The Women's Current

This week is all about a strong, inspiring woman. A horrid, nearly fatal car crash isn't keeping her down. I'm talking about Therese Plummer, a storyteller, performer of audiobooks and a woman who is an inspiration. In honor of Therese and wishing her a speedy recovery, here's our conversation from this past January.

A very candid conversation with an amazing actor, storyteller and all around extraordinary woman. Therese has helped many of us to be able to escape, even for just a little while during these wild times. Amazing, but it was her mother who pushed her into this field.

Today's guest is Jennifer Jelliff-Russell. Jennifer calls herself a military brat and spouse. An advocate for female veterans, Jennifer’s mission in life is helping them re-enter the workforce and civilian life. She realized this after working at Fort Campbell’s Soldier for Life Transition Assistance Program (TAP).

And Jennifer didn’t stop there. She also took a position as an Employment Coach at Wounded Warrior Project. There she had the opportunity to work with both veterans and their caregivers.

Working moms have been hit hard during the pandemic and the resulting financial crisis. Some of the hardest hit have been moms of color.  Chandra Sanders, a single mom of three lost her job during the pandemic. Turning to 'The Mom Project' as a resource to help her, she found more than just a job.

'The Mom Project’s' mission is to connect moms with world-class companies. And so as they say... ‘timing is everything’ and for Chandra the timing was perfect. 'The Mom Project' was hiring, Chandra applied and was hired. The result – Chandra is Director of their new program 'Rise'. Her goal is to provide economic opportunities to 10,000 women in the next three years. They just started and already have over 500 moms who have benefited from the program.

Chandra Sanders’ mission is to get moms back into the workforce. She’s committed to helping moms and specifically, women of color access to economic opportunities and influence. Flexibility, adapting skills to fit a need and training…all the tools that are needed for moms, Rise offers.

Dr. Alisa Stephens-Shields is an Assistant Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a mom of an infant and a 5-year-old. The field of science has always been a struggle for female scientists to break into. On top f that, add being a mom to the mix and that struggle becomes a whole lot more challenging. A female scientist, mom and a woman of color and you’re looking at a very rocky path. And that was before the pandemic. 

Alisa’s job is demanding. It is technical and detail oriented. It involves long uninterrupted hours of thought. How was she able to do her job and take care of her family during this unprecedented pandemic?

‘Intimate Violence’ is a term that is not well known. Tanya Selvaratnam is changing that in a big way. Her recently published memoir ‘Assume Nothing: A Story of Intimate Violence’ is her story. A story of a committed relationship and the 'intimate violence' she endured.

Meet the woman who helped bring down former NYC Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman. Tanya met Schneiderman at the Democratic National Convention. It started off as a fairytale romance that quickly turned into a nightmare.

A perfect way to start the fall season - Let's revisit and in case you missed it.

Maggie Smith is the award-winning poet and author of Good Bones. This week saw the release of her latest collection of poems, Goldenrod. Maggie is the author of the national bestseller Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change. In addition, Maggie is the author of The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison, and Lamp of the Body, Maggie’s poems and essays are widely published and anthologized. They've appeared in Best American Poetry, the New York Times, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Ploughshares, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and elsewhere. Good Bones went viral internationally when Meryl Streep read it live at Lincoln Center.

Summer Break - Let's revisit and in case you missed it.

Sharon G. Flake is a multi-award winning young adult and children’s author. She is a three-time winner of the Coretta Scott King award. Her latest book, The Life I’m In follows her groundbreaking debut novel The Skin I’m In. The impact of her debut novel more than 20 years ago, is felt today. Sharon’s books withstand the test of time. It was a given that a sequel was needed, even if it took her 20 years to be convinced of it.

Summer Break - Let's revisit and in case you missed it

Linda K. Wertheimer is an award-winning education journalist, essayist and author. Specifically, she is an educator teaching about religion...Faith Ed.. Not preaching, but teaching. And Linda makes sure that we understand the difference between preaching and teaching. Public schools are allowed to teach about religion. Teaching about different religions goes side by side with teaching about different cultures.

‘God was not kicked out of the schools. What was kicked out of the school was illegal preaching. Teachers have always been able to teach about religion, as a part of world history, a part of geography and a part of literature.’

Summer Break - Let's revisit and in case you missed it

A summer story to end all all summer stories 

My Babysitter, My Summers With a Serial Killer is a chilling true story, part memoir and part crime investigation. Based on Liza's summers as a child on the Cape, you won't be able to put it down. It was the 60’s. Her babysitter was a kind, handsome handyman who took Liza and her sister on adventures. Adventures which included visits to his ‘secret garden.’ A secret garden which turned out to be where some of his victims were buried. And a babysitter who turned out to be charming, brutal psychopath. Before the term 'serial killer' was used.

Summer Break - Let's revisit and in case you missed it

Life with My Idiot Family: A True Story of Survival, Courage & Justice over Childhood Sexual Abuse, Kathy Picard's story. 10 years of abuse by her stepfather.

The Abuse and Staying Silent

The abuse started when Kathy was 7 and lasted for 10 years. The grooming for the abuse took place at around the age of 5. Her abuser and rapist was her step-father, a person who she had been raised to believe was her father. He told her real bad things would happen if she told. At the age of 9 she told her grandmother who said’ we don’t talk about those things.’ And at the age of 28 she told her Aunt Judy who believed her but didn’t want to talk about it. Kathy promised her she wouldn’t until her Aunt died. Upon her Aunt Judy’s death, Kathy told everyone. Kathy wanted to make sure that if anything happened to her, he would be the first one they would look to.