Women Are Still Fighting for the Right to Take Collective Action Against Uber 

~ mcequality

Women who say their Uber drivers sexually harassed and assaulted them are still fighting the company for the right to bring their class action lawsuit to court. The firm representing the women, Wigdor LLP, filed a legal brief on Tuesday to challenge Uber’s arbitration policies, which continue to force many people with claims against the company behind closed doors.

“Uber duped the media and public when it claimed to allow Jane Does 1-9 access to court two weeks ago,” Jeanne Christensen, partner at Wigdor LLP, told Gizmodo in a statement. “At the same time that Uber was making its public ‘announcement’ about not forcing these victims to arbitrate assault and battery claims, its lawyers were busy filing a motion to compel to arbitration all of the other claims in the lawsuit. If successful, Uber achieves the result it wanted all along – to silence female victims’ voices on a collective basis. Such a result also allows Uber to keep secret the data about the countless other incidents of sexual assault by Uber drivers.”

via Women Are Still Fighting for the Right to Take Collective Action Against Uber 

BBC’s Martha Kearney recalls ‘humiliating’ harassment – BBC News

~ mcequality

BBC presenter Martha Kearney has recalled the “horrible and humiliating” sexual harassment she experienced as a young journalist.
Kearney, a new host on Radio 4’s Today programme, revealed men touched her bottom while she was an LBC Westminster correspondent in the 1980s.
She said she regrets not confronting her bosses, and hopes the #MeToo campaign will make a difference.
“I wish I’d felt stronger, less intimidated,” she told the Radio Times.
“But in my 20s bosses were powerful people.”

via BBC’s Martha Kearney recalls ‘humiliating’ harassment – BBC News

Illinois Waited 46 Years to Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, but What’s Four Decades Between Friends

~ mcequality

The Illinois House voted on Wednesday to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, following approval last month in the state Senate. The state is now the 37th to do so, following Nevada in 2017. What this means is that we’re now one state away from maybe enshrining women’s equal rights in the United States Constitution, a mere….. 231 years after the document was first ratified. Hey alright, ladies!

The ERA—which declares, rather simply, that the “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex”—was originally proposed in 1921, approved by the House of Representatives in 1971, and then by the Senate in 1972. Congress then sent it to the states for ratification, and set a deadline for a vote: June 30, 1982, which was 36 years ago. This means that, should another state ratify it, Congress would need to remove the deadline in order for it to become the 28th amendment. Given that Congress is full of misogynists, I can see that being a real fight!

via Illinois Waited 46 Years to Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, but What’s Four Decades Between Friends

Black People Created Memorial Day—Literally

~ mcequality

Think barbecues, lemonade. A precious three-day weekend full of sun, sales and slacking off. But this is The Root, and you know there’s another part of this story.

Little-known fact: African Americans created Memorial Day.

Rewind to the end of the Civil War. In 1865, Charleston, S.C., was in ruins, and many Union soldiers were being held prisoner in a converted racecourse. At least 257 of the captives died because of the horrific conditions, and their bodies were discarded in a mass grave.

via Black People Created Memorial Day—Literally

‘Highly Offended’ White Teacher Kicked My 9-Year-Old Son Out of Class for Taking Knee During Pledge

~ mcequality

When my 9-year-old son told me that he had been thrown out of his fourth-grade class for kneeling during the Pledge of Allegiance, I was mildly surprised by his actions, but furious with his teachers.

Their instinctive responses were harsh reminders of how deeply white supremacy is embedded in the classroom. But more important for me in that moment were the shaming and intimidation tactics used against my child.

via ‘Highly Offended’ White Teacher Kicked My 9-Year-Old Son Out of Class for Taking Knee During Pledge

Multiple Women Say They Were Sexually Abused By Their Legendary Equestrian Coach

~ mcequality

The Chronicle report, by Mollie Bailey, quoted five women who say Williams abused them in ways ranging from talking about his sex life to forcibly kissing them to trying to force one’s face onto his penis. The Times talked to 38 “former students, trainers, grooms, equestrian officials and members of the Flintridge Riding Club,” where Williams taught.

via Multiple Women Say They Were Sexually Abused By Their Legendary Equestrian Coach

Top 10 worst excuses for not appointing women executives – BBC News

~ mcequality

The top 10 excuses for not appointing women were:
“I don’t think women fit comfortably into the board environment”
“There aren’t that many women with the right credentials and depth of experience to sit on the board – the issues covered are extremely complex”
“Most women don’t want the hassle or pressure of sitting on a board”
“Shareholders just aren’t interested in the make-up of the board, so why should we be?”
“My other board colleagues wouldn’t want to appoint a woman on our board”
“All the ‘good’ women have already been snapped up”
“We have one woman already on the board, so we are done – it is someone else’s turn”
“There aren’t any vacancies at the moment – if there were I would think about appointing a woman”
“We need to build the pipeline from the bottom – there just aren’t enough senior women in this sector”
“I can’t just appoint a woman because I want to”

via Top 10 worst excuses for not appointing women executives – BBC News