It's a cold and snowy January...hope you are all managing well in these last few weeks of winter break.
This week's wisdom celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and his legacy. I hope that all of us have had some time this week to be part of some activity commemorating this wonderful American hero.
His efforts and the Civil Rights movement (where he was both participant and leader) focused attention on racial, gender, economic, and social inequalities in America.
His legacy calls us to keep working for equity through non-violent actions. His emphasis on working in a "beloved community" resonates with me and for me, SUNY is one of the communities I belong to and support.
Our WIT is one way that we can join together to work towards diversity, equity, and inclusion.
I also want to highlight an interesting effort to increase representation for women in the science/tech fields through boosting their online profiles and biographical information. Creating visibility for the achievements of women is an action that can lead to more equity. Did you know that women are still underrepresented in biographical research sources? I recently came across this statistic from a 2022 Washington Post article:
"Just 19 percent of English Wikipedia biographies are of women, according to WikiProject Women in Red, a group dedicated to addressing Wikipedia’s gender gap." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Women_in_Red
The article highlights Dr. Jess Wade who has dedicated time to changing that! And she is not alone according to the article, "Emily Temple-Wood, 28, has also become known for writing Wikipedia pages about female scientists." And then they sparked even more action..."Farah Qaiser is a member of 500 Women Scientists and a participant in what the organization calls the “Wiki Wolfpack.” She got involved after reading an op-ed by Wade and fellow scientist Maryam Zaringhalam."
Read more online at https://wapo.st/3O2YrAa
Perhaps joining this effort, and focusing on SUNY Women biographies could be a future WIT activity? The idea had been suggested a while ago by Plattsburgh Biology Faculty member Dr. Nancy Elwess in a local Plattsburgh conversation...maybe it's time has come?
Meanwhile, stay cozy!
All the best,
Holly
WIT Weekly Wisdom: A message for SUNY WIT list subscribers on the topics of Connecting, Learning, Stretching, Teaching, Reaching, and Balancing.
Have a suggestion for a WIT Weekly Wisdom message? Contact Holly Heller-Ross @ hellerhb@plattsburgh.edu
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