Women Employed

Today is #NativeWomensEqualPay Day. On this day, we are raising awareness about one of the most significant wage disparities in the U.S. When looking at both full- and part-time workers, Native American women are paid just 52￠, on average, for every $1.00 paid to white, non-Hispanic men. If you break it down by Tribal nation, some Native American women are paid even less. Achieving equity for Native women involves listening to the voices and leadership of Native communities, respecting their sovereignty, traditions, and cultural practices, and making new workplace and other economic justice policies - like #EqualPay and #PaidLeave – a priority. Join us today in taking action against both the gender and race-based #WageGap in a national social media storm from 1:00-2:00 p.m. CT ??? #NativeWomensEqualPay #EquityForNativeWomen

November is #NationalFamilyCaregivers Month. From relatives and neighbors to close friends stepping in to support loved ones caring for themselves, these selfless individuals are some of the most called-upon in times of need, yet they don’t receive the recognition or support they deserve. One important support that caregivers need is paid leave. Did you know that as of January 1, 2024, in Illinois, you can earn and use up to five days of paid leave for any reason? Maybe you need to take time off from work to assist a relative with their doctor’s appointments. Maybe you’re experiencing caregiver burnout and need to take a mental health day for some much-needed self-care. To learn more about your #PaidLeave rights in Illinois, visit sicktimeil.org.

Before we get too far into this week, I want to post about the Austin Coming Together 2024 Membership Awards event. Ibie Hart and I enjoyed hearing updates on ACT's progress while celebrating their members, partners, and trailblazing local leaders for their significant contributions to advancing their shared mission of continuing to build a prosperous Austin community. Congratulations to all those who were honored: Excellence in Early Childhood Development Honoree: A House In Austin Excellence in Neighborhood Safety and Youth Development Honoree: Territory NFP Excellence in Workforce Development Honoree: HIRE360 Partners Excellence in Housing and Neighborhood Development Honorees: Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning & Urban Land Institute Chicago for their collaborative work on the Central Avenue redevelopment project Member of the Year Honoree: Defy Ventures Champion of Collective Impact in Austin Honoree: Fresh Taste's Austin Fresh Fund The Mildred Wiley Community Fire Award Honorees: - Crystal Dyer, founder and CEO of Gone Again Travel & Tours Gone Again Travel & Tours in Austin, Executive Director of CHICAGO AUSTIN YOUTH TRAVEL ADVENTURES INC - Pastor Steve Epting, Sr. with Hope Community Church in Austin - Charles Anderson, Principal at Michele Clark High School in Austin And a special shout out to Marseil Jackson for being such a lively emcee. You kept the crowd's energy high from beginning to end! Women Employed is excited to partner with many of these leaders in our efforts to support women entrepreneurs through our Women's Entrepreneurship Hub (www.wehub.org). We look forward to continuing to build and develop relationships across the Austin Community.

NEW POLL: Our election night polling results are in—while the economy was top of mind for voters, they also believe a wide range of gender justice policies should be a priority for our federal government to enact. Dive into our initial analysis here:

Women Employed thanks the PLUS Foundation for selecting us as one of your two nonprofit partners for this year's Conference Cause. Our team thoroughly enjoyed working with Nikki Baker to coordinate our participation in the #PLUSconference here in Chicago. Big thanks to the many Professional Liability Underwriting Society members who volunteered with us, writing notes of encouragement to the women on our Women's Entrepreneurship Hub. We look forward to sharing your personal messages with them! Special thanks to members of the PLUS Foundation Executive Committee for your generation donation to WE. These funds, along with the individual gifts you're collecting, will help support the work of the WE Hub. Last, but not least, Cherita Ellens, MBA and I were thrilled to join your luncheon event and hear from featured speaker, Candace Parker! ????

Mark your calendars! We are happy to announce that The Working Lunch 2025 will be held on Thursday, May 22nd at The Hilton Chicago from 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. CT. #TheWorkingLunch is one of Chicago’s most anticipated springtime events, attended by nearly 1,000 activists, community partners, and prominent leaders in philanthropy, business, media, and politics, all in support of increasing the economic status of women and removing barriers to economic equity. Registration will open in the coming months so stay tuned.! We hope to see you there! You can learn more about our luncheon, and feel the inspiration from our 2023 event, at https://lnkd.in/eDMuQhj #WomenEmployed #TWL

Last week was hard, so spending my Friday in sisterhood with a room full of women, all working to improve the lives of their families & communities was wonderful! Women Employed's Women's Entrepreneurship Hub (www.wehub.org) was thrilled to co-host our 2nd SHESolidarity event with Hustle Mommies Nonprofit. We created SHESolidarity events to center Black and Latina/x women. Our goal is to create spaces for #womenentrepreneurs and #mompreneurs to come together in a supportive environment, to connect & learn, and to build their business community. Thank you to the 16 business service organizations who sent representatives to share information, tools, and resources that support small businesses launch and grow. (I tried to tag all partners below) BIG thanks to Marseil Jackson and The Care Center for sponsoring the event space. It was the perfect spot to gather, network, meet & eat together! Thank you, Charmaine V. Rickette and Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken for donating lunch. There's no better way to build community than with food! Thank you, Ariel DeNey Rainey & the Hustle Mommies Team, for being great partners in planning and hosting our event. Thank you to the vendors who made our event so dynamic: - DJ Gemini Jones, for setting an up-tempo mood! - Darnell Reed, CEO, 4919 Films, for capturing the day in photos & videos! - Johnetta Oliver, owner of J. Oliver Photography, for taking beautiful headshots! And last, but never least, thank you to my WE teammates, Ibie Hart, and Shelby Flores, MBA for the work you do cultivating a community of resilience and strength, creating spaces where women can stand together in solidarity, and ensuring we always strive to uplift & empower one another! Participating partner organizations included: Allies for Community Business, Chinese Mutual Aid Association (CMAA), Defy Ventures, First Women's Bank, The Frederick Douglass Entrepreneurial Development and Leadership Institute, Greater Southwest Development Corporation, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Office of Economic Equity & Empowerment, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), National Association of Women Business Owners, P33 Chicago, Polsky Center at the University of Chicago, SCORE Mentors Chicago, Southland Development Authority, and The Village Legal and Community Project

The election results have left many feeling anxious, worried about the future and about the rights we’ve fought so hard to win. There is no doubt that a second Trump administration will be a setback — that many of the advances we’ve made will be at risk, and that further progress will be challenging. But one truth is certain — Women Employed (WE) will not back down. WE have been here before. WE are battle tested, and WE have proven time and again over our five decades of history that even in the toughest of times, we know how to protect, defend, and advance the rights of working women and families. Since WE’s founding in 1973, we have been involved in nearly every major advancement for working women, and much of that progress was won despite staunch opposition. Continue reading our recent blog post "Ready for What’s Next: Women Employed’s Statement on the 2024 Election Results" here: https://ow.ly/Z2Fi50U4zJH #WeWillNotBackDown #WeWillNotGoBack

Join Ladies of Virtue for their 2024 annual fundraiser, "Leading with Virtue Cocktail Reception" TOMORROW, Wednesday, November 13th, from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM CT. At the event, Ladies of Virtue will honor seven remarkable women who lead with purpose, passion, and perseverance with their "Leading with Virtue" award, including, Women Employed President & CEO, Cherita Ellens. The evening will begin on the pink carpet, with host Val Warner, Emmy Award Winner, Windy City Weekend Co-host, ABC7 Chicago and the event will be emceed by Audrina Sinclair, News Anchor, CBS News. Reserve your seat today https://ow.ly/kF1350TBHop!

Join us TOMORROW for our next Advocacy Council (AC) Meeting! The AC is a group of volunteers who organize monthly to network with our personal and professional communities about how to improve the economic status of women, remove barriers to economic equity and how we can do it TOGETHER. We're excited to invite you to our November's AC Meeting, taking place in person on TOMORROW, November 12th, from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. CT at Women Employed's offices??downtown Chicago, at 1 E Wacker Drive, 20th Floor Conference Room, Chicago, IL 60601. At this AC meeting we'll present a policy & programs update, kickoff our end of year fundraising campaign, and brainstorm about our 24 hour online giving campaign. *Light bites and drinks will be provided as we make time and space to connect with fellow advocates and change-makers. *Note: If you're passionate about attending but absolutely cannot join us in person, please reach out to Michelle Schwartz at [email protected] and we will find a way to include you. Advanced registration is required, here: https://ow.ly/jgRe50TSZ98 We can't wait to see you there! ????