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shares 5 ways to take action to address #breakthebias
History Fact: Did you know WANDA was launched on International Women's Day in 2016?
WASHINGTON, DC (March 8, 2022) - In celebration of International Women's Day, WANDA joins the global community of advocates in amplifying on social media the hashtag #BreaktheBias to raise visibility of gender discrimination and inequities faced by women especially Black women and girls whether in the Diaspora or Africa. During the pandemic, women disproportionately saddled with more stress by balancing work and home life. And for some women, it's been a "syndemic" - two or more pandemics happening at once - when you factor the economic toll, chronic disease epidemic in conjunction with the COVID-19 pandemic.
As reported in Forbes, "the first major bias that needs to be broken is the idea that women are less committed or focused on their work as a result." Proper context must be factored when you considering that during the pandemic, women had to be the lunch ladies, teachers, employees, partners and caregivers. Without proper self-care and social support, that prolonged stress eventually gives way to elevated levels of cortisol resulting in mental health and physical health consequences.
In a recent post, WANDA shared:
We are worthy. We are a national treasure. We are cultural keepers. We are culinary creators. We are meal healers. We are the #foodsheroes our communities have been waiting for. We are women and girls who deserve to live in a world that pays us in full, respects us, values us, promotes us, and says our name: #IamWANDA
Together, we can #BreakTheBias in honor of #IWD! Most importantly we value one another and believe in ourselves.
In addressing gender discrimination, WANDA highlights five ways to take action.
First, Black women are paid 63 cents for every dollar paid to white men. That's why every August 3 gender equity advocates recognize as Black Women’s Equal Pay Day.
Secondly, Black women and girls have been silenced, extracted and exploited historically at work and in their homes. We must change that narrative.
Third, as seen in the movie Hidden Figures, Black women must be added to the patent, byline and any other intellectual property that their name has been removed and replaced.
Fourth, Black women have trained their replacement in the workspace too many times and passed over for promotion. More employers should include pipeline programs to provide needed mentorship and sponsorship for advancement of Black women.
Lastly, diverse representation matters from media to panels so include Black women as the keynote speaker, the panelist or the ambassador. And when you do, spell her name correctly, pay her and her ancestors and use the empowering headshot.
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