Yesterday, the jury heard closing arguments in the Ahmaud Arbery murder trial and have now begun their deliberations on whether to convict or acquit the three White men that were charged with killing Arbery, an unarmed Black man. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Jilisa Milton. Milton is an Alabama based civil rights attorney, policy analyst, social worker, racial justice activist, community organizer, and relational strategist. She has nearly a decade of experience working at the intersection of racial equity, critical race & feminist theory, poverty, criminal justice reform, mental health, and reproductive justice. Milton is currently a budget and tax policy analyst and advocate at Alabama Arise, a statewide, member-led organization advancing public policies to improve the lives of Alabamians who are marginalized by poverty. She continues work on police reform and economic justice. Media includes: Bloomberg Law, Birmingham Times.
The Build Back Better Act has moved on to the Senate after passing the House last Friday. The legislation includes paid leave and Medicare benefits amongst other measures. To discuss, we FEATURE Molly Weston Williamson. Williamson is Director of Paid Leave and Future of Work and Senior Staff Attorney at A Better Balance, where she leads A Better Balance’s advocacy around paid leave laws across the country and directs ABB’s efforts to address the needs of all workers in a changing workforce. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority. Media includes: The New York Times, Slate, Refinery29. Bloomberg Law.
Following an 8-month investigation, the New York State Assembly has concluded that they found "overwhelming evidence" that Andrew Cuomo engaged in sexual harassment. To discuss, we FEATURE Audrey Roofeh. Roofeh is the founder and CEO of Mariana Strategies LLC, a Washington, DC-based workplace culture consulting firm focused on preventing workplace harassment. She is an employment lawyer and certified change management practitioner, who frequently speaks and writes on issues of workplace equity and inclusion. As CEO of Mariana Strategies, Audrey works with businesses in manufacturing, politics, fashion, sciences, and media, as well as national and international non-profits, think tanks and educational institutions to deliver workplace culture solutions to prevent harassment and build inclusion. Media includes: TruthOut, FairyGodBoss, The Startup.
COVID-19 cases are rising in the U.S. as holiday season approaches and more people are traveling. To discuss, we FEATURE Brittany Neal DiNatale. DiNatale is an experienced Emergency Room Nurse with a background in corporate marketing. She is a fierce advocate of the important role nurses play in order to create and develop strong healthcare systems. Despite being the most trusted profession year after year, and the largest segment of the healthcare workforce, nurses are underrepresented in the media. Nurses are also facing a growing professional crisis with endemic workplace violence, chronic short staffing and a worsening shortage due to burnout. Media includes: Reader's Digest, WIOX Radio.
Jessica Barraza, a Tesla factory worker, has alleged that she experienced daily sexual harassment at Tesla and that the company did nothing to address it even after she filed her complaints. To discuss, we FEATURE Sheerine Alemzadeh. Alemzadeh is an attorney and the co-founder and co-director of Healing to Action, a non-profit organization building a worker-led movement to end gender violence. A legal expert on workplace sexual violence, she has forged strategic partnerships across the nation to develop community-based, survivor-centered responses to gender-based violence against low-wage workers. Alemzadeh co-founded the Coalition Against Workplace Sexual Violence, a collaboration between rape crisis agencies, civil rights organizations, workers centers, and government agencies. Media includes: Huffington Post, Role Reboot, Chicago Reporter.
A man who pleaded guilty to raping and assaulting four teenage girls will not be receiving prison time after a New York State judge deemed incarceration to be "inappropriate". To discuss, we FEATURE Jane Manning. Manning is a former sex crimes prosecutor, a victim rights advocate, and a leading expert in criminal justice and violence against women. As Director of the Women’s Equal Justice Project, she helps survivors of sexual assault navigate the criminal justice system. She served as president of the NYC chapter of NOW, where she helped lead successful campaigns to repeal New York’s statute of limitations on rape and to criminalize strangulation attacks. She trains first-year prosecutors annually on interviewing crime victims. Media includes: New York Daily News, The Brian Lehrer Show, Elite Daily, The New York Times.
The Labor Department has begun to require federal contractors' to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. To discuss, we FEATURE Sarita Gupta. Gupta is director of the Ford Foundation’s Future of Work(ers) program, leading the team that oversees Ford’s efforts to actively shape a future of work that puts workers and their well-being at the center. Gupta joined the foundation with more than 20 years of experience working to expand people’s ability to come together to improve their workplaces, their communities, and their lives by creating solutions to the problems they face. She has deep expertise in policy advocacy, organizing, and building partnerships across the workers’ rights and care movements, having served as executive director of Jobs With Justice and co-director of Caring Across Generations. Media includes: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, CNN.
November is American Indian Heritage Month. To commemorate, we FEATURE Charon Asetoyer (Comanche). Asetoyer , a Native American women's health activist, holds a Masters of International Administration and Management. She is the CEO and Founder of the Native American Community Board (1985) and the Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center (1988) on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. The Resource Center addresses issues of reproductive justice, violence against women, and environmental justice. In addition to the Resource Center the organization has a shelter for women fleeing from sexual assault and domestic violence. Media includes: Jezebel, ColorLines, The New York Times, CNN.
Liz Theran
