A slew of new studies have found that the vast majority of the human population—80 to 89 percent—want governments to do more about the climate crisis.
We are the majority. So why aren’t we acting like it?
Author: Pat Mitchell
Pat Mitchell is the editorial director of TEDWomen. Throughout her career as a journalist, Emmy-winning producer and pioneering executive, she has focused on sharing women’s stories. She is chair of the Sundance Institute Board, the chair emerita of the Women’s Media Center board, and a trustee of the VDAY movement, the Skoll Foundation and The Woodruff Arts Center. She is an advisor to Participant Media and served as a congressional appointment to the American Museum of Women’s History Advisory Council.
It’s Time to Take Action—Even Though It Feels Dangerous
“Action is the antidote to despair.”
I find this statement by the legendary activist/songwriter, Joan Baez, to be particularly relevant and inspiring in this time when it’s so easy to fall into despair. When I am engaged in activism—the purposeful resistance to the many push backs on rights and freedoms—I push aside despair and reclaim the hope that comes with action.
And it’s time for action! Time to stop the handwringing and worse, the silence, about what is happening in the U.S. that is having an impact everywhere in the world.
Documentary Films ‘Seeds’ and ‘How to Build a Library’ Debut at Sundance—Just in Time for Black History Month
This year’s observance of Black History Month falls at a convulsive time for Americans. As the Trump administration works to eliminate all diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government and throughout American society, from companies to nonprofits, it’s more important than ever to celebrate and commemorate the achievements and the contributions of Black Americans.
With that in mind, two films that premiered at Sundance are worthy of your attention.
Seeds, the winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for documentary, explores the lives, traditions and history of Black generational farmers in the American South.
How To Build A Library, a powerful new documentary from Kenya, tells the story of two remarkable women who decided to transform what used to be a whites-only library until 1958 into a vibrant cultural center in Nairobi.
Do You Remember the First Time You Voted?
The first year I could vote, the choices for president were Republican Sen. Barry Goldwater or the incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson. LBJ won—the largest landslide in U.S. history. Voting for him as a first-time voter felt consequential.
This year, I’ll be voting with two very special first-time voters: my twin granddaughters, in the swing state of Georgia. Our daughters’ and granddaughters’ future is in danger.
Why Heat Is ‘the Silent Assassin of Climate Change’
Heat kills more people in the U.S. than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined.
Not One Woman on the List
Earlier this month, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev announced the organizing committee for COP29, which will be held there in November. The list included 28 appointees, including Azeri government ministers of energy, health, finance and economy, among others. What the list did not include: women. Not one woman on the list.
The backlash was swift and thunderous. Global women leaders are speaking out: “Many of the key successes of the COP process, including the Paris Agreement, were delivered by women leaders, working closely with their male colleagues.”
Action Is the Antidote to Despair
As Joan Baez, one of my favorite songwriters/performers/activists from my political ‘coming of age’ era, once said, “Action is the antidote to despair.”
Tuesday, Nov. 7, is Election Day in the United States, and voting is one action we can all take as U.S. citizens—and a privilege for every person living in a democratic country—to fend off the despair so easily experienced given the wars, the violence, and the rollback on rights in so many places today.
Women Speak Out for Pathway to Peace
There are times throughout recorded history when women have stepped up, spoken up, and taken action to resolve border and boundary disputes, to protect their cities, communities and families, and to demand and negotiate peaceful resolutions of long-term conflicts.
I am reflecting on those times today as the suffering, death and destruction in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, and the violent oppression in Iran and Afghanistan, seem beyond our ability to do anything that would mediate the violence or end the suffering. Yet, sometimes, women have come together and accomplished just that.
Nine Books I’m Reading This Summer (Plus One Very Special Book Coming This Fall!)
After the warmest summer on record, I’ve moved two climate-themed books to the top of my stack. In addition to my activism on climate, I’m also preparing for TEDWomen 2023 in October. As TEDWomen’s editorial director, I work with speakers—and it’s not unusual that some of them have also written books. Here are a few that I am reading as I help them write their talks.
And of course, I anticipate the release of 50 Years of Ms.: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine That Ignited a Revolution on Sept. 19!
What Would It Look Like if the Workplace Was Built for Women?
The number of women leading Australia’s largest companies has risen from a dismal 5 percent in 2020 to 30 percent today. Even still, the country’s working women still face many challenges. There is a gender pay gap (13 percent), and a lack of support for childcare and other family support systems, including paid parental leave. These are the same challenges that women face in the U.S. despite study after study recognizing these barriers to gender equity in business.
Two steps forward for Australia is good news. But so many more steps forward are needed for equal representation and economic equity, and for families, communities, companies and countries everywhere to truly thrive.