SCC Celebrates International Women’s Day
Yesterday was International Women’s Day (March 8), a global day of observance “celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.” This year’s theme is #EachforEqual, recognizing that “an equal world is an enabled world” and that “we can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women’s achievements.”
At Scott Circle Communications, we have a strong history of advocating for clients working on behalf of women’s issues - and we’re also a proud woman-owned business (read more about that here). So in celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, we surveyed the team about some women champions they would like to recognize for making an impact (both near and far).
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Dani (Administrative Coordinator): For International Women's Day, I am celebrating Karen de Souza, an Afro-Guyanese political activist who passionately advocates for women's and children's rights. She founded Red Thread, a grassroots organization that focuses on assisting families in the Afro-Guyanese, Amerindian and Indo-Guyanese communities. Most notably, she helped rewrite the Domestic Violence Act in Guyana making it easier for women to better understand their protections under the law. As a Guyanese-American woman, Karen de Souza inspires me to help my community through advocacy and empowerment.
Daniella (Senior Associate): As a pop culture fanatic, I love Oscar season and this year despite leaving key female directors off the nominee list, I was delighted to see Sharon Choi walk on the Oscar stage four times! She was the English translator for Parasite Director Bong Joon-ho. As someone who grew up translating for my family, constantly straddling the line between English and Spanish, I felt a strong connection with the wonderfully eloquent translator. Not only did I love the movie Parasite but I thought their global press tour was magnificent, a time where everyone got a chance to shine – including the translators. I know how hard it is to convey and translate emotion, subtext or humor into English. Not everything can be translated exactly, but I think she did a wonderful job conveying Bong Joon-Ho’s personality. Her translations inspired me to watch more movies with subtitles! I can’t wait to see her on her next global press tour for HER movie!
Dee (VP): “My name is Elizabeth and I'm running for president, because that's what girls do." I want to celebrate Senator Elizabeth Warren for using her platform to uplift women and making pinky promises with little girls everywhere to remember that women can do anything - including run for president. She has shown us that she has a plan for nearly everything, and she has especially made an effort to incorporate both a racial and gender equity lens into the issues she highlights. She’s not afraid to speak up on behalf of women or speak out against those who try to silence her. She is a fighter, she persists, and I stan.
Elizabeth (Associate): I am celebrating Greta Thunberg, the 17-year-old climate and environmental activist. She has motivated the world to hold leaders accountable and do more than just talk about climate change. She has sounded the alarm for climate action, changing perceptions and inspiring millions of youth activists to take a stand for their futures. Despite fame, online attackers and the impending death of our planet, nothing will stop her!
Kellie (SVP): Elizabeth Mary Jane Cochran wasn’t having mansplaining way back in the Victorian era. When the sexist screed "What Girls Are Good For" appeared in her hometown paper, she rebranded herself Nellie Bly and pretty much invented investigative journalism. Not willing to settle for the gardening or gossip beats, Bly covered the lives of working women and served as a foreign correspondent on the Eastern Front during World War I. Taking “embedded” to the extreme, she literally got herself committed to a psychiatric hospital to write an expose of the deplorable conditions patients with mental illness suffered. In her story about the 1913 Woman Suffrage Parade, "Suffragists Are Men's Superiors," she predicted that women would get the vote by 1920 – and on August 18 that year they did. Pioneering journalist and OG feminist Nellie Bly was ahead of her time and worth spending some time remembering this Women’s History Month.
Laura (President): Hillary Clinton is at the top of my list. When I was in college and Bill Clinton was running for president, I liked him because of Hillary. I liked that we got two for the price of one. I liked that she wasn’t staying home and baking cookies and standing by her man. I liked that she kept her last name when she first got married - in the early 70’s. Before Hillary, first ladies weren’t independent and had their own careers. Hillary helped make the case that women can be independent of men.
Lauren (Manager): When I think about the leaders whose example I want to follow and whose work I want to honor every day, Rose Schneiderman and Frances Perkins are my standout inspirations. Before Rose would go on to be a founding member of the ACLU and Frances would be the first female US Cabinet member, making the New Deal a reality as Secretary of Labor, they both bore witness to the tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. With their determined advocacy and strategic movement organizing, they made what could have been just another work accident into a turning point for workers’ rights and safety. They fought to secure the right to vote for (some) women, and then once they had it, kept fighting for working people and the most vulnerable members of society – for dignity and safety in their work and the freedom to enjoy their lives. This fight goes on, and it’s on us to continue their work.
Matheson (Associate): I would like to take the opportunity to celebrate the life of Miriam Zenzi Makeba, a global music icon, pillar of activism and symbol of hope. I grew up listening to her music, Pata Pata floated through the house on weekend mornings, and later in adolescence I learned of the important voice she brought to the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Through her lyrics Miriam Makeba directly challenged the regime, and used her platform to expose the reality of apartheid to international audiences. In trying times it takes great courage to stand up to power and advocate for the downtrodden, and Miriam Makeba did not shirk the responsibility.