Arizonas Children Association’s Post

In recognition of women's contributions to history, culture, and society, every March, the US celebrates Women's History Month, highlighting the accomplishments and contributions of women in various fields such as science, politics, literature, art, and activism. https://lnkd.in/gD4JREtU

I am where I am today, because other women shared their knowledge and expertise freely. There's nothing more inspiring that women supporting women, because we know it's not a competition. There's room for us all to be successful. I carry a piece of each female mentor with me. Jenny Amory, taught me to negotiate prices and leverage nonprofit discounts. Kathryn A. (Katie) Wheeler taught me how to preserve authors' voices while editing. Katie Bayerl taught me how to apply a DBIE lens to my writing. Namrata Patel taught me to invest in my teams' present and futures and to make safe space for mistakes. Beth Bryant taught me how to refine my data analysis and projections. Laurie Heller taught me how to design within brand standards. Cassidy Leighton taught me so much about email accessibility. Tasha Booker M.ED taught me how to navigate the politics of organizations and leadership. To find myself now at the Trustees, surrounded by this talented sisterhood, is such a blessing.

According to a YOUNG BLACK & GIVING BACK INSTITUTE Report, a majority of Black-led and Black-benefitting nonprofits are led by Black women. Most of these organizations survive on operating budgets of less than $500,000, with a third surviving on just $30,000. This #InternationalWomensDay, we honor the commitment, dedication, and sacrifices of Black women. For centuries, they have led, organized, and mobilized to help their communities thrive despite tough challenges and systemic injustices. Philanthropy needs to do better – less than 2% of all giving in the U.S. goes toward women and girls.

March is Women's History Month! The 2024 theme celebrates “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion” by recognizing women throughout the country who understand that, for a positive future, we need to eliminate bias and discrimination entirely from our lives and institutions. Learn more https://ow.ly/xezs50QJURp

"Additionally, the “strong Black woman” stereotype contributes to our pressure for excellence and perfection by fostering an expectation that Black women must always be strong, independent, and resilient at work. This often translates to Black women setting exceedingly high standards for themselves and experiencing heightened stress and anxiety when they inevitably fall short of unrealistic expectations. This interplay between the desire to excel, the fear of negative judgment for not meeting high standards, and the pressure of stereotypes creates a vicious cycle of perfectionism." How are your organizations helping to break this cycle? As a leader, this starts with me. I cannot allow myself to be caught in the cycle as I supervise other Black women and advise Black women. So I ask for accountability as I lead to stick to it.

Ericka Hines, JD's Black Women Thriving report is both insightful and necessary. Black women face unique pressures at work and leaders and managers who are unaware of the intensity of these pressures are more likely than not to create a work environment that leads inevitably to frustration and burnout. From the Nonprofit Quarterly article attached: "Our study revealed that fewer than half of Black women feel they can be authentic in the workplace without jeopardizing their positions. The reasons for this ranged from fear of being tokenized to feeling overly scrutinized to having to combat perceptions about competence. This pressure to perform, to consistently excel without any mistakes, leaves Black women with little room to be authentically themselves." Ericka not only points up this unsustainable dynamic in her work, she offers strategies for creating workspaces in which Black women can truly thrive. A link to download the report is embedded in the article.

Happy Women’s History Month! Let us celebrate how far we have come while maintaining our laser focus on how far we have to go. This year’s theme celebrates women who advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. 💪From inside your own home to your workplace to your neighborhood to your local government. 📢Advocate everywhere and lift the voices of others, speak up for those who can’t or whose voices are so often trampled on. Be the change this world needs. With conviction. “It takes courage for women to advocate for practical goals like equity, diversity and inclusion when established forces aim to misinterpret, exploit or discredit them. Throughout 2024, we honor local women from the past and present who have taken the lead to show the importance of change and to establish firmer safeguards, practices and legislation reflecting these values. Following decades of discrimination, we are proud to celebrate women who work for basic inclusion, equality and fairness.” https://lnkd.in/g_C_8EVZ

Self-oriented perfectionism, expression suppression, and low self-compassion are all factors that are correlated with the Strong Black Woman schema (SBW), These internalized feelings contribute to increased allostatic load and can manifest in poor health outcomes. As Black women we must identify and address our tendencies toward perfectionism by embracing healthy behaviors that can include self-acceptance, positive affirmations, and reality-based approaches to goal setting.

As we enter the last stretch of Black History month and enter Women's History month I would like everyone to take a look at the theme of this year's Women's History month as it is exceptionally important and near and dear to me. As noted by the WHA the theme for this year is "Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. " back in 2021 their theme was "Woman Who Refused to be Silenced. https://lnkd.in/gpszyQMf I would like people to think about this and where these things intersect. Why this is important to you as an individual for your businesses and for the ways in which you want your company to change the world and your advocacy and accessibility practices. You see, something that we must always remember all year round is that it is never a bad time to raise our sisters up and focus on amplifying their voice and supporting their visions within the workplace. There are going to be many cases on social media and out in the world in which women, non-binary people and specifically women and non-binary people of color will often be spoken over by those who hold more outdated practices in their hearts, and many of these brilliant minds end up getting pushed aside for acts that are merely performative outside of the workplace. and this is something that bugs me as somebody who is non-binary/ Indigenous Two Spirit. this theme, is something that I want people to internalize "Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion" as we increase the visibility and support of the women who are the backbones and hearts of our company now more than ever. Long ago an Indigenous mentor of mine taught me something that I say in my own words and hold in my heart, and so I tell this to you "A decision made without the council of women in your midst, your equals and other half, is not a decision worth making. " "In all crucial decisions we must hear their voice and act in solidarity. Your clan mothers , those who raise you ? they look at you your entire life and know whether or not you have what it takes to be a leader. Representation is to honor and respect their spirit. Without our clan mothers input we could not make crucial decisions, whether it was where to hunt, where to fish, or whether we should go to WAR. " and while the current government of the great turtle Island does not honor these words as it should, these words are a version of something I learned long ago. ______ As a curriculum specialist for Social Optics, woven into each lesson exists a knowledge of women's rights, history, and health that comes from the strong women whom I am blessed to work with, including upcoming lessons on Woman's History Month, Perspective, and More ! Previous lessons have covered everything from self-esteem, and the ways in which we talk to ourselves internally, and even covering bodily autonomy and the importance of consent, lessons even more important now then ever.

🎉 Have you heard the inspiring story of how two LDS women helped launch a world-class children's hospital penny by penny? From mentoring to volunteer matching, Project Elect is here to support women in public service. #WomenInPolitics #LDSWomen #PublicService #ProjectElect 🌟 Check out the incredible article here: [link]