I hope you’re energized after January 21st. Seeing all of the fierce women & feminist men from around the world in my social media at the Womens March has been heartwarming & gives me hope for having allies in the challenges ahead. I enjoyed being in New Orleans because I got to meet one of my Tulane/Newcomb Institute mentees in person & help her with her professional goals. Sharing my experiences with future generations of women leaders allows me to welcome those who are willing to share in the struggles & the work towards equity for all women. Minh Ngoc Nguyen was gracious enough to introduce me to wonderful people from the Vietnamese American community who bring resilience & add vibrancy to the New Orleans community such as the co-owners of Drip Affogato Juley Le & Anh T Vu & community leader Anna Nguyen. I’m thrilled to see how they are using their talents to bring awareness to issues important to all members of society. I have The Mister to thank for taking time to the Bywater area so that I could take this pic (if you have the time to read it, I highly recommend it). It reminds us that it will take sacrifice to protect those whose rights are trampled. Civil disobedience and calling out individuals/groups who think that we will stay silent is necessary in creating equality for all of us. We rise together.

Here’s Tuesday Truths!

• Looking for Action Items after the Women’s March? Here are 10 Actions for the First 100 Days. You can also get involved with your local elections – here’s how you can stay active.

• I wanted to share a piece that was written about the Women’s March that some may feel is an unpopular perspective. I know that my experience of having white women support my professional growth that there are white women who understand intersectionality and that there are white women who still need to be made aware that feminism includes recognition of diversity and inclusion. There is a disparity when it comes to the struggles that women of color have experience compared to white women and it’s important to understand that it’s just not the white woman’s perspective that needs to be the source of struggle in the women’s movement. Let’s not put women of color in the parentheses. Angela Peoples expressed this through a photo and later in an interview about how it’s important for white women to recognize that the same issues such as reproductive rights and equal pay affect women of color too. I stand with my fellow brown sisters so when you don’t include Asian Americans in the story along with African Americans, Native Americans & Latinxs then you’re erasing us from the narrative.

• I started journaling more so that I could better recognize emotions from my day and better understand how the root of my emotions affects my work. Described as emotional agility, it allows you to be more productive so you can assess the meanings behind your emotions. Here’s where you can evaluate those emotions and take necessary steps to increase your chances for wellness.

• Let’s raise a glass to toast all the 90-plus permanent White House staff who have worked to move in and welcome a new President in each administration. It is a matter of managed chaos and being well experienced to know how things are run. Major props for all of them since they have 5 hours to move one President out and another President into the White House. Fascinating read!

• The post that I’m sharing was written before the Trump Administration started, but it continues to be a good resource for those who are career government employees (those who didn’t have to resign as political appointees) and for those who are thinking about applying to work in the government (wasn’t there an announcement of a hiring freeze?). It provides guidance on how you can dissent from within if you think you’re being asked to do something unethical or illegal.

• I’ve had to go on a news detox because it was just too much. I’m pretty vigilant about the news sources that I read/watch so when I share materials, I try to vet them before I share any links. The uptick of fake news got me wondering how they were able to get so far in spreading non-facts and luckily, Melissa Ryan not only shares how these “news stories” were used as a form of attack but also how we can use their same tactics to spread legitimate stories.

Thanks for reading/sharing. Got a tip that you want to share? Send it to me! See you here next Tuesday!

— Madalene