By Katie Stanton
Social Media & Online Engagement Manager, YWCA USA
Earlier this week, one of our local associations in New Hampshire faced a scary and tragic situation during a visitation at their center. We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life that occurred at the YWCA New Hampshire, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of all those involved in this incident. (Read the YWCA USA’s full statement.)
This has been a week of coming together and of healing for the YWCA, so our theme for our Top Five today is inspiration: stories that help us continue serving the YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism and empower women, and that we hope will inspire you.
Top Five on Friday
1. Is there a potential inventor in your house? Check out these three women who invented products that we use every day, and get inspired for your next project.
#ThrowbackThursday: Did you know women invented these three things?, by Elissa Blattman, National Women’s History Museum
“As the owner of her own company, Nesmith Graham insisted Liquid Paper’s headquarters offer a childcare facility and a library, and created an environment where all employees could have a say in company decisions. She also used part of her Liquid Paper money to establish two charitable foundations that help women in need.”
2. A fun video that educates us about equal pay and features Disney Princesses is obviously a must-watch.
Disney Princesses for Equal Pay, by Tex Pats, YouTube
“Disness Princesses believe in equal pay for all humans (and mermaids).”
3. Speaking of equal pay, a young woman who joined a new business saw an immediate problem that needed to be fixed — and fixed it herself. Take a lesson from her standing up for what was right.
Women’s rights advocate takes message to D.C., by Kristin Canning, WCF Courier
“Young noticed that a woman who had worked for Alpha Express for years was still making a little over half of what her male counterparts made. Without getting authorization, Young called the business’s accountant and had the employee’s salary changed.
‘There are some things you just do. If you get in trouble, you deal with it because it’s the right thing to do,’ Young said.”
4. Voting is one of our most important rights as American citizens, and Rosanell Baton, a resident in North Carolina, refuses to see that right taken away.
92-Year-Old Who Once Faced Literacy Tests Sues North Carolina Over New Wave Of Voter Suppression, by Nicole Flatow, ThinkProgress
“When Rosanell Eaton was 21 years old and living in segregated North Carolina, she became one of the first African Americans in her county registered to vote, after successfully completing a literacy test that required her to recite the preamble to the Constitution. But now, at 92 years old, she faces new obstacles under the voter suppression law signed by Gov. Pat McCrory (R) Monday.”
5. Finally, it’s not only about what we are inspired to do, but also about our children. An interview with First Lady Michelle Obama articulates what the election of our first African-American president has done for the next generation.
Michelle Obama on the Move, by Maggie Murphy and Lynn Sherr, Parade Magazine
“Children born in the last eight years will only know an African-American man being president of the United States. That changes the bar for all of our children, regardless of their race, their sexual orientation, their gender. It expands the scope of opportunity in their minds. And that’s where change happens.”
If you have a story that needs to be shared, let us know! Leave a link in the comments or send us a Tweet at @YWCAUSA.