Friday, March 8, 2013

International Women's Day


March 8 commemorates International Women's Day, first observed in 1911. EQUALS views IWD as not just a day to celebrate women, but also a day to "to ask ourselves big, important questions about how a woman’s life really compares to that of a man’s." Sheryl Sandberg's TED talk discusses this phenomenon in the context of leadership. Some of her comments are based on an experiment conducted by Francis Flynn. Flynn gave some of his students a copy of the Harvard Business Review Case, "Heidi Roizen" about the silicon valley venture capitalist. Other students were given the same case, but Heidi was changed to Howard. Otherwise, the details were identical. Students who read about "Howard" found him likable while those who read the actual case about Heidi found her selfish. Women experience similar penalties when displaying emotions at work compared to male colleagues. Sometimes, my undergraduates claim that there isn't sexism or racism anymore, and I am glad that their experiences thus far have made them feel equal, but I also know that they will likely face obstacles just because of their gender or race. I can't imagine what it is like for women in countries where there are even fewer protections. That's why I value IWD.


Monday, March 4, 2013

NYC Vegetarian Fest Swag


Many well-known vegan vendors had booths at the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival. The only thing I wanted but didn't find was a vegan donut. Otherwise, as you can see, I came home with many goodies (some of which I ate on the bus home). The festival was packed with speakers on three stages, but the people I was most interested in seeing were scheduled for Sunday. Because of a work commitment, I had to leave NYC early enough to be in Ithaca Sunday evening. I did hear Zoe Weil, of the Institute for Humane Education. I've done a few classes through the institute, and Zoe's presence is palpable, so it was nice to see her in person.


I was lucky to have purchased a VIP ticket in advance, which allowed me faster entry into the festival. I heard that some people in the general admission line waited up to two hours for admittance. It was nice to see so many people interested in being vegan!



Related Posts with Thumbnails