Declaration of Sentiments 2.0

This holiday season, my Christmas wish is to live in a world where true gender equality is the reality. The feminist movement needs a new Declaration of Sentiments.

Whereas after multiple waves of the feminist movement and although women now out earn their male peers in terms of bachelors and advanced degrees, on average, women in the Unites States still only earn 79 cents for every dollar earned by men, with higher discrepancies for women of color; still only represent 20 percent of Members of Congress; and are only 4 percent of CEO positions at S&P 500 companies.

Whereas there are clear societal benefits to women’s empowerment, women’s leadership in companies yields higher profits and female legislators introduce more legislation related to education and healthcare, with evident social benefits for all.

Resolved, that the patriarchal defined norms of leadership have failed society and more feminine leadership styles need to be adequately valued.

Resolved, that all women deserve equal pay for equal work, including the legal tools they need to challenge the wage gap itself.

Resolved, that all parents deserve paid maternity and paternity leave.

Resolved, that all working people deserve paid sick leave to provide adequate care for loved ones and for our aging society.

Resolved, that all women, including college students and women in the military, deserve the right to be free from sexual violence.

Resolved, that the LGBTQ community deserves universal protection against discrimination, beyond just marriage equality.

Resolved, that despite decades of the creation and enforcement of anti-discrimination laws and policies, a culture of unconscious bias persists which must be abolished once and for all.

Resolved, that the women of the United States deserve the constitutional protection of an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

Resolved, that a girl deserves to grow up in a world where she sees positive female role models in all professions.

Resolved, that all human beings deserve to live free from the shackles of human trafficking.

Resolved, that especially when the United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates of the industrialized world, all women deserve to have guaranteed access to healthcare and to control their reproductive choices.

Resolved, that all people, regardless of gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, race, class, ethnicity, ability, religion, marital status, or age, deserve to have equal opportunity to pursue their dreams and contribute to society by choosing their own paths.

Resolved, that society should value women for their unique potential to lead in ways society has yet to be enhanced by this new feminist revolution.

Burning Man - An Ideal Community?

I was extremely privileged to have participated in my first Burn in 2015. I found a ticket, camp, and vehicle pass one week before the event began. Ultimately, it was a deeply transformative experience in living in one of the most rare communities on the planet.

Is Burning Man the ideal model for what human communities should look like or could be? My professional background is in building community via nonprofits and the classroom. I also have a strong background in federal and local government and politics.  I have no clear answer to the question, but seek to explore some perspectives here. Overall, I believe that although Burning Man has its challenges, it is a beautiful social experiment that society can learn much from.

Privilege limits scalability 

To enter the community of Burning Man, one has to pay at the bare minimum the ticket fee which starts at $390. In essence, one could say that this is dues to join an elite club. A limited number of low income tickets exist, which is great. However, one still needs to be able to take time off and be able to get to the Burn.

Moreover, one needs to bring enough supplies for food, water, and shelter for the duration of one's stay. One can bypass this by staying with a camp and sharing resources.  However, being admitted to join a camp is often based on informal social networks and sometimes involves interviews. In short, one has to be strongly connected to become a part of a camp community, and not just rough it on your own in the desert. 

Once you make it into the Burn, everything is free and you can only use American dollars to purchase coffee or ice. Everything is gifted to you including meals, spa services, clothes, emergency health care, classes, etc.  Perhaps my most impressive gift was a plane ride over the Playa with the sky divers of Camp Burning Sky (thanks again!).

Experiencing the gift economy was one of the most powerful aspects of the Burn.  I wish this could better exist in the real world, or what Burners call the "default world." However having the power to give to others inherently means you are in a state of privilege. 

Even in the alternative refuge of Burning Man, where one can express one's self and be accepted unlike in mainstream society, diversity in its many forms is lacking. Most participants are upper-middle class, White, able-bodied individuals. I encourage you to read my good friend Tyra Fennell's post about being Black at Burning Man.  I do believe Burning Man as an organization recognizes this weakness and is actively trying to address it. For example, they're actively collecting data through their annual census. 

So overall, by no means does everyone enter Burning Man from an equal playing field.  Even when you are inside, people live in a variety of structures ranging from tents to air-conditioned RVs.  In order to replicate Burning Man, something needs to be done so everyone is at least able to enter the space, meaning they are able to provide their own resources for self-sufficiency.  Fortunately, in the default world, this is often provided by government assistance.

I am a huge fan of representative democracy, which Burning Man is definitely not.  Police are present to enforce drug laws and provide safety.  There are free health clinics if you get sick or injured.  While camps may practice their own forms of democracy and elect their leaders, at large, there are no elected leaders. Perhaps this is not necessary since Burning Man is predominantly a week long physical event, but if it were to exist as a new society, I would want democracy.

Principles expand impact 

Above I have examined some of the challenges in terms of replicating Burning Man at scale.  Now I want to emphasize the significant positive impact that Burning Man is having on the world.  Burning Man encompasses Ten Principles: radical inclusion, radical self-expression, radical self-reliance, gifting, decommodification, communal effort, civic responsibility, participation, immediacy, and leave no trace.  I went to a workshop discussing ways people can apply the Principles into their everyday life in the default world.  Two professors at James Madison University shared how they incorporate these values into their teaching and that they are about to publish a book about this. It was also shared how Burners can act as a virus in society spreading these philosophical values.

Experiencing Burning Man actually does deeply immerse one in a community of people truly embodying the Ten Principles.  Furthermore, being a part of Burning Man is much more than going to the main event in Black Rock City.  There are regional events that happen throughout the year. Both during and after the event, many participants commented how they were more thoughtful about how they pick up their matter out of place (MOOP), or what is commonly referred to as trash. You think about your water usage in ways you never did before.

When most of the Burning Man community comes from at least some baseline level of privilege, and when many come from the One Percent, exposing this demographic to communal and social justice values can seriously transform society slowly for the long-term.

Three Models for Women's Economic Empowerment

There is an awakening in American society for the need for women's empowerment. While we are far from parity in most sectors of society such as business, politics, academia, etc., great strides are being made everyday.  Research studies from McKinsey and Catalyst have well documented the positive benefits of advancing women leaders, so I won't focus on that today.  Rather, let's examine three models for how organizations and individuals can work together for the advancement of women's economic empowerment.

In short, there is no single solution to advancing women leaders in American society and our workforce. We need to combine strategies from the three models below.  All stakeholders need to play their part, and we can learn from each other.  Gender parity is possible and everyone will benefit from such equality.

Public Policy & Legislation
Responsible parties: Government entities (local, state, national, and international)
Looks Like:

• Laws such as the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act
• Bills such as these ones currently on Capitol Hill
• The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) at the UN

Organizational Diversity Management
 Responsible parties: Corporations and institutions
 Looks Like:

• Organizational policies and practices such as the United Nations (UN) System-wide action plan for gender equality
• Investing $300 million for workplace diversity as Intel has done
• Google's unconscious bias training program

 Individual & Community Empowerment
 Responsible parties: Individual persons communities, and organizations
 Looks Like: 

• Joining women's networking groups such as Watermark or Women Get It Done in the Bay Area/DC or the Women's Information Network (WIN) in Washington, DC. 
• Taking actions to advance one's own leadership and professional skills
• Programs such as those by Running Start and Emerge California encouraging women and girls to run for office

Ladies - Get Involved in Local Government

I’m very proud to have recently graduated from Emerge California, a training program for Democratic women interested in political leadership.  For about seven years, I lived in Washington, DC and dedicated my career to advancing women leaders in politics.  I literally taught a class about gender and politics at American University.  Finally, it was my turn to practice what I preach and return to my beloved Bay Area.  Rather than being the teacher, I became the student.

I am very optimistic about the real possibility of creating tangible impact via local government.  For example, cities, counties, and states are able to pass ordinances and laws years before such change can happen at the federal level.  For example, check out the Municipality Equality Index by the Human Rights Campaign.  Municipalities can advance equality at a much faster pace than at the federal level.

Emerge California is truly the premier training program to prepare women to be ethical leaders and transform the political system.  Moreover, one of my favorite aspects of Emerge California is being a part of a genuine sisterhood of passionate, ambitious, brilliant women working together to make a difference for our communities.  There are Emerge programs in 14 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. I highly recommend applying and am happy to answer any questions about the application process or program.

While I am deeply familiar with federal government, the system of local government is very different.  For instance, in California our legislators have term limits and are subject to the Brown Act, which ensures the public's right to information.  Such governance practices do not yet completely exist at the federal level.

Your city or county may offer free programs to learn more about how they work, so check out their website for programs about civic education.  I took a Civics 101 free class through the County of San Mateo. Below are some steps I have learned from Emerge California about how someone can start to get involved in local government.

Apply to join a commission for your county or city

On the city and county level, multiple opportunities exist for you to serve on a board or commission.  More women’s voices need to be on these important decision-making bodies.  Check out your city or county’s website for current vacancies and apply. Serving on a commission is a unique volunteer opportunity to support an issue you care about on the local level.  I am very excited to have recently been appointed to my city's Planning Commission and my county's Commission on Aging.

Volunteer with organizations working in your community

Similar to school, a local community has tons of clubs and organizations to get involved with.  Find a cause you are passionate to and learn about how it exists in your community.  Many national organizations such as the Sierra Club or Rotary Club have local chapters.  This is a great way to support an issue you care about and connect with likeminded folks.

Connect with your County’s Democratic Central Committee

Each county has one main Democratic Central Committee that serves as the umbrella group for the many local Democratic clubs.  This central group has monthly meetings that give you a true sense of the political pulse of the community.  You get to connect with the community’s leaders and understand the needs of the community. You can also volunteer for leadership positions within the Central Committee.  I am second alternate for a member of the executive committee.

Our communities need more women’s voices to be represented!  Decisions are made at the local level that have a real impact on people’s lives.  Get involved!

Solo Travel: Just Do It!

I am thirty, and while I have been to almost thirty countries, I finally took my first solo vacation abroad. For years, I dreamed of visiting Costa Rica and I'm proud I finally made it happen! I highly recommend you challenge yourself by putting yourself in a foreign environment to explore on your own! This was a deeply empowering and transformative experience.

Even just a year ago, I never would have wanted to do this.  I'd be bored. It wouldn't be fun. I wouldn't be safe.  All these self imposed limitations proved to be false in reality.  

I had a blast hanging out solo and navigating my way through a new country.  I made new friends along the way.  This was a great exercise in self-reliance.

Many women often hold themselves back from what can be very exciting new possibilities. What is your dream adventure that you have yet to cross off your bucket list?  Why are you still waiting? Expand your comfort zone and ask yourself the following questions. What is uncomfortable for me? Why is that uncomfortable? How long will I keep holding myself back?  Of course be smart, safe, and manage your risks, but don't let fear control you.

Yes, it's expensive to travel abroad.  But you can consider low-cost or free ways to otherwise take a solo vacation. What new activities can you try?  Where can you immerse yourself in a foreign experience, whatever kind of place that takes you outside your comfort zone.  Can you do a one day silent retreat at your home? Have you ever eaten alone in a restaurant? Have you ever gone to the movies alone?  Is there a Meetup or social outing you want to check out? Feel free to start with small steps.  I wish you all the best as you create new possibilities for yourself!

Failing Forward at Imagine Talks 2015

This weekend I had the amazing opportunity to give my first 18 minute Ted Talk style speech at Imagine Talks 2015.  I'm most grateful to the Asian American Foundation and Edge Interns for this incredible experience.  Please click here to watch the speech.

This was a really exciting but also very stressful undertaking!  I'm tremendously thankful to my many friends and colleagues who gave me advice in preparing this speech.  Below are some of my main takeaways I learned from this experience that hopefully you can use the next time you take a risk and share your voice in a public arena.

Start planning far in advance

I procrastinated and only started seriously sitting down to write the speech about two weeks in advance.  I had the freedom to chose my own topic and I decided to write about failure. While therapeutic, let's just say it was not very fun to do some serious soul searching and begin to clearly articulate past experiences that were very painful.  Wine proved to be crucial to the writing process! Having multiple nights to allow myself to take breaks and revisit the writing was imperative.

Be open to serious feedback

The original version of this speech also mentioned two more recent failures, but after careful consideration and advice from colleagues, I chose not to include them in the speech.  I do hope to share these stories with you in the near future, but this arena was not yet the ideal time.

I shared versions of the speech with trusted friends and colleagues and asked them for brutal advice. It was helpful to hear a variety of initial reactions to the speech. But ultimately, I synthesized the various opinions and formulated my own.

Practice, practice, practice!

While I did a significant amount of practice, I wish I had done more.  I talked out loud to myself while driving.  I read over the speech on my phone when I was surrounded by crowds but had a moment to spare. Some of my friends were kind enough to spare thirty minutes to listen to me and share their thoughts.  Imagine Talks was great and offered dress rehearsals.  Overall, I suggest that you spend as much time as possible practicing in a situation as close as possible to the real speech, standing up, in heels, while clicking the Power Point slides.

The world needs to hear your story!  Be vulnerable!

I was really scared to be this open about my failures, but I know there are others who have had similar tough times.  We need to share our voices to remind each other we are not alone.  After the speech, it was all worth it when many members of the audience privately confided in me about their similar challenges.

Cheers to failing forward together!