to women seeking jobs and career advancement.”
Thank you to Wind Creek Chicago Southland for your generous gift to support our work!
Read this piece on our new blog post on Medium. |
National Disability Independence Day |
Yesterday, July 26th, was National Disability Independence Day, the anniversary of the Americans With Disability Act (ADA), which was signed into law on July 26th, 1990—a life-changing act for many Americans. This major civil rights law ensured that persons with disabilities had the same rights as all people to non-discrimination, access, equality of opportunity, inclusion, and full participation in society. The ADA criminalized discrimination in areas of employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state and local government programs. In Illinois, there are strict limits on how much leave you can take as a reasonable accommodation. Generally, leave under the ADA can only be about two weeks, and that leave is unpaid, creating barriers for many working people. Which is one of the reasons why Women Employed is championing the Illinois Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act, a bill that would provide Illinois workers with up to 12 weeks of comprehensive paid leave, including for caregiving and for managing longer-term health needs. |
After a June hiatus, the ASPIRE Racial Equity and Inclusion Speaker Series continued in July with a workshop led by Dr. Royel Johnson, Associate Professor of Education at the University of Southern California and the Director of Student Engagement at the USC Race and Equity Center and faculty in the Pullias Center for Higher Education. Dr. Johnson’s presentation on Why We Need Racial Literacy in Higher Education engaged participants on the importance of being racially literate to prepare individuals for effectively addressing racial moments on campus or in the classroom. |
Where in the World is Women Employed |
This past month has been anything but a summer vacation for Women Employed. We have spent this month out and about, raising awareness about what it will take to ensure women and families are financially supported and economically empowered. This month, we spoke at two panels at Netroots Nation’s 3-day conference that drew thousands of progressive activists, we joined the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce to talk Good Jobs, and we discussed paid leave and pay equity with the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau, just to name a few!
Take a look and see what we have been up to in our July issue of Where in the World is Women Employed. |
Don’t miss out on the next event! Visit the events page on our website so you can be kept in the loop about where Women Employed is going next and how to be involved. |
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Outside the Loop Radio—WGN 720AM |
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WVON 1690AM—The Talk of Chicago |
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National Women's Law Center |
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