Marking Progress by Our Milestones

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER • WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH 2021

We Will Continue Making History.

We Must.

A Message from the President of Vision 2020

Movements have milestones. Some stall the movement and some propel it forward. In the history of the women’s movement, we’ve seen many milestones of both types. Looking back on the dozen years since I founded Vision 2020, I see its own milestones in the context of women’s progress.

Vision 2020’s first milestone came in 2010, when we convened a National Congress of delegates in Philadelphia. Our theme was An American Conversation About Women and Leadership. We felt there hadn’t been one since 1982, when conservative opponents of the Equal Rights Amendment — and state legislatures that were overwhelmingly male — kept the ERA from being ratified, a setback that stalled the women’s movement for two decades.

Our delegate nomination process yielded more than 1,000 women leaders and our selection committee chose two from each state and the District of Columbia. In a harbinger of things to come, the selection criteria emphasized diversity of race, age and occupation. Together, those 102 delegates ignited a national conversation that continues today.

The delegates also knew that talk would never be enough to reach our goal of economic, political and social equality. Thus the theme for the second National Congress, a year later in Chicago, was Vision + Action = Equality in Motion. Delegates focused on what Vision 2020 could do to accelerate the pace of progress.

A game-changing early decision was to invite existing and emerging women’s organizations to become official allies of Vision 2020 and work together on common goals, such as more women voting and running for office. The third National Congress, held in November 2012 in Portland, Oregon, reflected that in its theme, Collaborating for Change. The 2012 election provided encouragement: Women won a record number of seats in the U.S. House and Senate, and women’s votes decided the presidential election that gave Barack Obama a second term.

Vision 2020’s fourth National Congress was larger, partly because the coalition then included dozens of nonprofit, nonpartisan Allied Organizations that sent representatives to Philadelphia in May of 2014. Participant numbers also increased because Vision 2020 recruited outstanding college students as junior delegates, inspiring the theme Generations of Action. Shaping the future by engaging emerging leaders is an ongoing objective: See our Spring Breakthru program highlighted below.

In October 2015, Vision 2020 began focusing on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment as a pivotal time to honor the past and enrich the present through special programs and events. In keeping with the Countdown to 2020 theme, our fifth National Congress was held in Nashville, celebrating Tennessee’s role as the 36th and final state needed to ratify the amendment in 1920. We worked on plans for the centennial of women’s voting rights to educate the public about women’s progress and the unmet goal of full equality.

Leading up to the sixth National Congress, held during September 2018 in Miami, the 2017 Women’s March became a global phenomenon, #MeToo galvanized women to fight victimization with their voices, and a record number of women were campaigning for seats in the U.S. House and Senate. The theme Paths to Shared Leadership aptly captured a turning point at which women’s power was surging and the next phase would be figuring out how leaders of different genders could best work together toward equality for all.

Today we look forward to Vision 2020’s seventh National Congress, to be held virtually June 15-16. Our coalition can celebrate a major milestone: a decade spent making history in the quest for equality. We have 132 Allied Organizations with tens of millions of members. We successfully pivoted to virtual for our Women 100 event series, attracting audiences that far exceeded our expectations. Our many 2020 accomplishments are summarized on a by-the-numbers chart in the Coalition section below.

At this year’s Congress, we will set a bold agenda to shape the future. It will be a milestone that propels us forward. We will continue making history. We must, because the generations of women leaders who worked to get us to this point are counting on us to complete the unfinished business of women’s equality.

Lynn H. Yeakel, Founder and President, Vision 2020

Women 100 Events — Please share with your networks

SPRING BREAKTHRU PUBLIC EVENT:

'How to Build a Movement' Is Thursday

Want to bring about change but not sure how to get started? Three highly skilled and effective activists will share their experiences and advice in this free virtual panel discussion. Participants will gain a wealth of insight to help them foster change and promote social justice. Don't miss this free virtual event on Thursday, March 18, at 3 pm ET. Learn more and register.

Vision 2020 thanks Penn Mutual for sponsoring this event.

Spring Breakthru Is This Week!

FEATURED SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Liz Plank, author, journalist, executive producer of Vox Media's Divided States of Women

FUTURE OF THE

WORKPLACE

Amber Hikes, chief equity & inclusion officer at the ACLU

ENGAGING IN

CIVIC ISSUES

Sara Guillermo, executive director at IGNITE

Free virtual conference for college students

Thursday and Friday, March 18-19

Learn more and register.

Vision 2020 thanks Penn Mutual for sponsoring this event.

View Recording of The Mask You Live In Discussion

Nearly 500 families and individuals registered for Vision 2020’s virtual screening and panel discussion of The Mask You Live In, an award-winning documentary about American masculinity. You can view a recording of the panel discussion among gender equality experts, who explored how narrowly defined gender roles can harm and constrain men as well as women.

Vision 2020 thanks The Leader’s Edge/Leaders by Design for sponsoring the film and discussion.

Raising Medical School Tuition Funds for Students Who Commit to Practice in Underserved Areas

Jeri Lynne Johnson (pictured), artistic director of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, will be presented with the Woman One Award for exceptional leadership, and the amazing Woman One Scholars will be celebrated, during a ceremony to be webcast on April 26 at 5:30 pm ET.

Woman One, like Vision 2020, is an initiative of the Institute for Women's Health and Leadership at Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCoM). Woman One raises tuition funds for underrepresented women who are attending DUCoM. Click here to learn more and donate.

For the first time this year, the Institute is also raising medical school tuition funds for an underrepresented man through the new D. Walter Cohen Shared Leadership Scholarship Fund.

To be eligible for either scholarship, medical students must be accepted to DUCoM and demonstrate financial need, academic excellence and a commitment to practice in underserved communities. Donors are inspired by stories like these shared by graduates confronting the challenges of the current pandemic. Profiles of current Scholars attending DUCoM show the diversity of their backgrounds, activities and career interests.

Major Vision 2020 Supporter Eileen McDonnell Honored by The Chamber with Paradigm Award

Eileen C. McDonnell, chairman and CEO of The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, has received the 2021 Paradigm Award from the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia (The Chamber). “I am truly honored to ...be a part of this enduring legacy,” she aid. “At Penn Mutual, we are committed to shared leadership and empowering women....”

In 12 years of leadership at Penn Mutual, Eileen has received many honors for her dedication to the region’s business and academic communities. Among them: Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business honored her as their 2016 Business Leader of the Year and, in 2019, Eileen received the Woman One Award from the Institute for Women’s Health & Leadership (IWHL) at Drexel University College of Medicine.

“We are so proud of Eileen and her exceptional leadership example," said IWHL director and Vision 2020 president Lynn Yeakel, "and we are so grateful to Penn Mutual, the Founding Presenting Sponsor of Vision 2020.”

Eileen McDonnell accepting the 2019 Woman One Award from Lynn Yeakel.

Vision 2020 Coalition

How Vision 2020 Delegates are Honoring Women's History Month

Inez Barberio

New Jersey Delegate

“As a strong minority woman, I believe my success in life comes from looking for opportunities in every situation and giving to others without expectations. This month, I am using my skillsets in business and relationship-building to contribute to my dear friend Monica Miraglilo's newest business, Girl Build. Monica has built Miraglilo Properties, a thriving home renovation and construction firm. She has used this success to launch Girl Build, which offers clothing for the female builder looking for some style as well as classes on topics ranging from construction to mental wellness.”

Michael Chamberlain

New York Delegate

“To men — especially heterosexual, cisgender, white, educated, able-bodied men — if you truly wish to celebrate Women’s History Month and engage in committed, intentional, and inclusive leadership and in developing equitable gender partnerships, then please be prepared to become aware of your blind spots and see things that you have not seen before. Please be prepared to be uncomfortable in a permanent, life altering way. And please be prepared for a lifetime of learning ahead. Gender Equity Allyship is not a “one and done” act of kindness, but a forever commitment that is well worth making.”

Pamelya Herndon

New Mexico Delegate

She is CEO of KWH Law Center for Social Justice and Change and reports they are collaborating with other nonprofits to celebrate Women History's Month. First is a mobile mammography van on March 25. Second, on March 26 at 6 pm MT, is a joint program with the African American Performing Arts Center: a virtual conversation with Bettye Kearse, author of The Other Madisons, The Lost History of a President's Black Family. The conversation will be led by podcaster Eryn Mathewson. They will be joined by documentarian and filmmaker Eduardo Montes-Bradley, who will share his documentary honoring Kearse's book.

Jennifer Dotson

Hawaii Delegate

She celebrated Women's History Month by hosting a coffee conversation on International Women’s Day, March 8, exploring the topic Breaking Boundaries: Shattering Glass Ceilings Across Oceans. She also is celebrating through a personal reading of I Am Rosa Parks. You can watch her read the book on YouTube.

Amanda Morrison

Missouri Delegate

“Missouri MADE is training a cohort of women to run for public office this month. The MADE to Run Training Series provides personalized training from current elected officials and former candidates on defining your mission, connecting with voters, creating your campaign team and finance management.

Donna Fraiche

Louisiana Delegate

“Our International Women’s Forum chapter has a DEI Committee creating a deliberative initiative to address diversity, equity and inclusion. The committee is diverse and inclusive of generational difference, backgrounds, races, and ethnicity.”

See upcoming programs being hosted by IWF International.

Pat Pierce

Tennessee Delegate

“I write an article for our local paper each year for Women's History Month; this year, I'm going to focus on women leaders of our city, past and present. I also will do several women's history Zoom talks this month representing the National Women's History Alliance.”

Eugenia K. Potter

Kentucky Delegate

“At history's intersectionality of race and gender comes Louisville’s anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s murder. I will replay poet Hannah Drake’s powerful poem We Were Here each morning and I will go to The Speed Art Museum’s Breonna Taylor exhibit.”

Jennifer Lynn Robinson

Pennsylvania Delegate

She was featured on PHL17 Morning News Desk to share her tips on how to celebrate Women’s History Month. Among them was to visit Vision 2020's virtual Seat at the Table Exhibition!

Allies Are Finalists in Equality Can’t Wait Challenge

Congratulations to Vision 2020 Allied Organizations IGNITE and Girls Inc. for making it to the finalist round of the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge! The challenge will award $40 million to help expand women’s power and influence in the United States by 2030. Meet all of the finalists.

ALLIED ORGANIZATION EVENT

COVID Presents Double Bind for Women of Color

Tuesday, March 30, 8:45-9:45 am ET

The Forum of Executive Women, in partnership with the Philadelphia Business Journal, is presenting a panel discussion on "The Double Bind that COVID-19 is Creating for Women of Color."

The panel is part of their Women & the Workplace series. It will explore the unique challenges for women of color in the pandemic and how companies and individuals can bring more parity to our workplaces and our communities.

Learn more and register.

ALLIED ORGANIZATION EVENT

Virtual Women's Symposium Seeks to Empower

Tuesday, March 23, Noon-5 pm CT

The University of Louisiana Monroe is hosting their 5th annual ULM Women’s Symposium to empower, motivate and encourage women from all backgrounds, educational and professional levels to pursue their passions and seek leadership roles. This virtual conference aims to enrich participants' skills and expand their professional networks through interactive panels, discussions, and networking events. Learn more and register.

This chart first published in Pulse, the newsletter of Drexel University College of Medicine, provides plenty of evidence that Vision 2020 powered through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting our Women 100 programs virtually and continuing to build our national coalition.

Empowering Photo for Women's History Month

Mary W. Jackson, the first African American woman to be a NASA engineer, made history again when NASA named its headquarters building in her honor last month. Mary and her colleagues were the subjects of the film Hidden Figures. She died in 2005. Mary paved the way for future black female NASA engineers, including Mae Jemison, who became an astronaut. Mae was Vision 2020's first honoree at its inaugural National Congress in 2010. Now 64, she continues working to inspire young women of color to reach for the stars.