Buffalo: Leaders Must Rise to The Challenge

Issue 199 — May 23, 2022

First, say their names: Margus D. Morrison, 52; Andre Mackneil, 53; Aaron Salter, 55; Geraldine Talley, 62; Celestine Chaney, 65; Heyward Patterson, 67; Katherine Massey, 72; Pearl Young, 77; and Ruth Whitfield 86. On behalf of all of us at Take The Lead, we mourn the loss of their lives and stand in solidarity with their loved ones.

Read More

Rethinking Britney: Protection or Patriarchy

Issue 170 — June 28, 2021

My weekly zoom with women friends who have been staying in touch through the pandemic recently focused on how hard it is to get old ideas and solutions out of their heads when a new and better one has been proven more effective.

The examples mostly came from the world of science and medicine, starting with Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis who was hounded out of the medical profession in the 19th century. Dr. Semmelweis observed that simply washing hands after treating other patients could significantly reduce maternal mortality. Despite a growing body of scientific papers that backed up his theory, most physicians refused to change their traditional practices, and eventually had Semmelweis committed to an institution where he died.

Read More

How long till justice? Juneteenth symbolizes both question and answer

Growing up deep in the heart of Texas, I learned in (segregated) school that Juneteenth was a big celebration day for Black people because it marked the date on which the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, finally reached Texas on June 19th, 1865.

This date, when federal troops arrived in Galveston to take control of the state after the Civil War, at last ended the egregious practice of legal human slavery in the United States.

Read More

#Dontmesswithme: Nancy, Bella, Gabrielle, Tarana, Melinda, Oby, and Other Women’s Lessons in the Power of Your Voice

Like so many women of her generation, especially those first to hold powerful leadership roles, Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi displays a measured affect even under the most challenging situations. Despite being perpetually in one political cauldron or another, she wears the elegant mask of a woman who learned long ago how to avoid being disregarded as too emotional, too angry, or even the slightest bit out of control.

Read More

Why Women Should Go for “Impossible” Jobs

Greetings from Arizona where I’m up reading (time zone change) with no one else awake to talk to about this horrible article The Next CEO Of Wells Fargo Will Be A Female…Human Shield, subtitled “Giving the worst job in American banking to a woman is the wrong way to make history.”

Read More

How to Celebrate Labor Day: Sit in the High Seats

Issue 106 — September 2, 2019 Are you one of the 46 percent of Americans who’ll barbecue over Labor Day weekend? Will it be ribs, hot dogs, burgers, or veggies? Or will you be one of the 25 percent who’ll be shopping? Google “Labor Day” and the majority of top hits involve Labor Day sales. These and other…

Read More

Power Is Just Different for Women for All Kinds of Good Reasons.

Issue 98 — June 17, 2019 A tweet I was mentioned last week caught my eye because it got retweeted multiple times. It highlighted the “Working Women’s Handbook.” “The workplace still isn’t equal,” starts the article’s accurate tagline. The next part, “Learn to dodge the landmines, fight bias and not burn out in the process,” raised a warning flag.…

Read More