iWOMAN hosted its first “Global Spotlight on Women” thought symposium on September 19th to empower women from the C-Suite to Hollywood to address inequities that adversely impact working women. The event brought together 80 of the top women executives from the entertainment industry, business, and banking, along with several world leaders and other industries that support doing business in New York City. The Global Spotlight on Women featured panels of women at the top of their fields to make a joint pact to ensure women are treated equally in all industries, paying special attention to the jobs in media and entertainment.
On a beautifully warm fall day, women from across industries gathered at Gracie Mansion, home of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, to dissect issues related to gender-pay equity and DEI. The women then came up with solutions-based action items that highlight the steps city agencies and other organizations can take to foster a more inclusive women-forward agenda.
The event kicked off with a chance for attendees to meet and mingle, fostering an environment where women at the top of their game could network and get to know the other changemakers in their industries. After sparking new connections and meeting new friends, attendees filed into the ballroom to begin the day’s important conversations vital to advancing the city’s women-forward plans.
While everyone enjoyed a vegan meal, specially prepared by Mayor Adams’ personal chef, legendary television, film, and theater producer Debra Martin Chase set the tone with an inspirational fireside chat, hosted by iWoman founder, Cathleen Trigg-Jones. Martin Chase spoke about her time coming up in the industry as a Black woman, and the difficulties she faced during her climb to the top to eventually being named "One of the Ten Most Bankable African American Producers in Hollywood" by Black Enterprise Magazine. Her lucrative career is a testament to how hard work pays off, but Martin Chase says her passion for the industry and desire to see more stories on the big screen featuring people who looked like her, was the driving force that led to her success.
However, it was when she landed her deal with Walt Disney after her work on “The Princess Diaries,” Martin Chase said she realized she was one of the first, if not the only, Black woman to get such a deal. She says it helped that she had people people in important positions truly believe in her and her vision. Martin Chase continues to break barriers in the entertainment industry and paves the way for the generations that walk behind her.
Following Martin Chase's inspirational story, two panels featured speakers breaking down the problems and impact of pay equity. The goal of this first discussion was to highlight gender pay equity in the workplace and the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that have become vital to a successful company culture in the past few years.
Moderator and former head of DEIA at Amazon, Latasha Gillespie, started our panelists off by asking how we can take DEI initiatives seen globally and apply them more locally. Panelist Claudia Romo Edelman has first-hand experience with this aspect of DEI with her organization We Are All Human, which specifically works on creating more equitable environments for all across the globe.
A highlight of the first panel was the discussion of pay equity and “like for like” jobs. Panelists Sideya Sherman, Erika Irish Brown, and Stacie de Armas all offered up the same question: How can we have pay equity when higher paying roles are not filled with diverse candidates to begin with? Women and people of color get paid significantly less than men, and part of that discrepancy can be attributed to these women and people of color not even having the opportunity to work these high-paying jobs in the first place. Could this be because roles that are generally held by women and people of color are undervalued, therefore given lower salaries, because they are roles typically held by women and people of color?
This led into the second panel of the day, “The Action Plan. Problems cannot be solved without solutions.” The next panel featured experts who have taken bold actions in their DEI roles and solved problems in meaningful and measurable ways.
Alia Jones-Harvey, Associate Commissioner of Workforce Development & Educational Initiatives for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment, discussed how New York City has done exceptional work at hiring female-led productions to shoot television and film in NYC. However, this is still relatively exclusive to NYC, and they want to work to make that more prevalent in all production locations, not just here. If other cities can see the biggest city in the country has prioritized working with women and investing in female entrepreneurs then maybe it will inspire them to follow suit.
Nadja Webb, EVP of Programming Business Operations at BET Networks, echoed the importance of having diverse teams not just on productions but in all industries. Diversity is good business, and it drives engagement.
Another changemaker on the panel was Esi Eggleston Bracey, the Chief Growth & Marketing Officer at Unilever. Her efforts to propel diversity, equity, and inclusion in her industry and beyond have been extremely successful. She was one of the driving forces in getting Crown Act legislation written and passed. The Crown Act is a law that prohibits discrimination in the workplace based on hair. Historically, Black men and women have been told their natural hairstyles are “unprofessional,” with companies forcing these employees to cut their hair or change the way they wear it to better fit with the Western European standard of beauty. The Crown Act prohibits this behavior, protecting employees from being discriminated against because of their hairstyle. So far, 28 states have passed the Crown Act.
Each of the panelists featured have been created with making meaningful changes in their industries in an attempt to level the playing field for women and minorities. When Shannon Steel, Founder of Steel Private Bank, found out she was not being given the same opportunities in finance as the men around her were, she took matters into her own hands. She paid for her own series, books, and capital in order to become a stockbroker. She quickly became one of the top stockbrokers at her firm, and now owns her own bank.
Hearing these women speak passionately and share not only their own stories, but the struggles of other women in the room resulted in an insightful and inspiring afternoon filled with many emotions. Attendees left feeling connected and empowered, eager to continue the work they are doing to advance DEI in their respective industries.
The first Global Spotlight on Women was a smashing success, thanks to the collaboration of so many women and women-led companies that supported iWOMAN and Cathleen Trigg-Jones’ vision to create a space where women at the top of their game could come together to discuss the changing landscape of diversity, equity, and inclusion across industries. These women are the leaders of the future generation and are doing a phenomenal job to ensure workplace diversity and equal pay are not just a hope for the future, but a reality right now.
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