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Child Watch by Marian Wright Edelman
Dr. Evelynn Hammonds, Harvard College’s Next Dean
This is another one of my Spelman College bragging story. In March, Harvard University announced the historic appointment of Dr. Evelynn M. Hammonds, a Spelman graduate, as the next dean of Harvard College, where she will oversee the academic curriculum, residential dormitories, and other key pieces of college life for Harvard University’s undergraduate students. Dr. Hammonds is the first Black and the first woman to hold this prestigious position. She is a wonderful role model, especially for young girls interested in science as she was.
Dr. Hammonds was born in Atlanta, where she grew up attending local public schools. She later remembered how difficult and confusing it could be growing up Black at a time when the peach-colored crayon in the crayon box was still named "flesh" and Black magazines were full of advertisements for skin lighteners. She was interested in science at a time when few girls and young women were pursuing science careers, but she didn’t let being Black or a girl slow her down in any way. In 1976 she received dual undergraduate degrees: a B.S. in physics from Spelman College and a B.E.E. in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech. She then went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to earn a master's degree in physics. While at MIT she realized she was one of only a handful of Black graduate students in the country studying physics and she never lost the passion to do something about that. Throughout her career she has worked on numerous committees and panels to encourage more minorities and women to pursue careers in science. She later became the founding director of MIT's Center for the Study of Diversity in Science, Technology and Medicine.
After earning her master’s from MIT, Dr. Hammonds worked as a software engineer for several years but missed being part of a university and went to Harvard to earn a Ph.D. in the history of science. After receiving her doctorate, she returned to MIT as a professor and then several years later went back to Harvard to teach. As a scholar in the history of science, Dr. Hammonds studies the history of scientific, medical and social ideas about race and gender, researching, for example, how gender and race have impacted the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Dr. Hammonds’s first book, Childhood’s Deadly Scourge, was about New York City’s efforts to control the spread of diphtheria between 1880 and 1930. Her latest book is on how scientists have defined race in America from Jefferson’s era to today.
Dr. Hammonds has always enjoyed working with students and has said she thinks it is especially important for minority students to have minority faculty available as role models: "It became clear to me that I would be doing this work [of inspiring my students] just by doing my own work. It reinforced my own sense that I could make a difference." Before her historic appointment as dean of Harvard College, Dr. Hammonds was Harvard University’s Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity. She was the first person to hold this position after Harvard created it, and in it she supported the recruitment and promotion of minorities and women at the university. She saw this work in a much broader context, as she explained at a convocation of Harvard Divinity School students: "When I was growing up in Atlanta during the height of the civil rights movement, no one used the word diversity. We used words like justice and equity, and perhaps we should return to those words as we seek new ways to express a commitment to diversity and to excellence."
Harvard made history last year by choosing its first woman president, Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust. When Dr. Hammonds was appointed Dean of Harvard College, President Faust said, “I have come to know and greatly admire Evelynn Hammonds these past few years, as a fine scholar, as a strong institutional leader, and as someone who cares profoundly about the educational experience of our students in all its dimensions. This is an exciting moment of change for the College, and Evelynn’s academic values and leadership qualities promise to serve our undergraduates well.” Other administrators, professors and students from across the university expressed the same enthusiasm and excitement about Dr. Hammonds’ new role. I am so proud of my Spelman sister!
For more information about the Children's Defense Fund, go to http://www.childrens-defense.org/.
Congress Needs To Ensure Equal Pay for Equal Work
By Benjamin L. Cardin, United States Senator for Maryland
On a daily basis, American women in the workforce are being denied equal pay for equal work simply because of their gender. Even worse, one of the remedies available to them
-- taking a discriminatory employer to court -- has been severely curtailed.
It’s time for Congress to take action and restore women’s rights. Unfortunately, a recent vote was blocked in the Senate that would have ensured that women who have faced discrimination in the workplace have “their day in court.” However, as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I am optimistic that we will be able to move this measure forward.
The statistics regarding the pay differential between men and women are alarming. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, on average American women earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. In Maryland, according to the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation, the median annual income for men with a college degree or more is $73,000 vs. $57,000 for women. Minority women face an even larger gap.
Every day millions of American women are denied equal pay for equal work – and many of them don’t even know they are being paid substantially less than their male counterparts.
While American women continue to be discriminated against financially in the workplace, a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision worsened the problem. In 1998, Lilly Ledbetter, a 19-year employee at the Goodyear Tire plant in Gadsden, Alabama discovered that annually she had been paid $15,000 less than her male colleagues. She filed suit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to recover the difference. The EEOC, however, ruled against her, stating she had not filed her complaint within the 180 days of her employer’s act of discrimination as required by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She then brought suit in federal court and was awarded $223,776 in compensatory damages.
In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-to-4 against Ms. Ledbetter. The Court ruled that under the law Ms. Ledbetter had not met the 180-day requirement for filing a claim for pay discrimination – even though she had not been aware of the pay differential between herself and her male colleagues that had existed for many years.
I do not believe the Supreme Court’s decision reflected the intent of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of race, color, gender, religion or national origin. In fact, I think the Court’s decision was in clear violation of the core purpose of the statute.
To correct that ruling, I have co-sponsored the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to ensure that victims of pay discrimination have a fair chance to seek justice. The measure would keep the 180-day requirement for filing a claim, but it would “restart” the clock by using the last discriminatory paycheck as the benchmark. This change will ensure that workers can challenge ongoing discrimination, even if the employer has concealed it. It’s time to ensure that equal pay for equal work is a cornerstone of our nation; to negate it is to deny our basic principles of equality and justice for all.
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Mother’s Day...A Time For Women to Celebrate?
Courtesy MyPartTimePRO.com
WYNNEWOOD, PA (April 30, 2008) - Officially designated by the U.S. Congress in 1914, May 11th marks the 94th celebration of Mother's Day. Typically a day of candy, cards, flowers and fun, Ilyse Shapiro, founder of the job search Web site MyPartTimePRO.com wonders if we should still be celebrating when so many women cannot find adequate employment that provides a living wage, work/life balance or personal fulfillment.
Shapiro has discerned that many of the job seekers in her firm's database are women who want to utilize their career-related expertise, yet can't because of unyielding barriers to entry and sustainable success.
"Today's women should not have to sacrifice personal desires for professional aspirations, accept positions where they are underserved, or feel that they have to 'opt out' of the world of work altogether," says Shapiro.
Shapiro's research shows that those in the MyPartTimePRO.com database were representative of the larger picture:
* In 2007, women earned median weekly wages of 80.2 cents for every dollar earned by men, down from 81 cents in 2005. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
* At the nation's largest 500 companies, women account for 50% of managers, but hold only 15.4% of senior executive jobs, down from 16.4% in 2005. (www.catalystwomen.org)
* Of the 59 million women currently earning a salary in the nation, just 47% have a pension plan. (USDOL)
* Although 48% of law degrees granted in 2006 were to women, only 17.9% were partners at U.S. law firms. (National Association of Law Placement)
* 60% of today's working moms say part-time work would be ideal; however, only 24% hold part-time jobs. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
* In recent years, companies which offer vital family-friendly benefits such as flex- time, telecommuting and job sharing are actually on the decline. (Society for Human Resource Management, Women and Work Study, 2006)
"Sadly, the jobs available to this population tend to be entry-level or unskilled positions, many of which are low paying and provide little flexibility. This is clearly a waste of talent and experience," states Shapiro.
"My goal with MyPartTimePRO.com is two-fold: First, to educate employers about the 'treasure trove' of talent they are missing out on by not creating positions that satisfy the needs of today's women. And second, to link these enlightened employers with this wealth of 'employee resources,'" adds Shapiro.
ABOUT ILYSE SHAPIRO: Ilyse R. Shapiro is the founder of MyPartTimePRO.com, a job search Web site devoted to connecting accomplished and educated individuals with employers who hire flexible, professional-level staff.
ABOUT MYPARTTIMEPRO.COM: MyPartTimePRO.com provides an alternative to other job search Web sites which strictly promote full-time positions, "dubious" part-time opportunities, or employment for the unskilled or entry-level worker.
The site strictly communicates project-based, seasonal, virtual, temporary, job share, short-term, telecommuting and part-time opportunities to educated career veterans who are not seeking traditional, full-time employment. The site currently connects employers and job seekers within the New York and Washington, DC corridor.
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