Kudos to OK Ethics, Shannon Warren and Tom Hill

The Oklahoman ran an op-ed recently by Shannon Warren, founder of the Oklahoma Business Ethics Consortium (aka OK Ethics)) entitled Honoring Ethical Businesses in State. This new organization has over 700 members and recently honored 3 businesses Express Employment Professionals, Kimray, Inc and Retirement Investment Advisors. They also honored  Kimray Chairman Tom Hill who also founded the Character First Institute for his strong ethical leadership in the Oklahoma business community. Well done all.

May 2010 Issue of Oklahoma Magazine Celebrates OK Women

The May issue of Oklahoma Magazine is out and Trisha Yearwood is on the cover. The May issue is always dedicated to notable Oklahoma women. This year honorees include Jo Rowan, Paula Marshall, Dr. Lam Le, Nancy Randolph Davis, Sandy Garrett, Ruth Addison, Allison Price, and The Shock (Tulsa's wonderful WNBA team)!  Also some businesswomen, some women's stores and Wine, Women and Shoes!   Check it all out at
http://www.okmag.com/currentissue/index.cfm?

Florence Mubichi and Designated Lactation Rooms for New Moms

Portia Wu, Vice President of the National Partnership for Women and Families, sent me an email recently that began:

Can you believe it? Some employers think they can tell new moms who need to express milk to just use the bathroom!

We think not. And fortunately it’s a scenario that tens of thousands of new moms won’t have to face any longer.

The new health reform law includes an important provision that requires employers to provide covered workers reasonable break time to express milk for up to one year after a child’s birth. They must also provide "a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from co-workers and the public."

It’s about time. Studies show that breast-feeding can help lead to healthy outcomes for women and children, and save billions in health costs. But until now, many women have had to stop breast-feeding — or never even start — because they couldn’t pump milk in their workplaces.

We have Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) for getting this provision into federal law. It is already the law in Oklahoma (although I don't know the degree to which Oklahoma companies comply).

As a matter of fact, I learned today that the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing is going to relocate their designated area for new mothers to a new room which will be decorated with artwork from Kenya and dedicate it to my dear friend, Florence Mubichi, who recently lost her battle with ovarian cancer. Here is their memorial to Florence who was on the OU College of Nursing faculty while she was working on her PhD.

Do You Know the Role Oklahoma Played in Winning Women's Right to Vote?

The National Women's History Project has announced the kick-off to a 10-year plan for the Woman Suffrage Centennial in 2020.

They will be working with The National Collaborative for Women's History Sites (NCWHS) to create a national clearinghouse for information on state-by-state Woman Suffrage celebrations leading up to the 100th Anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution on August 26, 2020. Their goal is the creation of a nationwide Woman Suffrage Trail highlighting the role of each state in the 72-year national campaign that won the right to vote for women.

The National Women's History Project has achieved great progress in their first 30 years of Writing Women Back into History.  Now it is time for Oklahomans and others to start thinking about how we want to celebrate the Woman Suffrage Centennial in 2020! If you have any thoughts, leave a comment please!

Remembering Wilma Mankiller

Former Cherokee Chief Wilma Mankiller died yesterday at the age of 64. She was a strong advocate for women's rights and Indian rights. Here are a couple of links that help tell the story of this remarkable woman.
Former Cherokee Chief Wilma Mankiller dies, Tulsa World, 4/6/10

Transcript of A Conversation with Wilma Mankiller, OETA. The video of this program will air Friday, April 9 at 9:00 pm on OETAs second channel OKLA.

Interview with Wilma Mankiller on Writing Out Loud.
Books by Wilma Mankiller.

(Thank you, Debbie Blank, League of Women Voters of Norman, for sharing this.)