Building Bridges to Equality

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER • JANUARY 2021

Bridges Are the Infrastructure of Equality

A Message from the President of Vision 2020

Founded as a national gender equality coalition, Vision 2020 has been in the bridge building business since 2009. To accelerate progress toward equality, we are going to have to build a lot more bridges. But we have the experience and the will to lead the way.

Creating and expanding our coalition already has involved building bridges to 131 nonprofit Allied Organizations and their millions of members as well as influential leaders who are Vision 2020 Delegates in all 50 states.

In 2020 and 2021, the Vision 2020 coalition continues to expand with scores of Sponsors and Proud Partners and committee members supporting our Women 100 programs and events. The more bridges we can build to expand our coalition, the more our collective impact can accomplish!

The Vision 2020 coalition intentionally spans differences of age, race, ethnicity, geography, income, education and — importantly — gender itself, because inclusivity must be a core value in any effort to attain the ultimate goal of equality for all.

Two events in early 2021 are prime examples. For men, a panel discussion of The Mask You Live In. For college students, Spring Breakthru. You can learn about both in this newsletter.

Among the many groups working toward equality in America, Vision 2020 is focused on gender equality in leadership. Our initial emphasis is on government and business, where we seek leadership that is representative of the diversity of America to make decisions and set priorities that affect all our lives. Happily, the new federal Administration taking office this week is the most diverse in U.S. history.

We welcome your support as we continue our work to change attitudes and institutions that perpetuate inequality. It will take a mighty and committed coalition working together to bring about the representative and inclusive leadership we all want to see.

Here's to 2021!

Lynn H. Yeakel, Founder and President, Vision 2020

Women 100 Events — Please share with your networks

Virtual Film Screening and Panel Discussion of The Mask You Live In

“He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it.” — George Orwell

The Mask You Live In, an award-winning film that sheds new light on American conceptions of masculinity, is the focus of a free, virtual, panel discussion to be presented by Vision 2020 on Thursday, February 25, from noon to 1 pm ET. Everyone who registers for the panel discussion will receive a link for free access to view the film online in the days leading up to the discussion.

Please save the date, plan to join us and invite your sons, brothers, fathers and friends. We will gain new insights together and build momentum for leadership shared equally among genders. To be sent an alert email when registration opens, email the program manager.

The Mask You Live In was created by The Representation Project, a Vision 2020 Allied Organization, and was written and directed by Vision 2020 Honoree Jennifer Siebel Newsom. The film challenges viewers to take a deeper look at the messages we send and receive about what it means to “be a man,” and the ways in which those messages constrain and harm us all.

Moderating the interactive discussion will be Peter J. Dean, Ph.D., founder and president, Leaders By Design, author of Cultivating Leaders, The Coachable Leader and Leadership for Everyone. The panel is comprised of leaders in the gender equality movement:

Caroline Heldman, Ph.D., chair, critical theory and social justice, Occidental College, Los Angeles; vice president, research and insights, Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media, a Vision 2020 Allied Organization
Allen Riddick, Vision 2020 Delegate from Pennsylvania; director, supplier inclusion, Drexel University
Michael Chamberlain, Vision 2020 Delegate from New York, vice president, community & convening programs, Catalyst; played pivotal in development of Catalyst's Men Advocating Real Change (MARC)

Calling All College Students

and Higher Ed Professionals!

Spring Breakthru is a FREE virtual conference

Registration opens February 1

Undergraduate students from across the country are invited to gather virtually for Spring Breakthru, the next Women 100 signature event. A free, two-day conference, it takes place Thursday and Friday, March 18-19.

Participants will delve into issues of intersectional feminism, civic engagement and social justice work. Students will be given the tools and resources to grow as advocates for social change within their campus communities.

Click here to learn more. To be sent a registration alert email on February 1, email the program director.

Please share this event with a current college student who may be interested.

Vision 2020 thanks Spring Breakthru sponsor The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Public Is Invited to Free Spring Breakthru Session on 'How To Build a Movement'

Sometimes we want to bring about a change but aren’t quite sure how to get started. Here's your chance to find out. Spring Breakthru will feature a free, virtual, public session entitled “How To Build a Movement” on Thursday, March 18 at 3 pm ET.

The panel discussion will provide a wealth of insight and advice for anyone seeking to do more intentional work to foster change and promote social justice.

Sharing their journeys of activism and change through their personal and professional platforms will be three panelists:

La’Tasha D. Mayes of New Voices for Reproductive Justice
Jamia Wilson, movement builder and storyteller
Kelli Wilson Begay of Native Americans in Philanthropy

The session will be moderated by Teresa C. Younger (pictured), a Vision 2020 Delegate from New York and president & CEO of Ms. Foundation for Women.

Please share this event with your networks. Click here to learn more.

Urge Teachers to Use Seat at the Table Video During Women's History Month

A video tour of Women 100's exhibition on women's equality – and an Educator's Guide to using the tour as a teaching tool – are available at no cost to teachers nationwide.

The video follows three college students as they explore Seat at the Table, which is installed at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts in Philadelphia. The content is perfect for a Women's History Month unit for students 10 and older. It can be taught virtually or in a classroom.

Please spread the word to the educators in your network.

WOMAN ONE Raising Funds for Medical School Scholarships for Underrepresented Students

WOMAN ONE is starting its annual campaign to raise scholarship dollars for underrepresented women attending Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCoM). Click here to learn more and donate. This year's scholarship recipients will be announced during the WOMAN ONE Award ceremony, a virtual event on April 26 at 5:30 pm ET.

A highlight of the 18th annual event will be presentation of the WOMAN ONE Award for exceptional leadership to Jeri Lynne Johnson (right), artistic director of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra.

Both WOMAN ONE and Vision 2020 are initiatives of the Institute for Women's Health and Leadership at DUCoM. For the first time this year, the Institute is also raising funds for medical school scholarships for underrepresented men through the new D. Walter Cohen Shared Leadership Scholarship Fund.

Scholarship recipients are chosen on the basis of academic excellence, leadership, community service, financial need, and their commitment to practice medicine in underserved communities.

Donors take pride in the professional accomplishments of emeritus WOMAN ONE Scholars and 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.

Vision 2020 Coalition

Campaign Training from Ready to Run

Ever thought about running for office, but not sure where to start? A virtual, nonpartisan program for women who want to explore getting involved in public life is being offered January 22 through February 24 by Ready to Run Pennsylvania, in partnership with Vision 2020. Click here to learn more or register.

All sessions run from noon to 1 pm as follows:

January 22 - What Women Candidates Need to Know (Keynote)
January 25 - Developing a Campaign Plan
January 27 - Getting Started: What You Need to Know
February 1 - Fundraising 101
February 5 - Digital Strategies for Campaigns
February 8 - Campaign Communications
February 17 - Navigating Pennsylvania's Political Parties
February 22 - Women of Color in Pennsylvania Politics (Pittsburgh Area)
February 24 - Women of Color in Pennsylvania Politics (Philadelphia Area)

Click here to follow the event on Facebook.

Roberts Among 'Women of the Century'

Barbara Roberts, the first woman governor of Oregon and a charter member of the Vision 2020 Leadership Circle, is among Oregon's Women of the Century. A blue-ribbon panel selected her as one of 10 women who made the most important contributions to the state and the country since the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed in 1920.

Welcome New Coalition Members

We are pleased to welcome the following new members to the Vision 2020 coalition:

Delegates

Robin Rosenberg (PA) – attorney

Patience Talley (LA) – director of community centers and programs, City of Monroe

Allied Organization

University of Louisiana, Monroe (ULM) Women’s Symposium

Thank You to Our Sponsors and Partners!

Get-Out-the-Vote PSA Ran 48,000 Times Nationwide

None of the women "actors" in the PSA are actors. All are professionals in Philadelphia and team members or friends of Vision 2020. We thank them for their bravery in going on camera for the great cause of voter participation. View the PSA.

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Thanks to the generosity of Women 100 sponsor Comcast NBC Universal, Vision 2020's 30-second public service announcement urging women to vote in the November election was broadcast on NBC stations across the country more than 48,000 times. Total value: $523,000!

We are grateful as well to the video production team at Allied Pixel, who produced this commercial-quality spot at cost and under social distancing restrictions that certainly added a degree of difficulty.