Advance, Cornell ILR School's publication for alumni and friends.
Issue link: https://advance.epubxp.com/i/132081
How did you get interested in sexual harassment and gender bias prevention? What keeps you interested in this work? I spent my formative years as the organizing and counseling director of Working Women's Institute, one of the early organizations to address sexual harassment in the workplace. Being part of a movement of individual and collective empowerment, and contributing to social change, keeps me energized. Associate, The Worker Institute at Cornell Expertise in promoting workplace inclusiveness and the prevention of sexual harassment, gender bias and bullying. Talk about your work with the Hollaback! project. The Worker Institute just released two research reports with Hollaback!, an innovative social media organizing project about street harassment and how organizations and workplaces respond to complaints. This action-oriented research is linked to educational and community empowerment, social change and policy initiatives. What are the biggest strides forward you have seen in the evolution of workplace inclusiveness? An increased willingness by employers and unions to acknowledge and try to reduce the impact that assumptions, stereotypes and biases have on workplace dynamics with increasingly diverse workforces. The conversation has shifted to a more proactive approach with the goal of making the workplace more equitable. If you had to pick one piece of work of which you are most proud, what would it be? We helped develop a model labor-management workplace awareness and research initiative that engaged men as allies with women to take a stand against male violence directed to women, bullying and workplace violence more broadly. Another highlight has been serving as an expert witness in court, using my voice to tell the stories of working women, and to help influence the law and public policy. Your work deals with difficult issues. How do you recharge? I recharge by immersing myself in the creative process of making art, mainly print making and book arts. For the past 24 summers, I have studied at a crafts school in North Carolina that was founded to teach Appalachian women the trade of weaving as a microeconomic strategy. I always gravitate toward environments that foster a creative process." ILR ALUMNI MAGAZINE 9