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As we celebrate Women’s History Month in March, it’s important to be mindful that more work needs to be done for women’s rights. Equal pay is still a major issue, especially for women of color. Recent headlines have drawn attention to the need to protect women with natural hair, especially from discrimination and unnecessary stigma. As we end the month, find ways in your community to make real change that empowers and uplifts women everywhere.

"Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair"

Reactions continue to surface regarding the Chris Rock and Will Smith incident at the Academy Awards. While many are still processing what just happened, let’s focus on Jada Pinkett Smith. Many women, including Jada and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, have been open about their struggles with alopecia areata, a disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks hair follicles.
As evidenced by the House recently passing the CROWN Act to end race-based hair discrimination, a black woman’s hair is not just important for their identity, it is also political and deserving of protection under the law. While we will have more to say about the incident later, take this opportunity now to learn more about alopecia and the work that we are doing with the American Medical Association (AMA) to address this disease.
Read About Alopecia

Equal Pay Day Is Not Equal

March 15 was Equal Pay Day. Each year's date symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. Equal Pay Day was originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men's and women's wages. On average, American working women are paid 82 cents for every dollar working men make in the US.

However, the above statistic does not tell the whole story. It's important to focus on all workers who face even more obstacles to achieving pay equity.

The reality is the equal pay date goes later into the year for women of color.

For Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women who earn 75 cents, their Equal Pay Day is May 3. Black women earn 58 cents, making their Equal Pay Day on September 21.

For Native American women who earn 50 cents, and Latinas who earn 49 cents, their Equal Pay Days actually extend into 2023 to catch up with white men's earnings from 2021.

Black men, on average, earn 87 cents for every dollar compared to white men.

While raising awareness on gender pay inequity is important, more significant work needs to be done, including the passage of pay transparency laws, if real progress on this issue is to be made.

2022

Enrollment Coming Soon

We are excited to announce that the application timeline for the 2022 cohort of the RISE Coach Certification is forthcoming. The RISE Coaching Certification program is a four-week certification that focuses on the RISE approach to coaching leaders toward equity change and organizational management. Learn more about the program and how to enroll!
Learn More

Converge Celebrates!

Converge celebrates our new Project Coordinator Kyra Richardson! Kyra brings over 10 years of experience in project coordination, as well as a diligent, forward-thinking attitude to our project needs and the needs of our stakeholders. When she isn't working, Kyra loves spending time with her big Caribbean family, having lots of laughs, and planning their next trip back to the tiny island of Anguilla that they call home.

Meet Kyra

Our founder, Takema Robinson, recently participated in several events this month. This included the Urban League of Louisiana’s Empowerment and Policy Conference where she served as moderator for the plenary panel discussion “Investing in Racial Equity”. 

Takema also joined Cristy Slater of the Women’s Foundation of the South for the “Woman Crush Wednesday” series focusing on the impact of Black women leading philanthropy in New Orleans.

Learn More

Noteworthy News

What Ketanji Brown Jackson Could Bring to the Supreme Court
by Madeleine Carlisle, TIME Magazine

Senate confirmation hearings just ended for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. She is expected to be confirmed within the next few weeks and will become the first-ever Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

More women in the boardroom could drive higher credit ratings and stock returns for firms — they still hold just 29% of seats
By Yun Li, CNBC

According to a new survey by Moody’s Investors Service, women hold less than a third of corporate board seats in North America and Europe. Women held 29% of corporate board seats in 2022, up from 24% two years ago. This is despite evidence that proves having more female board representation is correlated to higher credit ratings and improved stock performance.

Leading CEOs Champion Equity for the Black Community in Accessing COVID-19 Vaccines
Press Release, International City/County Management Association

Six of the nation’s largest non-governmental, non-profit membership organizations recently launched an education initiative focused on raising awareness on the importance of equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine for Black communities.

Ukraine 

We all wish for a speedy and peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. If you would like to help assist those directly impacted, we recommend supporting World Central Kitchen.
Support Ukraine

Words of Wisdom

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