Did you participate in one of last Saturday’s women’s marches? I wasn’t able to go, but it was exciting to learn that this year’s march in Chicago, where I live, was even bigger than last year’s. I love seeing the creative, funny, poignant, powerful signs that marchers create, and the original work that artists create for the marches.
This was my favorite art commemorating the Women's March this year. Shyama Golden shared her thoughts behind this image of activists for women's rights, past and present: "The women’s movement is intertwined with civil rights, and to me it’s about equality and giving all people a fair chance. Specifically, this means representation of women in positions of power and working to unlearn biases against women. It also means solidarity, both among women and together with other groups who are fighting for equality.”
1) Maia Weinstock published her annual in memoriam column for Scientific American of notable women in STEM who have passed away in the past year. I was only familiar with a few of the women on the list; it was cool to learn more about their contributions to neuroscience, aerospace, math, and more.
2) This week also marked the passing of groundbreaking science fiction writer Ursula LeGuin at 88. Our friend Monica Byrne shared a bit about LeGuin’s impact on her own career on twitter.
3) Rosie the Riveter has become a ubiquitous image; Leslie Knope dressed as her for Halloween, an updated version was a magazine cover about last year’s women’s march. But who’s the “real” Rosie the Riveter? The name Rosie comes from a song and was named for Rosalind P. Walter, whose name you might recognize if you watch a lot of PBS. (She became a major benefactor.) Norman Rockwell modeled his version on Mary Doyle Keefe. But the “We Can Do It” Rosie, Naomi Parker Fraley, passed away at 96 earlier this week. Her obituary serves as a mini-history lesson of Rosie the Riveter and a glimpse into the work women did supporting the war effort during World War II.
Image via time.com
4) Have you ever heard of Georgia Gilmore? Neither had I until I read this story on NPR about the Montgomery, Alabama "cook, midwife and activist whose secret kitchen fed the civil rights movement." Her story is as important as it is unknown. She organized other women who cooked for civil rights activists, and the money they raised helped fund alternative transportation during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
5) In more current events, I loved this story about Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer teaming up to ensure that Spencer’s pay would be equal to Chastain’s for a movie they’re starring in. Women of color are typically paid significantly less than white women, who are in turn paid less than white men. Just talking about what they were getting paid created the opportunity for Chastain and Spencer to work together for parity.
