Equal Pay Day: Pittsburgh

"Choose a field, choose a job, doesn't matter, we get robbed. Women's wages are crawling along..." were the first words I heard as I made my way over the the middle of Market Square during this afternoon's Equal Pay Day rally, organized by the Women and Girls Foundation. Last year, while I was still in my undergrad at Seton Hill, I planned an Equal Pay Day rally for Greensburg, Pa, with a grant from the Women and Girls Foundation so I felt compelled to go and show my support today in Market Square.

Signs like this were everywhere! Will Work for Change!

Each year, since 2005, the Women and Girls Foundation has been organizing and supporting these rallies all over the place so it was exciting for me to see this rally and hear the messages since this was the "main" Equal Pay Day rally. Before it all started, women (and men!) were gathering around and checking out the information booths set up near the middle of the square of different women's rights groups. Among them were the Women and Girls Foundation, the YWCA, the Women's Law Project, New Voices of Pittsburgh, AAUW and some others that I'm probably forgetting, but who are just as important. It was so great to see all of these groups joined together for the day; handing out information, registering voters, selling PayDay candy bars (my favorite!), collecting tote bags to give to families who rely on the food bank, signing petitions that deal with women's issues and just all kinds of interesting little projects going on. The energy of the event was empowering in itself!

Heather Arnet speaking at the rally.

As I said, last year I planned an event like this in Greensburg and even though it was pouring that day, I was so surprised at our turnout and how many people came out to support the cause and essentially, stand up for such a big issue while standing in the rain. I'm still was so surprised by how many people, women and men, support this issue, yet nothing seems to be done about it. While, Heather Arnet, who as of today was added to my list of favorite women, and is the CEO of the Women and Girls Foundation said that the wage gap in Southwestern Pennsylvania has gotten smaller in the last few years (from 69 cents to every dollar men make, to now 77 cents) what's disheartening is that there still is a wage gap. The fact that I may one day land an awesome position in a company and be paid less than the guy next to me, while we're doing the same job, blows my mind. But I know that I would negotiate and stand my ground until something about that changed. I also know that I will actually more than likely be working harder than that guy and it will be easy for me to prove that because I'm a go-getter, so I can fight for myself, but it's women who think they cannot do that who I want to support.

Pay Day 2011 in Greensburg - Thank God for Victoria's Secret umbrellas!

That's why I love these rallies, I love that there are strong women, standing up for themselves, while standing up for their sisters. Nothing makes me more upset than girl vs. girl crap in the corporate world or in life in general. I know that sometimes I'm guilty of this too, but it's time that we stand together as women - nothing will change until we make that change.

A couple of things that I loved about this rally were 1) so many younger voices! I'm so tired of this generation being called apathetic, to see younger women and men in the crowd and speaking made me so proud. 2) when it was said that for women there is no disconnect between educational, reproductive or economic issues and that they all connect to each other - this point is so true and needs to be treated as such, and 3) "When will we stop being nice about inequality?" - I'm wondering the same thing. I don't think that if the tables were turned that men would be as nice as women have been about this issue. So I guess if we want paid like the boys, it's time we act like them when it comes to issues that matter to us...only we'll do it with class, and for me and I'm sure some others...in heels.

Why I'm supporting #stopkony

I know that everyone has their own opinion on this subject and in light of recent events, I thought this would be a good time to let the world know about why I am still on the "Kony bandwagon." But let's get some things straight first. The number one reason why I support this campaign is because I am more than blessed to be an American and I take that for granted everyday. I truly believe that just because some child was born anywhere else, doesn't mean they shouldn't have the same freedoms I've been given, just by being born.  And number two, there is no denying that this was/is/probably will always be the absolute greatest use of social media and the best viral campaign ever created.

On a professional level, I am currently earning my masters in Public Relations and Advertising and social media has completely transformed this industry. Now, thanks to the KONY 2012 video and the rest of the campaign that is being supported by Invisible Children, anyone can see how important social media is in being able to get free publicity, wide access to your audience and a long shelf-life for your ideas since the Internet keeps track of them forever. Why does this matter? Because it is the main reason I'm writing this blog, and as mentioned above, the second greatest reason why I'm supporting this campaign. But to really get into this argument, lets look at what most of the critics of the campaign are saying and why they think we shouldn't support it.

1. Jason Russell is a/an (insert any degrading comment here).
All I have to say to this one is "let he who is without sin, cast the first stone." Now, I'm not one to throw Bible verses around at people because most of the time I think it's being pompous, but I think this is well deserved in this case. Do not tell me not to support a cause because the leader is a "douche bag," "criminal," "liar," "self-righteous," or because you think he could easily be labeled as "that guy." Shut. Up. When you are able to create a video that gets over a billion views in one night that talks about helping anyone besides yourself, then we'll talk. However, until that time, I do not wish to hear any more negativity about a man who is just trying to do what he thinks is right, in the best way he can think of. My main man, Gandhi said "be the change you wish to see in the world," and Jason is being that change. Granted, no man is perfect, but I would like to see how anyone else would react to the attention that Jason and his crew are getting right now, I'm sure any of us would have some issues with that much positive and negative attention being thrown at us. (As a side note: leave his kids out of any arguments you may try to say against this, they are children and shouldn't be put up against adults with nothing good say.)

I have no rights to this poster, use at your own risk.

2. Only 30% of the funds Invisible Children raise actually helps the cause
Then support the way the video asks you to for the first 20 out of 30 minutes...through spreading the word. Sharing the video and the progress of the campaign through social media, make your own posters for the event on April 20th, and if you want a t-shirt of KONY, get some iron-on letters from WalMart. The only thing the video asks you to do, until about the last 10 minutes of it, is spread the word and let Kony's name be known to the government and celebrities, and the only way to do that is through sharing of the video, keeping the dialog about Kony open and if you feel the need to, writing or tweeting to them, all of which are free for you to do - especially if you do all of that through the Internet. Imagine that, not spending a dime of your precious money.

3. People from Uganda should be leading this movement
This one I agree with. Now that the word has been spread a good bit and the public is well aware of what is going on, now is the time to get people who know the area, the traditions and the culture of Uganda to the front of the movement. I agree that the children are only invisible because they are covered up by the organization, now that they are in the minds of billions of people, it's time to bring their voices to the forefront.

4. The video lied about the numbers
Usually I hear this in reference to the fact that the video makes it sound like 30,000 children were forced into Kony's army in one year when actually it has been over the course of about 30 years. To be blunt, if you think that it is better that this has been happening to children for the past 30 years, which averages out to be about 10,000 children per year rather than the 30,000 in one year that the video makes it out to be, you are a moron. ONE child forced into an army led by a brutal, senseless leader is more than necessary to start a movement for peace.

5. Stopping Kony will stop nothing
Kony, by not even trying to make the effort, we, not only have failed the children currently in his army, but we fail the generations and generations to come after us. By not trying to end the evil we know about in any way we can we are openly allowing for it to continue into the future. We are saying that the lives of those children do not matter and that Kony is right.

News flash everyone...Kony is not right. And though this campaign might not be right either, it's the best we've got for right now. The only way to bring peace to the world is to support it and live it. If everyone did that, we wouldn't be having this argument, Kony wouldn't exist. But since he does, and since so many children knew about him long before two weeks ago when the video was blasted around the Internet, we must do something now that we know. This won't be the end of the fight for justice, but it's a start. If we ever want anything to change, we've got to start making it happen. KONY 2012 is giving us that start.

Shalom.