HERSTORY
Roots
I grew up navigating between steel mill and farming communities in Pennsylvania's rust belt, on ancestral lands of the Shawnee peoples. In this macho, traditional setting, schools closed on the first day of deer-hunting season and women had few career options outside of the home.
In this relatively mono-cultural milieu, religious, ethnic, and class differences loomed large. Marriage between Protestants and Catholics was taboo.'Being American', (preferably of Northern European descent), was the ideal. Second languages were shamed- my grandparents stopped speaking German after WWI. Italians, Polish, and Irish Americans were widely viewed as an underclass.
These attitudes informed my lifetime interest in reducing social and gender inequity. A serial solo-preneur, my previous careers have been in advertising and family support, (train-the-trainer, and working with families directly.)
In this relatively mono-cultural milieu, religious, ethnic, and class differences loomed large. Marriage between Protestants and Catholics was taboo.'Being American', (preferably of Northern European descent), was the ideal. Second languages were shamed- my grandparents stopped speaking German after WWI. Italians, Polish, and Irish Americans were widely viewed as an underclass.
These attitudes informed my lifetime interest in reducing social and gender inequity. A serial solo-preneur, my previous careers have been in advertising and family support, (train-the-trainer, and working with families directly.)
