#WRENThisTogether
Virtual Summit

WREN seeks to create cultivate workplaces that allow for all people to thrive and we address that via legislative action and private sector partnerships. WREN has advocated for and passed policies to support workers (Lactation Support and Pregnancy Accommodations) as well as published informational guides for partners in the private sector to make internal policy changes (Power Up the Workplace). This panel aims to give an overview of the workplace protections that South Carolina has in place, address the supports that are still needed, and provide examples of how private sector employers can implement change. After the panel, participants will be invited to engage in breakout rooms on questions related to the topic.

CONTENT WARNING: Please note that in this series, we will be discussing responses to harm. As a result, during the webinars there may be some explicit mention or discussion of harms such as interpersonal violence, abuse, sexism, racism, and white supremacy. In South Carolina, we face multiple threats to public health like widespread evictions, record unemployment, climate disaster, violence, and police brutality. These crises, worsened by COVID-19, bring into sharp focus the reality that we cannot rely on the state to protect our communities. Aparna Polavarapu will lead us through a workshop to examine some of the basic tenets of transformative justice, discuss strategies to build accountability, map out sources of support to get us through times of crisis, and explore the challenges of applying these practices at the community level. During the second half of the workshop, participants will be invited to engage in breakout groups to further explore the principles and practice of transformative justice.

According to Paid Leave For All, "Only 19 percent of U.S. workers have access to paid family leave through an employer and only 40 percent have access to short-term disability insurance." Comprehensive guaranteed paid leave is essential for the well-being and ability to thrive for families in South Carolina and across our nation. In acknowledgement of paid leave as a form of self-care and access to paid leave being important for individual and collective self-care, session 3 will begin and conclude with a mini mindfulness/breathwork session facilitated by Brailey Johnson. The opening session will highlight the work being done on behalf of comprehensive paid leave and help us to collectively reimagine a world with adequate access to paid leave for all. Tanesha QueenItShallBe Hall, a Columbia-based storyteller and poet will engage participants by weaving individual paid leave stories into the larger narrative of the fight for paid leave.

As the last few years have shown, South Carolina is a state capable of progressive change. Young people all across South Carolina are leading movements that are changing the trajectory of our state. Yet, too often their work is not recognized for what it is-- leadership. Join this session as we learn from a high school and college students making a difference today. Take time to listen and learn.

The gender and racial wealth gap, or the difference in wealth by gender and race, constrains the economic security and mobility of women, their families, and communities in South Carolina. The wealth gap will certainly widen in the COVID-19 global recession, which is disproportionately affecting women of color and their families. We all have a responsibility – including our nation’s public and private sector leaders, from policymakers to corporate CEOs – to reimagine a more just economy. We must go beyond breaking down the barriers to economic security for women and create new policies that enable all people to live with dignity. This panel aims to raise awareness and inspire action to close the gap and advance economic dignity in South Carolina. It will define the gender and racial wealth gap; quantify the gap in South Carolina; highlight some of the factors that create and perpetuate it, and offer high-level policy recommendations.

Hear from renowned author Rebecca Traister as the keynote for #WRENThisTogether. Traister, an award-winning journalist and author, has become a leading voice on feminism and women in politics. Her writing has also sparked conversations on how the 2008 election reopened discussions of gender, generational differences, feminism, and sexism across party lines.