Updates & News
We continue to support actions in response to the recent tragedy in Charlottesville. Please take a minute to utilize these amazing resources that Rukmani Vijayaraghavan put together for us last week.
“If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention”
The events in Charlottesville, VA over the weekend and in Spain this week have left us reeling. With a heavy heart, 500 WS leader Rukmani Vijayaraghavan (who lives in Charlottesville, VA) posted some ways we could support Charlottesville and things we can do to support each other. We reaffirm our commitment to continue to stand up against the normalization of hateful rhetoric and violence.
Rukmani Vijayaraghavan's list of actions #Charlottesville
New 500 Women Scientists pods in Kuwait, Mongolia, and Chile - welcome!
A plan to end manels.
Tina Fey and the sheet cake coping mechanism
Humblebrag as a way to elevate women at work
“If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention”
We write this week’s action with a heavy heart. Our guest writer for the week is 500 WS leader Rukmani Vijayaraghavan who lives in Charlottesville, VA and works at the University of Virginia. Here is a message from Rukmani:
"I woke up on the morning of Saturday August 12, angry about the white supremacists scheduled to invade my city. The evening before, they’d marched on the University I work at. I went to bed sleepless that night, heartbroken by the tragedy of a terrorist attack on the street corner half a block from my apartment -- the corner I drive through every single day and have crossed on foot a hundred times. This has not been an easy weekend nor will the coming days and weeks. But the support we have received from across the country and around the world has been overwhelming -- keep it coming, and keep fighting for what is right and just."
Heather Heyer was a 32 year old woman who did what was morally right, who stood up against white supremacy, bigotry, and hatred. And she died for it. Two state troopers tragically died while simply doing their jobs -- trying to keep the people safe. Let us honor their memory and legacy.
We’re all angry, confused, and outraged. We should be. Here is what we can do this week. As many have said, if this not who we are as a country, then let’s prove it.
The first step in action is to educate ourselves and the people closest to us about what happened leading up to the incidents over the weekend:
This statue is the symbol of hatred at the center of the controversy.
The petition to remove the statue was started by a high school student, Zyahna Bryant; let her be our inspiration.
Charlottesville is a city where a veneer of gentility and progressivism often covers over decades of slavery and segregation. The University of Virginia where the marches began on Friday, was founded by Thomas Jefferson, and is also in the process of confronting its own history of slavery and segregation. More background reading here: Why this happened in Charlottesville
Some more reading: What to do about Charlottesville, White Feelings: 0-60 for Charlottesville
There are no easy solutions or actions, but there are many in Charlottesville doing the work of confronting and dealing with the legacy of racism and segregation and would greatly benefit from your support,
Like the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. You can support them here.
Here are local groups and chapters you can support: Black Lives Matter Charlottesville, Charlottesville NOW, Charlottesville Pride, the Charlottesville-Albemarle NAACP, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, and more here.
Support the Black Student Alliance at U.Va. They are on the frontlines.
Source unknown, but an excellent list of things you can do. And this one’s from Mashable.
Still feel like this is not enough? We are scientists, and we are far from perfect. So be creative and push yourself and your community to find more ways to stand up against hatred and bigotry in your community
Listen to Charlottesville’s protest songs
Find out what your members of Congress are doing to respond to the Charlotteville terror attacks.
Jane and I just wrapped up an awesome week at the Ecological Society of America conference. We literally met hundreds of women who were excited about the organization and want to get involved. We also recognize there is still so much work to be done-within ESA and science, and we are moving forward with concrete actions to help our society be more diverse and inclusive.
The summer writing campaign is off to a strong start. If you have not already done so, pull together your local pods to identify science topics that are relevant in your communities and join our campaign. And if you want another excuse for a pod get-together, organize one around the solar eclipse August 21, 2017. Listen about, read about and view the eclipse together. Share your activities with us on social media.
#weekly_action - In this week’s actions, we fight for science on multiple fronts.
1) Join Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) for a special webinar Aug 3rd 2p EDT update on the status of the budget discussions on Capitol Hill, review new tools and materials available from FASEB, and offer tips on how to get other scientists engaged in advocacy.
2) Concerned by the new FL bill allowing challenges to school text book material? This is an excellent op-ed opportunity! Reach out to us if you are interested in writing an op-ed and would like support.
http://www.npr.org/2017/07/31/540041860/new-florida-law-lets-residents-challenge-school-textbooks
3) Does the nomination of Sam Clovis to the top science position at the USDA puzzle you? Us too. We encourage everyone to reach out to your elected officials about this topic.
Don't forget today @ 1:00PM EST is the last free webinar on writing an Op-Ed for our joint effort with Rise and UCS. Not signed up for the Summer of Op-Eds? Learn more on our webpage.
Enjoy the last weekend in July, see you all in August!
#weekly_action
We suggest an outward and inward action this week.
1) Outward - Contact your senator today and let her/him know your opinions about health care. https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/%3C/senators_cfm.cfm?State=CO.
Want to know more about how to make a difference as a scientist? http://www.faseb.org/Science-Policy-and-Advocacy/Become-an-Advocate/Advocacy-Tool-Kit.aspx
2) Inward - Reach out to your pod and join our summer of op-eds! Anyone interested in writing an OpEd about health care, science funding, or science-informed policy?There are two great webinars (7/27, 7/28) this week to help you make a writing plan!
https://500womenscientists.org/500ws-summer-of-opeds/
As you may have heard, last week we launched the the 500WS Summer of Op-Eds. Join with your pod and choose a topic relevant to your community and science. If you don't know where to start there will be a series of webinars, and check out our website for more info. Read on to find out more about what we've been up to.
This week, we ask you to take the first steps to participate in 500 Women Scientist’s Summer of Writing. If that sounds overwhelming, don’t worry, we’ve partnered with two excellent resources, The Union of Concerned Scientists and Rise Stronger, and we’ve laid out a plan to help you organize! Here are our actions for this week:
Happy Friday! This week, we are really excited to launch our summer writing campaign. This summer, get together with your pods or other scientists in your community and write a letter to the editor or OpEd on a topic that resonates with you and your community. Send letters to your local newspapers, national news outlets, or publish on our Medium page. We can't wait to see what you all come up with!
We are seeking social scientists to help us develop and inform an ambitious science outreach project. If you are interested in science outreach, especially to underserved and rural areas, get in touch!
Meet Emily, a leader of 500WS and an expert at balancing life.
Break twitter feeds - speak up against sexism in academia.
Support the Science-a-Thon from ESWN.
Submit a solution, help women and girls of all socioeconomic backgrounds use technology to fully participate and prosper in the economy
Hiring - associate dean for inclusion and diversity.
500 Women Scientists is on its way to becoming a powerful organization representing the voices of tens of thousands of women scientists all over the globe. Help us keep the lights on while we get up and running. Just a few dollars goes a long way! (Note: Please use "Sending to friends and family" to avoid paying a fee domestically (the fee is unavoidable for overseas donations). We are not yet a 501(c)3, so donations are not tax deductible at this time. All donations will go towards expenses directly related to the 500 Women Scientists project.)
