May 30, 2018
Sponsored by the Pittsburgh for CEDAW Coalition
Hosted by the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh
Open Letter to the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education
May 21, 2018
The Pittsburgh for CEDAW Coalition co-signed a letter to the Pittsburgh Board of Education highlighting the issue of sexual harassment in school with the following asks:
We invite the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education to collaborate with us to eradicate sexual and other forms of harassment within schools that impacts all students, regardless of gender identity.
In particular, we ask that the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education:
- Include language within the Strategic Plan: Expect Great Things describing a commitment to effectively prevent and respond to sexual and other forms of harassment.
- Establish a full-time Title IX Coordinator for the district.
- Collaborate with the Black Girls Equity Alliance and other external experts.
- Establish a task force focused on eradicating sexual harassment to address:
- Measures of students’ experiences of sexual and other forms of harassment
- Assessment of policies and procedures related to sexual harassment
- District-wide training for all staff members to ensure understanding of policies and best practices for addressing sexual and other forms of harassment
To read the letter in its entirety: An Open Letter to the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education_May 21 2018
Press Conference Announcing Pittsburgh Gender Equity Commission
March 1, 2018
https://www.publicsource.org/can-pittsburgh-achieve-gender-equity-a-new-commission-hopes-to-make-strides/
More than a year after former Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak helped usher anti-gender discrimination legislation through council, the city on Thursday introduced the members who will serve on its first-ever Gender Equity Commission.The group’s main charge is to “dismantle gender inequalities in our city,” executive director anupama jain, who doesn’t capitalize her name, said at Thursday’s launch event. She acknowledged the commission has its work cut out for it.“It’s not change that will happen tomorrow,” said jain, who is paid as a part-time employee of the Bureau of Neighborhood Empowerment to lead the commission.Among city employees, gender disparities are glaring. PublicSource reported last year that a pay gap between men and women, and between white people and people of color, exists in part because the city’s workers are overwhelmingly white and male.
“When you have generations and centuries of gender inequality, which is the reality…we’ve got decades to go until, as a country, we actually have gender parity,” jain said.
The commission has big goals.
“We want to be a thought leader and a model for public and private organizations,” jain said. “This work can be done, it needs to be done intentionally and it needs to be done with emerging tools.”
Mayor Bill Peduto and jain assembled what jain calls a “power house” commission of local academics, entrepreneurs, experts and city officials including:
Megan Block, a civil rights attorney focused on unions and employment; Kelauni Cook, founder and CEO of Black Tech Nation and co-director of Beta Builders Coding Boot Camp Community; Kathi Elliott, executive director of Gwen’s Girls; Lee Fogarty, leader of Cities for CEDAW Pittsburgh; Councilwoman Deb Gross; Sarah Hansen, senior director of operations for Pennsylvania Women Work; Magdeline Jensen, CEO of the Greater Pittsburgh YWCA; Sabrina Korbel, an attorney with the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh; Janet Manuel, acting director of the city’s Department of Human Resources; Amanda Neatrour, manager of the Women’s Leadership and Mentorship Program at Robert Morris University; Chelsea Pallatino, a postdoctoral associate at Magee Women’s Research Institute; Jessie Ramey, director of the Women’s Institute at Chatham University; Sarah Schulz, assistant professor of psychology at Point Park University; Mike Strelic, senior budget analyst in the City Council Budget Office; and Ricardo Williams, manager of equity and inclusion in the city’s Bureau of Neighborhood Empowerment and administrator of the city’s Equal Opportunities Review Commission.
As executive director of the commission, jain is uniquely qualified. She is an instructor of gender, sexuality and women’s studies at the University of Pittsburgh and has served as the equity and inclusion consultant for the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
The commission, born out of Rudiak’s legislation and launched on the first day of Women’s History Month, is part of Pittsburgh’s answer to a charge the United Nations made nearly four decades ago when it ratified the treaty known as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The CEDAW treaty, which acts as a bill of women’s rights, charges countries to pass laws and take other steps to ensure that men and women are equal in every way, including mandates that governments create laws and policies to end discrimination against women and take action so women are equally represented. So far, 189 countries worldwide have signed and ratified that treaty, though the United States has merely signed it. In 2016, Pittsburgh was the sixth city in the U.S. to adopt CEDAW legislation in lieu of a national effort.
In fall 2016, Rudiak introduced legislation for the city to adopt CEDAW’s principles and Peduto signed that legislation into law by December of that year. jain was hired in September 2017 and began assembling the commissioners.
The commission will use data to assess how the city can change policies for its workforce of nearly 3,500 full time employees as well as help shape city-wide policies in virtually every area.
Councilwoman Deb Gross, who chairs council’s Committee on Land Use and Economic Development, wondered how the commission might change the city’s conversation about affordable housing and budgeting for other such equity-building programs.
“Who are we investing in and who are we not investing in? This commission is our opportunity to both ask that question and get that answer,” she said.
For his part, Peduto said he hopes the commission serves as a model for other cities. He said he is willing to make changes to the city’s workforce. The city can’t force any business or group to adopt the commission’s recommendations, he said, but it can serve as role model.
“I’m not trying to force anybody, I just want to be able to show a best practice model that will work on the scale of a 3,500 employee organization and explain to companies throughout the city that have hundreds of employees or 50,000 employees that there is a model you can follow and that it works,” he said. “Hopefully this will just be the beginning for the city of the Pittsburgh.”
When it comes to doing that work of getting companies in Pittsburgh to adopt policies to be more equitable, Cook, the Black Tech Nation CEO, has been there. In her role, she said, she’s met with executives at Google, Uber and other local heavyweights. Right now, she said, “everyone is receptive to hearing people out.” But whether that means making change? She laughed.
No one will want to resign or fire employees to make room for more women or people of color, she said.
“What is it gonna take for a manager to make [change] a top priority just as much as making sure payroll is in on time?” she asked. “When does that importance come in?”
Dale Shoemaker is PublicSource’s government and data reporter. He can be reached at 412-515-0069 or by email at dale@publicsource.org. You can follow him on Twitter at @JDale_Shoemaker.
Summit Against Racism CEDAW Workshop on January 20, 2018
Developed and presented by Judy Hale Reed (Attorney) and Mica Lee Williams (New Voices Pittsburgh)
Gender Equity Commission Member Selection Update
The Executive Director for the Pittsburgh Gender Equity Commission has been selected and the first commissioner is on board!
September 9, 2017
Summit Against Racism 2017 Workshop Presentation
January 21, 2017 Pgh 4 CEDAW Pres for Summit Against Racism 2017
Letter to the Editor, Post Gazette
Dec 12, 2016 by Edith Bell
The writer is a member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
Pittsburgh City Council Unanimously Passes CEDAW Ordinance December 6, 2016
Pittsburgh City Council voted unanimously to approve our CEDAW Ordinance!. Thank You! Now there can be a Commission on Gender Equity with the power to execute a City wide Gender Analysis. The goal will be to identify where the City can contribute to ending gender bias in areas of Economic Development, Education, and Violence Against Women.
Post Gazette New Article: December 7, 2016
Pittsburgh City Council approves measure to fight gender bias
Miami/Dade County publishes their first “Status of Women” report required under the CEDAW Ordinance passed In 2015.
The ordinance requires the Miami-Dade Commission Auditor and Commission for Women to report each year on the status of women and girls in health and safety, economic development and education.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article119064833.html
News articles from the November 15, 2016 Press Conference!
City Paper: Photo from our Public Hearing November 16, 2016
Pittsburgh City Council hears from advocates on gender-equity bill
Pittsburgh City Council is considering a gender equity ordinance.
pghcitypaper.com|By Rebecca Addison
WESA: Photo from our Press Conference
Another great article explaining why it is so important to pass this CEDAW Ordinance that we have worked on for over a year and Council Woman Natalia Rudiak has sponsored. The time is now.
Rudiak Pushes To Codify Gender Equity In City Law
Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak urged her colleagues to adopt gender equality legislation accepted by most United Nations countries decades
wesa.fm|By Liz Reid
Pittsburgh Post Gazette:
Pittsburgh councilwoman targets gender discrimination
November 21, 2016 12:00 AM
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2016/11/21/Pittsburgh-Councilwoman-s-proposal-targets-gender-discrimination/stories/201611170110
Go to the Resources page on this pgh4cedaw.org website for details on how to access the videos from the Post Agenda (explains the what, why and how to have CEDAW make a difference in Pittsburgh) and Public Hearing.
Public Hearing Tuesday, November 15, 2016!
Our CEDAW City Ordinance was Introduced to City Council on October 25th by Natalia Rudiak.
There was a Public Hearing Tuesday, November 15, 2016 at 11:30 am at the City-County Building, Floor 5, 414 Grant St, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Thank you for Coming!
What can you do?
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As of 11/20/2016 Council Women Deb Gross, Darlene Harris, and Theresa Kail-Smith have joined Natalia Rudiak in sponsoring our CEDAW Ordinance 2016-0905. Contact your council member and let them know that you support Ordinance 2016-0905 to have Pittsburgh support the principles of CEDAW, (the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women). Or contact them to thank them! You can find your council member’s contact info: http://www.pittsburghpa.gov/council/
cedaw-ordinance_city-of-pittsburgh-file-_-2016-0905
letter-to-the-editor-published-aug-27-2016-in-pg
Questions? Send an email to pgh4CEDAW@gmail.com
* CEDAW: The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
No Limits for Women!
Marcia Bandes
Chair, Pittsburgh for CEDAW
Pgh4cedaw@gmail.com
www.pgh4cedaw.org