2021 Women's Action Month Programs
The Georgia Tech Women’s Resource Center honors Women’s Action Month (WAM) annually in March with a series of programs dedicated to celebrating and inspiring the campus community to take action for women and gender equity. The calendar below includes programs from the Women's Resource Center, and our campus partners, that address gender equity, provide gender-based education, feature women speakers, authors, content creators, and/or celebrate women's accomplishments.
Body Positivity for Black Women: Autonomy, Reclamation, and Pleasure Activism
Monday, March 1 | 5:30pm
RSVP: http://bit.ly/2ZNzoY
Fraternity and Sorority Life and The Women’s Resource Center invite you to Body Positivity for Black Women, a #BodyPositiveGT initiative. Join us as we discuss body autonomy for Black women, defining beauty, and exploring happiness and healing. This event is open to undergraduate students. There are only 12 slots available so sign up now to reserve your spot! An event link will be sent once you have RSVP’d.
Contact: Dani Lechner - danielle.lechner@studentlife.gatech.edu
VentureLab’s Female Founders Program
Registration (due March 2): https://tinyurl.com/y3op6bal
Do you or your team have a great idea for a startup or research you hope to commercialize? If so, come join VentureLab’s Female Founders program! This program is open to women entrepreneurs or women-led entrepreneurial teams in the Georgia Tech Community. In this program you will be coached by VentureLab's women startup mentors through the techniques behind The Lean Startup methodology to determine the marketability of your concept. You will also have a chance to hear from successful Atlanta-based women founders.
Applications for the next class of entrepreneurs are open through March 2. Phase 1 of the five-week program, called “Beginning the Lean Startup Journey,” will kick off on Thursday, March 4. Applicants can sign up on their own or with a team. Men are also welcome to be part of a team, as long as it’s led or co-led by a woman.
Contact: Melissa Heffner - melissa.heffner@venturelab.gatech.edu
Black Joy as Resistance| A Keynote with Dr. Yaba Blay
March 3 | 3pm
Registration: https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/jkvvurwj
Join the Black Media Studies program on Wednesday, March 3rd at 3pm EST for a keynote address with Dr. Yaba Blay, creator of the web series and community Professional Black Girl and author of One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race. She will discuss the role of joy in her digital media work and activism.
Dr. Blay is a scholar-activist, public speaker, and cultural consultant whose scholarship, work, and practice centers on the lived experiences of Black women and girls, with a particular focus on identity/body politics and beauty practices. Lauded by O Magazine for her social media activism, she has launched several viral campaigns including Locs of Love, #PrettyPeriod, and #ProfessionalBlackGirl, her multi-platform digital community.
In 2012, Dr. Blay served as a producer on CNN’s television documentary, “Who is Black in America?,” and has since been named one of today’s leading Black voices by ‘The Root 100’ and Essence Magazine’s ‘Woke 100.’ She has appeared on CNN, BET, MSNBC, BBC, and NPR, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, EBONY, Essence, Fast Company, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Colorlines, and The Root, to name a few. Her commentary is featured in A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond, a permanent installation exhibited in the National Museum of African American History and Culture; and she is the author of the award-winning One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race.
Contact: Dr. Susana Morris - susana@gatech.edu
Women and Leadership: A Conversation with Carol Tomé, CEO of UPS
March 4 | 12pm
Registration: https://www.scheller.gatech.edu/news-events/events/event.html?event_id=a0b1K00000fvDxPQAU#above-the-form
The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business welcomes you to join Dean Maryam Alavi for a virtual conversation with Carol Tomé, the first woman CEO of UPS and one of only three women running a Fortune 50 company. Learn about Carol's approach to women and leadership, diversity and inclusion, and organizational purpose in a fireside discussion centered around:
- Carol’s personal story: Why UPS? Why now?
- Her leadership philosophy and approach to people empowerment
- The importance of diversity, equity and inclusion
- Why a company must define and act on its purpose
- The role of the corporation in tackling major societal challenges, including UPS’s role in vaccine delivery
- Her vision for the future
Contact: communications@scheller.gatech.edu
Women’s Leadership Conference
Saturday, March 6 | 9:30am-2pm
Register: https://wlc.gatech.edu/
The Women's Leadership Conference is a gathering of women who have sought to become leaders in the classroom and the boardroom as well as the communities where they reside. Please join us virtually from wherever you are to enjoy a day of workshops, a panel, and an exciting keynote from Blair Imani to strengthen our understanding of each other and how we interact with those around us. Tickets are free for students, $5 for non-students affiliated with the Institute and non-GT students, and $10 for other attendees.
This year, our theme is centered on intersectionality to underscore our commitment to fostering intersectional feminism in the spaces we find ourselves in. Women’s empowerment is only as effective as the determination for inclusion is strong, and we have a responsibility to uphold values that take into consideration the various identities that affect our ability to achieve gender equality. To us, intersectionality is about building community, cultivating a sense of belonging, and fighting for justice by being active participants in the liberation of all women to combat systemic forms of discrimination and oppression. The conference is based on a quote by poet, feminist, and champion of intersectionality, Audre Lorde: “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different than my own.”
We hope that you will attend to learn how to raise your voice to transform your workplace, community, and the world. We look forward to seeing you there!
Contact: Eleanor Boyd - eboyd@gatech.edu
Women, Science, and Technology (WST) Learning Community Dinner: Ti Chang, Georgia Tech alumna and founder of Crave
March 8 | 5:30pm
To Join: https://bluejeans.com/193757554
Join Georgia Tech alum Ti Chang, a celebrated industrial designer, activist, and entrepreneur to discuss how design is the pathway to social change and empowerment. Learn the five essential steps of design activism and how to use them to make a meaningful and lasting impact. Ti will share the basics of what design activism can look like and how it all starts with designers.
Ti Chang is an industrial designer, entrepreneur, and activist passionate about designing products for women. She is the co-founder and VP of Design of CRAVE, a San Francisco-based company specializing in aesthetic pleasure products. Ti leads the design vision for the company’s full line of products which has won international design awards and has led CRAVE to outlets such as the Nordstrom, MoMA Design Store, Standard Hotel, Goop, and Saint Laurent.
She is the chair of Women in Design section of Industrial Designers Society of America, where she support the community of industrial designers and women in design. She is also on the advisory board for San Francisco Design Week, Reimagine, and CRAVE Foundation for Women. Ti holds an M.A. in Design Products from the Royal College of Art in London and a B.S. in Industrial Design from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Contact: Carol Colatrella - carol.colatrella@lmc.gatech.edu
Women’s GradChats: Mental & Physical Health during Graduate School
Wednesday, March 10 | 5pm
Register: https://gatech.campuslabs.com/engage/event/6961193
It can be difficult to take care of your mental and physical health as a grad student and the pandemic has only exacerbated this. There are ways we can still try to be healthy amidst all this chaos. Let's chat about the challenges we face and how we can improve our health during the pandemic and grad school.
Women’s GradChats serve as a space for graduate women to engage meaningfully with one another, build community, and dialogue about their experiences as graduate women of Georgia Tech. Registration is required for this event. If registration has reached capacity, you may email Dani Lechner (danielle.lechner@studentlife.gatech.edu) to be added to the waitlist.
Contact: Dani Lechner - danielle.lechner@studentlife.gatech.edu
Georgia Tech Society of Black Engineers’ 8th Annual Black Women In STEAM Brunch
March 13 | 11am
RSVP: https://gatech.campuslabs.com/engage/event/6927867
GTSBE's annual Black Women in STEAM (BWIS) is approaching! This year’s theme is Multi-faceted Black Women in STEAM, to showcase women in STEAM careers who are also invested, pursuing, or combining their careers with social justice, community engagement, arts, culture, sports, and other non-STEAM based industries.
There will be a full week of BWIS fun from March 8th-13th. March 8th-12th we will be releasing short films delving into what a multi-faceted BWIS looks like, the expectations and reality BWIS face, and more! BWIS will conclude with an outdoor brunch, with scholarship and giveaway raffles, on March 13th from 11:00am to 1:00pm at Harrison Square, this is an event you are not going to want to miss!!
Contact: Alessandra Smith - asmith481@gatech.edu
Craft Circle
Friday, March 19th | 2pm
Registration:
Come for the self-care, stay for the crafts, and leave with an expanded community of support. Join us for a meditative afternoon as we create and share space! Supplies and instructions provided and registration is limited.
Contact: Dani Lechner - danielle.lechner@studentlife.gatech.edu
LUNAFEST Georgia Tech 2021, hosted by the Women’s Resource Center
Friday, March 19th - Sunday, March 21st
Registration: https://gatech.campuslabs.com/engage/event/6956808
Trailer: https://youtu.be/AOUEk1GNgwY
Please join us in celebrating and showcasing women’s voices at LUNAFEST - a film festival spotlighting films by and about women. LUNAFEST at Georgia Tech will offer our community an opportunity to witness and reflect on the vast diversity of women’s stories and perspectives. This year’s festival has a rich and emotional collection of films including a story about a neuroscientist speaking up for women in science everywhere, a young girl’s search to reunite with her mother after crossing the U.S. border, a behind-the-scenes view of the Women’s Euro-Arabian North Pole Expedition, and many more! Full list of films available at www.lunafest.org/filmmakers
RECOMMENDED VIEWING AGE IS 16+: Films feature strong women, powerful images, and impactful language. Stories reflect the diverse perspectives of the filmmakers and their subjects. May contain content that is not suitable for children or teens.
Tickets are free for Georgia Tech students, faculty, and staff! Participants will receive a virtual viewing link to their email that will be live for 48 hours to view the films from March 19-21.
Contact: Dani Lechner - danielle.lechner@studentlife.gatech.edu
Women’s GradChats: Prioritizing the "life" in work/life balance
March 24 | 5pm
Registration: https://gatech.campuslabs.com/engage/event/6961704
Making time for mental and physical wellbeing, personal responsibilities, relationships, and all other aspects of "life" has always been a shared challenge for graduate students, but especially now in the context of work from home, online learning, and the dreaded "Zoom fatigue". The focus of this discussion is on prioritizing life outside of graduate school to prevent burnout and promote wellbeing.
Women’s GradChats serve as a space for graduate women to engage meaningfully with one another, build community, and dialogue about their experiences as graduate women of Georgia Tech. Registration is required for this event. If registration has reached capacity, you may email Dani Lechner (danielle.lechner@studentlife.gatech.edu) to be added to the waitlist.
Contact: Dani Lechner - danielle.lechner@studentlife.gatech.edu
The Invisible Histories Project
March 25 | 6pm
The Invisible Histories Project is a community driven project whose goal is the collection and preservation of the complex LGBTQ history of the South. This project strives to provide the South (starting with Alabama) with a connection to its Queer past with an eye on the present and future. Join the Women’s Resource Center and the LGBTQIA Resource Center in welcoming IHP Director of Research & Development, Maigan Sullivan, to speak on the importance of creating a counter narrative to the “lacking South” and providing a sense of community and heritage for LGBTQ people. https://invisiblehistory.org/
Contact: Dani Lechner - danielle.lechner@studentlife.gatech.edu
Salary Negotiation & Pay Equity Workshop
March 30 | 11:30am
Register: https://gatech.campuslabs.com/engage/event/6961718
The gender pay gap has far reaching implications for women across all identities. Barriers to equity are compounded when women aren’t taught the essential skills of salary and benefits negotiation. Join the Women’s Resource Center for an interactive virtual workshop to learn more about the gender pay gap and build strategies to highlight your accomplishments and develop skills to negotiate your salary!
Contact: Dani Lechner - danielle.lechner@studentlife.gatech.edu
