Skip to main content

Women's History Month Part 2

                                  

I never thought that I would start writing with a definition from Wikipedia. I was so happy that the definition shown there included the word feminist. In my generational growth, the “Glass Ceiling” was spoken of quite often in magazine articles, women’s magazines in particular and even movies.

A glass ceiling is a metaphor used to represent an invisible barrier that prevents a given demographic from rising beyond a certain level in a hierarchy. The metaphor was first coined by feminists in reference to barriers in the careers of high-achieving women. Wikipedia

The two women we will read about next, had dreams, goals, families and the drive to shatter the                “ Glass Ceiling”

Indra Nooyi, 

When I first read about Mrs. Nooyi I was quite moved. I personally have not agreed with many of her outspoken statements. Even though I do not agree with them all, but I am fascinated by her approach to taking on challenges. 

Being an immigrant woman and being a family person, Mrs. Nooyi embodied a certain type of drive. As a Yale business school graduate, she pushed her way forward to achieve. Her story and memories of the first time she worked for an American company in India, show the cultural and diverse thinking that she started to bring to the table early in her career.

Years later, she embodied the forward momentum needed to take a major company into “new” ways of looking at products. As CEO of PepsiCo, Mrs. Nooyi introduced Baked Lays chips and Naked drinks made from fruits and vegetables. Both items became mainstays in the American Market.

Mrs. Nooyi’s book “My Life in Full” is an excellent road map to the making of a woman of the times. She traveled to many places before achieving this remarkable and yet attainable goal. 

This brings me to the former CEO of Xerox, Ursula M. Burns. Mrs. Burns' story of breaking the “Glass Ceiling” resonates also as a sign of those times. In 2009 she became the first Black female to hold the position as a CEO at a Fortune 500 company. She followed in the footsteps of the outgoing CEO Anne Mulcahey. Two women in a row as CEOs of a major corporation!

Ursula Burns was raised in low-income housing in lower Manhattan, NYC. Ursula was one of three children born to her Panamanian Immigrant parents. Ursula raised a family, nurtured her marriage and created a positive environment at XEROX. 

As an Engineer utilizing her areas of expertise during a 29-year career at Xerox prior to becoming the CEO, Ursula raised many “ceilings”.

I hope these blurbs raise your interest to read about these remarkable women.


    


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Social Justice Presentations 2

The DKG California STEP committee has created 3 more social justice presentations for your enjoyment, reflection and personal/professional development. These presentations can be used by individuals or groups or even for chapter programs.  Please read the following descriptions to learn what each presentation has to offer: How To Be an Antiracist Ally View this presentation to learn what you can do to be an antiracist ally. Are you unsure about what is entailed with being an antiracist and/or ally? This presentation will help to clarify the terms as well as give you ideas of actions you can take.  Racism This presentation answers the question: What is racism? It also explains how race is a socially constructed concept rather than biological fact. It encourages you to consider the role of race and racism in your life.  Teaching With the Social Justice Standards This presentation provides information about what the social justice standards are and where you can find them in addition to o
2 comments
Read more

Resources For Teaching For Racial Justice

We are all watching the demonstrations happening right now in response to the many years of discrimination and oppression of people of color and wondering what we can do as educators to help ensure that our society does better moving forward. As educators we have the power and the ability to be part of the solution. There are many resources available that can help guide us on that journey. We hope that the books,websites and resources below will empower you to help make the change that is needed right now.  We must also acknowledge that every teacher comes to issues of race differently based on their own experiences and identity/ies. White educators have a special responsibility to increase their own understanding and to listen when they are fortunate enough to hear about the experiences of their colleagues of color. However, we must ensure that the burden of informing others about the history and experience of racism does not rest on the shoulders of our colleagues and fr
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Workshop and Balanced Literacy?

    We have all heard about the pendulum of literacy instruction that forever seems to swing back and forth between isolated phonics instruction and/or diving right into immersing children in reading and writing experiences. Another way of looking at the possibilities for literacy instruction is a more balanced approach that incorporates benefits from both sides of the Whole Language vs Phonics debate. If we use a balanced literacy approach for our literacy instruction, students can benefit from explicit, direct instruction in Phonics as well as engage in authentic reading and writing experiences. Reading and Writing Workshop are integral to a balanced literacy approach in addition to other foundational practices such as: shared reading, interactive writing, guided reading and Phonics or word work, just to name a few.  For the purposes of this post, reading and writing workshop are defined as structures that have the following components: daily, succinct mini-lessons for the who
1 comment
Read more