Click the arrow to view these Highlights from our March 2019 program on the rights of working women and the challenges they face achieving equity in employment and advancement in their work.
Category: Events
Civic education forums, luncheons, social events
Working Women’s Rights: the video!
Watch the video of the panel discussion on Rights for Working Women: Fairness, Equality, Safety. What still needs to be done in Oregon for women in the workplace?
February 12 Panel Discussion – video playback
Rights for Working Women
Fairness, Equality, Safety
Tuesday, February 12, 2019, 7 – 8:30 PM, Multnomah County Boardroom, 501 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland
MetroEast Video Recording Replay Schedule on Public Access stations
What is the status of working women in the second decade of the 21st Century? What has changed and what progress is still needed? For years, women have asked for equal pay for equal work, help with childcare and family leave, opportunities for jobs and for advancement in fields that men dominate, and safe workplaces, free from discrimination and harassment. Many women—particularly women of color—still face daunting obstacles to equal opportunities. What can be done and what is being done to level the playing field?
These questions and others were addressed by our panel, including:
- Moderator: Emily Evans, Executive Director, Women’s Foundation of Oregon
- Lili Hoag, Political Director, Family Forward of Oregon
- Patricia Weekley, Director of Equity, Inclusion & Sanctuary, Morrison Child and Family Services
- Mari Watanabe, Executive Director, Partners in Diversity, Portland Business Alliance
Unfortunately, Kelly Kupcak, Executive Director, Oregon Tradeswomen, was unable to participate on the panel, due to unsafe travel conditions on February 12.
About our programs
The League of Women Voters Civic Education programs are free and open to the public. Programs are designed to inform our community about relevant issues. Please join us for this discussion, and plan to join us for the next program in this Tuesday evening series.
• March 12, 2019 – Climate Justice: How do the impacts of climate change affect different communities?
MetroEast Community Media records these programs for rebroadcast and online streaming from www.lwvpdx.org. The Carol & Velma Saling Foundation and the Multnomah Bar Foundation provide funding for the recording through grants.
Parking is available on the street. The Multnomah County Board Room at 501 SE Hawthorne is easily accessed by public transportation, TriMet options include bus lines 4, 6, 10, 14, 15, and the Portland Streetcar
“Promoting Civil Discourse” Review
By Amber Nobe 
This season, as we mingle at parties or visit far-away loved ones, discussions of politics could heat up and spiral down—fast! How can we create bridges to encourage civil civic discourse? At the November Civic Education forum, three experts on free speech and building consensus offered their take.
Mat dos Santos (ACLU of Oregon), Michael Mills (PSU National Policy Consensus Center and Oregon Solutions Project Manager), and Wendy Willis (National Policy Consensus Center and Oregon’s Kitchen Table) shared keen insights on the state of current political dialogue, posed questions for us to consider, and provided advice on infusing respect into our conversations.
Insights
- Good leaders aren’t afraid of opposing viewpoints — they seek them out. Mills believed it strengthened the city government when he worked under Mayor Vera Katz.
- “Tilt” is a poker strategy to force poor play from opponents by confusing, distressing, or enraging them. Politicians and political parties are adept at this.
- Rage is a powerful motivator and is driving politics right now. Willis talked about how sites like Facebook have ways to amplify the voices that resonate with us and confirm our biases.
- Social media is still brand new in the context of history. Similar challenges likely existed with the advent of the printing press.
- Authoritarianism is on the rise across the globe — sometimes in places where the people say they don’t see democracy as essential. At the same time, this is not the first period when our nation has confronted polarizing views and uncomfortable change. (Dos Santos pointed to the Civil Rights movement.)
- In the “Marketplace of Ideas,” all ideas are voiced, and the best rise to the top. But if some voices are given outsized advantages, how can you discern those ideas the majority truly support from those that are broadcast loudest?
- Willis contends that Americans generally share the same bucket of values — our differences lie in how we prioritize them.
Questions
- Protests cause disruptions, from clogging traffic to driving away local business. Is the cost of democratic free speech worth it?
- Is protest or conflict inherently uncivil?
- Does the cost of democracy include unfettered Second Amendment rights?
- What is the reasoning behind your rage? And “their” rage?
- What is your vantage point? And what is “their” vantage point? Can you try to understand it?
- What, if any, controls should there be on social media speech?
Tips
- Join a cause you care about.
- Talk to strangers and engage different viewpoints.
- Rest and take care of yourself.
- Monitor your information input.
- Question your rage and de-escalate personal attacks.
- Practice being uncomfortable.
- Start small.
- Apologize if you slip up.
- Write to your elected officials.
- Create a safe environment for all.
More than 70 people attended this event, which was moderated by Marge Easley of the Clackamas County League. To view a recording and hear more from the panelists, click here.