Another COVID-19 variant is making its way around the globe. The Omicron variant has been reported in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Australia, Israel, Hong Kong, and South Africa. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Renu Singh, Dr. Singh is a Research Assistant Professor within the Division of Public Policy and a Junior Fellow at the Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Dr. Singh is also a Scholar at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law and a DAAD Research Ambassador for the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst/German Academic Exchange Service. As a political scientist and microbiologist by training, she aims to bridge the worlds of science and policy through her research on comparative social policy, global health security, and the political economy of health. Media includes: Foreign Policy Magazine, Shape Magazine, Duck of Minerva.
Ghislaine Maxwell's trial started this week. Maxwell is charged with her role in Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse and trafficking of dozens of young women and girls. To discuss, we FEATURE Rochelle Keyhan. Keyhan is the Chief Executive Officer of Collective Liberty and the 2018 Thomson Reuters Foundation Stop Slavery Hero. She offers 10 years of experience in government and nonprofit organizations as an advocate for vulnerable populations, leveraging in-depth experience in gender-based violence issues, including domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking. Keyhan is called on as an expert on combatting human trafficking for government officials, financial institutions, and other for-profit and non-profit corporations across the United States. She has also provided technical assistance to organizations across Europe and the Middle East. Media includes: The Washington Post, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, Chicago Tribune, NBC, CBS, NPR.
This week the Supreme Court will hear arguments over a Mississippi law that will ban abortions after 15 weeks. If the law is deemed constitutional, it could lead to the dismantling of Roe v. Wade. To discuss, we FEATURE Robin Marty. Marty is a freelance reporter and the author of the book "Handbook for a Post-Roe America," a guide for what to do if and when Roe is overturned and states make abortion illegal. She is also the co-author of "The End of Roe v. Wade" (formerly "Crow After Roe"), an updated account of 12 different abortion laws meant to provoke challenges to Roe v. Wade. Marty specializes in abortion rights and access and the anti-abortion movement and figures. Media includes: Cosmopolitan, The Guardian, Politico, NBC.
Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is suing the Department of Defense after the manuscript of his book did not pass clearance and being told to take out portions that discussed his time working under former President Donald Trump. To discuss, we FEATURE Danielle Brian. Brian is the Executive Director of the Project On Government Oversight (POGO). She frequently testifies before Congress and regularly meets with Members of Congress and officials at the White House and federal agencies to discuss how to achieve a more effective, accountable, open, and ethical federal government. Under Brian's direction, POGO exposed wasteful spending, which led to the cancellation of some of the government’s largest contracts. Media includes: Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, USA TODAY, ABC, NBC, NPR.
Australia has introduced new legislation that would make social media companies provide details from users that post defamatory comments. The law is intended to curb online abuse and trolling. To discuss, we FEATURE Stine Eckert. Eckert is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Wayne State University in Detroit. She is a German native and her research focuses on social media, journalism, gender and minorities in the US, Germany, UK and Switzerland. Her research on Wikipedia’s gender gap, women bloggers, Muslim bloggers, feminism and social media, and online abuse has been published in peer-reviewed journals. Media includes: Al-Jazeera, ThinkProgress, The Detroit Free Press, WOUB, Radio Goethe, Radio Mephisto.
Ifeoma Ozoma, the whistleblower who revealed Pinterest's discriminatory practices, has become a central figure among tech whistleblowers that are looking to change the culture of tech industries. She has released a website called The Tech Worker Handbook. To discuss, we FEATURE Jennifer Cloer. Cloer is the creator and executive producer of the Chasing Grace Project, one of the most visible platforms in the tech industry exclusively dedicated to elevating women’s voices and advancing a constructive narrative about inclusivity. It aims to recruit and retain women for an industry that desperately needs their contribution and to give women a platform to be seen and heard for their experiences. When women share their stories on camera, they are empowered. And when others see those stories at screenings around the world, there is a collective epiphany that drives a reverberation throughout the industry. With fewer women in tech than 30 years ago, the time is now to elevate women’s voices and experiences in an industry that is building the future today. Media includes: Forbes, TechCrunch, BusinessInsider, TechTarget.
Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama are getting another shot at unionizing as the National Labor Relations Board has called for a revote after it was found that the initial vote was improperly interfered with. To discuss, we FEATURE Nikki Fortunato Bas. Bas is Executive Director of the Partnership for Working Families. She leads the Partnership’s network of 17 regional affiliate organizations, who bring together coalitions of community groups, labor unions, environmentalists, people of faith and women’s organizations to build more just, sustainable and democratic cities. The Partnership wages campaigns to give all working people, especially of color, a voice in our community, access to jobs with dignity and a healthy environment where we can raise our families. Media includes: The Hill, The Huffington Post, San Francisco Chronicle.
Xiomara Castro is leading in the Honduras election and is poised to become the nation's first female president. To discuss, we FEATURE Erika Guevara-Rosas. Guevara-Rosas is a feminist lawyer and human rights activist, who currently serves as the Americas Director at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International. She is responsible for leading the organization’s human rights work across the region. Guevara-Rosas has more than twenty years of international experience in the fields of human rights and social justice philanthropy. Before joining Amnesty International, she was the Regional Director for the Americas at the Global Fund for Women (GFW). Extensive media experience.
December 1 is World AIDS Day. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Aletha Maybank. Dr. Maybank is Chief Health Equity Officer and Vice President at the American Medical Association (AMA). Previously, she was an Assistant Commissioner at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She is also a Founding Board Member of the Artemis Medical Society, an organization created in 2012 to support and nurture women physicians of color worldwide with a current engagement of over 3500 women. Her areas of expertise include preventive medicine, health injustice and inequities, food and fitness, maternal and child health, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and community health. She is pediatrician board certified in preventive medicine/public health. Media includes: MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry Show, Disney Jr.'s DocMcStuffins, WBLS Daily Dose, Good Morning America, WABC Here and Now, HuffPost Live, FOX 5 Good Day Street Talk.
The 16 Days Against the Violence Against Women began on November 25th and will continue until December 10th. To discuss, we FEATURE María E. Garay-Serratos. Garay-Serratos is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pánfila Domestic Violence HOPE Foundation, one of the world’s first non-profit organization dedicated to creating awareness and solutions for the silent epidemic of domestic violence-related traumatic brain injury (DV-TBI). She is also the Protagonist, Associate Producer, and DV Expert for This Hits Home, a powerful documentary by Scotia Entertainment that introduces the world to fearless survivors, grassroots workers acting to end domestic violence and leading neurologists. Media includes: Arizona Republic, Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, CBS, ABC.















