Author: Mica Whitfield

Mica Whitfield is the co-president and CEO of 9to5: The National Association of Working Women where she leads the organization’s vision for economic justice for working women and nonbinary people of color through worker justice, family and community sustainability and power building. Whitfield began her work at 9to5 as the Georgia state director, leading the chapter to landmark policy wins on paid leave and workplace retaliation for Georgia state employees.

Equal Pay Is Getting Pushed Further Away. We’re Pushing Back.

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Amid the celebrations of Women’s History Month, it is a bitter irony Equal Pay Day—marking how far into the year women must work to earn what men did in the previous year—has been pushed back to March 26. The end of the month is shadowed by the knowledge that the gender pay gap still exists and is widening.

Black women, women with disabilities, moms and all women of color are paid significantly less than white men in comparable positions. Affordability is already a concern, with prices rising at the gas station and the grocery store. The pay gap is compounding these concerns to create further financial disparities for women of color.

Restoring ‘Truth’ or Restricting Freedom? The Real Impact of Enforcing Gender Binaries

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In a flurry of executive orders this week, President Donald Trump signed one that calls for “accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male.” The order, called Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, seeks to restore the gender binary. 

Let’s be clear: Women do not need to be protected from an inclusive definition of gender or trans people. Nonbinary and trans people exist. Their identities are valid, their rights matter and their existence does not threaten cisgender women or anyone else. 

Enforcing binary language lays the foundation for broader discrimination and exclusion, emboldening harmful policies in communities, workplaces and state governments.

On Juneteenth, Black Leaders Need More Than Anti-Racism Lip Service. We Need Real Investments in Our Leadership.

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Black women have long been on the frontlines of social movements—driving change, innovation and progress in our communities and beyond. From the streets to the voting booth, from community centers to the halls of Congress, Black women have made invaluable contributions to advancing justice for our families and communities at large.

Despite our invaluable contributions, organizations led by Black women and geared towards women of color often grapple with underfunding, skepticism and being considered an afterthought.