Monday Musings: Women in Translation + Black Women's Equal Pay 7/31/17

LIFE UPDATE

 I have not posted on my blog since June. In that time I have been working on more writing and dealing with an ankle injury. My ankle injury put me really behind at work as well as personnel changes at my law firm. 

Long story short just going to work and taking care of my home life has monopolized a lot of my time for the past few months. I have been reading but very slowly, and I have many reviews I will be writing this month. For authors and publishers who have been contacting me, I sincerely apologize but plan on getting to your emails sometime this week.

In other news I did win an award for my work and I am proud. It's hard to photograph because it is very glossy

WOMEN IN TRANSLATION MONTH

August is women in translation month. #WITMonth began in 2014 to raise awareness about women in translation receiving less attention for their works. You can participate in the conversation by using the hashtag on twitter and following  Women in Translation on Twitter: @Read_WIT.

The Women in Translation website is a great resource for announcements and suggested works that you should check out.

The Organizers have included the following suggestions for how you can participate.

1. Booksellers and librarians: Make a #WITMonth table and promote your favorite books by women writers in translation, alongside newer releases. If someone is looking for some different recommendations, help guide them to some of the brilliant women in translation out there.
2. Bloggers and journalists: Talk about the issue! Look at your own stats and ratios, question your reading biases. Address the issue and help raise awareness.
3. Reviewers: Review new and backlog titles by women writers in translation, from all languages and from all over the world. Help bring these books to the public’s notice.
4. Publishers: Release your existing ratios and acknowledge any imbalances you might have. Try to find more of the brilliant women writers we all know are writing in all sorts of languages, all over the world. If you’re struggling, see the lists compiled by women critics and translators for LitHub.
5. Readers: Read, discuss, and share. Please use the #WITMonth tag as much as you can.

BLACK WOMEN"S EQUAL PAYDAY

July 31st is #BlackWomensEqualPay Day it is a campaign being promoted by Equal Pay Today, that seeks to raise awareness about the troubling wage gap black women face in the workforce.

Visit www.blackwomensequalpayday.org for more details. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter at @equalpay2dayorg and at https://www.facebook.com/EqualPayToday/.

Facts from the National Women's Law Center

Black women’s wage gap has persisted for decades.

• In 1967, the earliest year for which data are available, a Black woman working full time, year round typically made only 43 cents for every dollar paid to white men.
• By 2015, the most recent year for which data are available, that gap had narrowed by 20 cents, but Black women working full time, year round were still only paid 63 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.

Black women are over represented in low wage jobs, and underrepresented in high wage jobs.

• Black women make up 10 percent of the low wage workforce, or jobs that typically pay less than $11 per hour, or about $22,880 annually, while they make up just 6.2 percent of the overall workforce.
• Black women’s share of the high wage workforce—jobs that pay more than $48 per hour, or about $100,000 annually, is less than half their representation in the overall workforce. They make up only 2.7 percent of workers in these jobs, but 6.2 percent of the overall workforce.

As a young black attorney this reality reminds me of just how much work is left to do to end the wage gap and address institutionalized racism. Black women excel and work just as hard as their counter parts but the wage gap contributes to the wealth gap in black communities. The wage gap doesn't even address the emotional toil experiencing racism while working and dealing with clients has on minorities in the work place. Support those who are marginalized around you and remember that although the world is not fair, but you can still make a difference in it.