LZ Sunday Paper Newsletter: The "Really? Now We're Banning Stuff?" Edition
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Dear Readers,
Here's one thing I did this week:
I had a lovely talk with Jessica, a first year MBA student at a top-notch, prestigious program. She is helping to program an annual conference that the B-School sponsors. The general rubric of the day was devoted to private equity and venture capital as business sectors in today's landscape. We were discussing an opportunity for me to give a "keynote" speech, one of several throughout the day, having to do with investing in and advising digital media startups. She explained that the prestigious keynotes conducted in a plenary session stand in contrast to other events during the day which are concurrent panels on various topics. After a lengthy conversation and a short bit of soul-searching, in the end I turned the opportunity down.
What happened was that I realized that my standards for diversity have changed. Especially for events that are young-skewing and the planning is in the control of what I consider to be open and diverse thinkers, I need more of a commitment to diversity than "just one." In this case, it was "just one" woman--me--and zero people of color out of the 6 scheduled speakers. I just can't-- or I guess I decided I just won't-- fill the "token" slot, even if I'm being asked to join for business or straight-up smart reasons, which I believe was the case. I realize that by turning it down, the risk is great that I will be replaced with someone that will lead to zero diversity. But, like I said, I truly feel that we are at the point where it doesn't matter if there's "just one." It makes everyone feel fine while it changes absolutely nothing. Research shows that it's less effective--or even ineffective--in the corporate suite and on corporate boards, too.
In 2017, B-school classes are almost 50/50 male female, and approximately 1/3rd to 40% international and/of color. And I don't need articles to prove it to me. For the past five years I've taught at Wharton, and elsewhere, occasionally. The classes I teach absolutely look like the stats cited. We have at various times taken on the topic of the gap between the way the class looks--meaning visible diversity and diversity of background and origin, everything from citizenship to veteran status-- and the way the C-suite and boardrooms still look. The students seem truly bewildered when we discuss my observations as to how and why they are complicit in maintaining that gap.
So I was talking to this bright young woman, silenty shocked as she proudly noted the great company of keynoters I would be in, as a selling point. When I asked Jessica if she realized that the 5 out of the other 5 keynoters were 100% white and male, and whether that mattered, I was unsurprised to hear that yes, it mattered to her-- but also a bit stunned to hear the same reasons that we hear from the status quo over and over-- "it's really hard." "we tried." "well i know it's not an excuse but the panels are more diverse--it's easier when it's lower profile." And also, "I am the only woman on the organizing committee so…" So, the implication being, it's harder to take a stand. Harder to say "this is unacceptable," or actually I don't know exactly because by this point in the conversation I was trying to help, not harm the situation more by blaming this one person who I didn't even know.
We basically ended by saying that although I had never declined a speaking opportunity for this reason of "one is not enough," that the time had come. I apologized for the timing being such that it affected her conference. I also offered that if someone drops out, or they found the right way to add an additional keynote or "demote" one of the keynoters to another role that I'd be proud to be one of two worthy women or people of color. I volunteered to send them a list, now or next time around.
What I didn't say was that I wish these folks luck when they continue to not get hired, not get promoted, and not make partner. They are their own worst enemy if, with all the smarts and advantages and education in the entire world, they don't seize the opportunity to do the easiest things in the world, ones that they are in control of now, in their young lives. This is the time that they can program their day as they want to the world to be, not the way it is, with zero fear of negative impact.
After this week of baseless prejudice on naked display, I just decided to take a different stance. Something has got to change, somehow. But it was still a really weird experience-- or I guess more accurately it feels really weird to have made that choice.
The LZ Sunday Paper marches on: a must-read digest of news, hand-picked by me, for you, about and by women in business, politics, media, the arts and pop culture.
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You can follow me on Twitter or on Insta @LZSundayPaper
When things are looking down, you can get a shared perspective @LZFloors. I found two letters on the ground, separated by 200 miles, last week. It felt unimportantly karmic.
See you next week.
LZ
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THE PIC(K) OF THE WEEK:
Stop Pretending Melania Trump Is A Victim via Ebony
NEWS, POLITICS:
Nobody Wanted To Take Us In: The Story Of Jared Kushner's Family, And Mine via The Nation
Clinics For World's Vulnerable Brace For Trump's Anti-Abortion Cuts via The New York Times
U.S. Judge Blocks Fetal Tissue Burial Rule via The Statesman
Trump Draft Executive Order: No Funding For UN Abortions or Sterilization via The Daily Beast
Russia Parliament Votes 380-3 To Decriminalize Domestic Violence via USA Today
Why Did Planned Parenthood Supporters Vote For Trump? via The Daily Beast
The Future Of The Left Is Female via New York Magazine
The Much Needed Humor Of The Women's March via The New Yorker
BUSINESS, TECH, MEDIA:
Inside The Mind Of The Male and Female CEO: Should we mind the gap? via Medium
Lean Out: The Deafening Post-November Silence Of Sheryl Sandberg via Pando Daily
6-Year Old Girls Already Have Gendered Beliefs About Intelligence via The Atlantic
Why Women Quit Working: It's Not For The Reasons Men Do via The New York Times
NY Times Apologizes For Much-Ridiculed Story About Fathers via The Huffington Post
ARTS, FASHION, SPORTS, LIT, & POP CULTURE:
Hollywood Scandals: Why Men Crush Them and Women Are Crushed By Them via Marie Claire
A Key To 'Vanity Fair's' Annual Actress Spread, A Rich Commentary On Current Affairs via Slate
Natalie Portman's 4 Steps-- Some Simple, Some Not-- To Becoming Jackie Kennedy via The LA Times
Constance Wu Says Casey Affleck's Potential Oscar Win 'Will Be A Nod To Trump's' via Jezebel
This Black Woman Produced A Film That Is Nominated For Six Oscars via The Huffington Post
MISCELLANY:
Mill Rae, Once A Retreat For Suffragists, Earns Its Place In History via Curbed
AND WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT:
Joan Jett and The Blackhearts: Love Is All Around (The Mary Tyler Moore Show Theme) via YouTube
The LZ Sunday Paperâ„¢ launched at the dawn of 2014. We expose and recirculate interesting content that is about, and frequently by, women in business, with a dose of ultra-relevant culture. We think that culture comes high and low, not much in between. Our audience is vast and not gender-driven. Every week we expect to deliver at least one good laugh. Send suggestions, clips, or names of people you think might enjoy this to LZSundayPaper@gmail.com.
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