Episode 01: Women and their Platforms.
In addition to our normal episodes, we will also have a segment called In The Room. We both realised that we are incredibly fortunate that our jobs often have us on the road traveling and attending some epic conferences with some incredible speakers. Realising that we are very fortunate to be able to be in these rooms, we wanted to share with you, our audience, what we hear and learn from these speakers.
On the panel, Jill Soloway talks about affirmative action with regards to hiring more trans people. They did exactly that for their hit TV series Transparent. Although they did bring up something extremely important which is this understanding that it isn’t as simple as finding the person and giving them a job. That’s actually a privileged situation to be in. What is actually happening is far from this simple - you need to return to it every single day. It’s an ongoing work that takes time to evolve.
Soloway is certainly not shy when it comes to talking about overthrowing the patriarchy. They actually had this advice during the panel for white men - “it’s shocking there aren’t more men asking what can I do?” so if you are wondering how you can help this feels like a good place to start. Soloway talked about the hate that is often present within such debates and she has this to say; “it’s too painful […]. The hate is often from white men protecting their dominance.”
Michele Norris-Johnson talked about her project the Race Card Project and how six words can really spark a conversation. When asked what was next, Norris-Johnson talks about wanting there to be a space where people listen to each other.
Norris-Johnson reminds us, as she speaks to the whole room, that we are still too rare [talking about women with a voice]. There are not enough women with a platform and the culture default is white. middle class and CIS. She leaves us with these wise words “Use your voice, don’t sit on it.’
Emily Dreyfuss spoke candidly about being a working mum, and her wonderful experience interviewing for her new job at Protocol whilst being “exceedingly pregnant”. She also emphasized the importance of leading by example, something that she is eager to do in her new role at Protocol.
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