Igniting Political Power in Young Women

By Sara Guillermo

If you told me this time last year that a global pandemic would unearth every single systemic inequity, I don’t think I would have believed you. A year ago today, IGNITE young women were celebrating International Women’s Day by taking to the streets, registering voters, and talking about voter accessibility all across the country to build a better democracy. And today, they still are. Though isolated and separated, the young women of IGNITE remain ready and eager to become the next generation of political leaders. They have solutions to our country’s deepest issues. 

Women are badass super beings who really get shit done. Over the last year I regularly asked myself if I was doing enough or making the right decision for my family, for my community, for IGNITE, for our country. And I know I’m not alone in these thoughts. At any given moment, we are playing the game of prioritization. Will we leave a meeting early to eat lunch with our family? Will we do laundry, go to the park or write postcards to voters? Can we make that donation and still have enough money if and when our partners lose their jobs? What will we do when someone in our family gets COVID? Despite the overwhelming exhaustion, women keep showing up - with a deep sense of love, dedication, and of course humor. 

Sara Guillermo at the Young Women Run Chicago event in 2019. Photograph by Mayleen Mermea

Women-led organizations continue to demonstrate their sheer resiliency. As the pandemic became a reality at IGNITE in March 2020, we pivoted to operate 100% virtually. I remember daily being on calls to determine if we needed to cancel an event in Memphis or Baltimore or Chicago. I remember daily huddles with my team to assess what to do next. In hindsight, it felt like multiple spinning discs revolving underneath us without any clear direction or hope in sight. Our innovative and can-do team spent countless hours to host nearly 90 virtual events and trainings, including our very first virtual summit. Overall, we engaged over 5,000 young women across 36 states. About 65% of the young women attended 2 or more events online. We met our young women in the moment, giving them tools, resources and training to remain active. The pivot also gave us new outlets to meet populations that we could not have targeted with solely an in-person approach. We highlighted our young women’s voices throughout the year and provided them opportunities to share their experiences and feel heard. If we’re searching for silver linings in all of this, the ability to connect nationally and lift up our community at a moment’s notice was certainly one of them. 

IGNITE Women Young Women Run Texas. 2020. Photo by Brandi McComb Photography

Black and brown young women stepped into their political power in 2020. Let’s talk about the 2020 presidential election and how Gen Z turned out. This past election was the most confusing one of our lifetimes. It was extra hard for Gen Z - as first time voters, they had to not only register but figure out how to vote and who to vote for. For young people in college, there were countless housing disruptions that led to questions of where to have a ballot mailed to. Where to vote? How to vote? And of course all this, while voting rules continued to change. Amidst all of the obstacles, we saw that the Gen Z turnout was extraordinary. In states like Georgia, Gen Z represented a share as high as 20% of the voting population. The young women’s turnout was higher than their male peers by about 6 points (standard across all voting blocks but the oldest voting population). We also know that young women voted for President Biden at considerably higher rates than young men. This was especially true among young women of color. Given the vote totals for Gen Z - and especially Gen Z women - in the 2018 and 2020 elections, we are looking at a generation of women who will be more politically engaged than many of the generations that preceded them. American young women have written their page in the history books as a new generation of activists. 

Sara and her mother Elisa Guillermo. Photograph by Mayleen Mermea

There is still so much work to do. The scenes of the past year are forever seared in our memories - from George Floyd’s death, to the orange day in the Bay Area during the fires, to the insurrection at the Capitol,  and countless moments in between. We are amidst a 21st century civil rights movement in America. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley said it best: “The people who are closest to the pain should be closest to the power.” Young women are at the forefront. They are ready for power. Ready to inform and monitor new policies, assess and regulate a new era of democracy. In Eastvale, CA IGNITE alum and current staff member, Jocelyn Yow (26) had a baby in May 2020 and was sworn in to serve as Mayor in Dec 2020 only to determine how to roll out COVID-19 testing and vaccination protocols as well as reopening businesses. In Dallas, TX IGNITE alum Karla Garcia (24) serves as a School Board Trustee for the largest school district in Texas - Dallas ISD. Karla worked with her fellow Trustees to determine when schools would close, what distance learning would look like, and how students will return back to school. In Nashville, TN, current Fellow Jeneisha Harris started a Free Breakfast Program during the summer of 2020 as a project from the Black Panthers. As a community board member myself, our commission determined funding priorities during COVID and how we could support our most vulnerable populations. We are at the table and ready to lift more of our sisters into power.

As we look towards municipal elections this year and midterms in 2022, we have to double down on our investment in our young women. That means asking young women to run and getting behind their campaigns when they do. We have no other option but to open as many doors as humanly possible for our young women to continue to step into our political power. 

I Am A Feminist

By Sydney Williams

Art by Jess Alen-Goix (@jessart231) for Seismic Sisters

Feminism. An intimidating word to many, even though it shouldn't be. The Feminist Movement has been beset by misconceptions of women stealing power and influence from men, but this is just simply not the case. Feminism is about sharing power, resources and responsibilities for governing society and creating a free, fair and open society for all. Feminism has gained momentum in the U.S. with major ‘waves’ of activism, such as the women’s suffrage campaign, and continues today as we are living through - and enthusiastically participating in - the fourth big wave of the movement. As our feminist voices amplify, not only are women finally finding their rightful place in leadership, but there is a broader understanding that our participation is needed now more than ever. 

Waves of feminist activism set the stage for the women’s rights and equality movement of today. If you’re unfamiliar with this history, here’s a summary of the major waves of activism that created the groundswell for feminism in America. 

The first wave of feminism began in the 1830s and lasted through the early 1900s. This wave was the grassroots stage of feminism, growing out of women’s work in the slavery abolition movement and recognition that these political organizing skills could also be applied to achieve social freedoms and legal rights for women, including the right to vote. Key events during this wave include the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention and drafting of the Declaration of Sentiments, Sojourner Truth’s famous “Ain’t I A Woman?” speech at a women’s rights conference in 1851, decades of work on women’s suffrage and the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the constitution in 1920 which gave women the right to vote (although it applied mainly to white women, and it took many years later to secure the right to vote for women of color with subsequent legislation and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.)

The second wave of feminism, lasting from the 1960s to the 1980s was ignited by the end of World War II. Many men went overseas to fight the war on the frontlines, leaving women to fill their regular roles and jobs in society. It was an all-hands-on deck situation and women jumped in to help with the war effort wherever needed. Women had a taste of being important in society and making their own money with jobs that were valued and critical to the success of the nation. The federal government provided childcare centers for many women during this time so they could work in wartime factory jobs. When the men returned from war to fill their old jobs, many women were not satisfied to go back to the old ways and social roles. Expectations had changed for women’s roles in society. The second wave of feminism was also marked by women’s participation in the Vietnam War protests, Black Civil Rights movement, Chicano Rights, Asian-American Civil Rights, reproductive rights, and gay and lesbian movements. 

Photo art by Fern Cooke. Insta @FernCooke

The third wave of feminism of the 1990s to the early 2000s was sparked by women’s explosive outrage at the treatment of Anita Hill at the judiciary hearing for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. It launched public debates and discussion about sexual harassment of women in the workplace, as well as drove millions of women to organize and get active in feminist groups, recognizing that there was still much work to be done. This renewed activism led to a surge in women running for office and resulted in a record number of women being elected to Congress - including two female senators from California (Boxer and Feinstein) - in what became known as “The Year of the Woman” in politics in 1991. The era continued with fights against gender-based violence, pay disparity, and growing attacks on hard-won reproductive rights, as well as rising demands by lesbians, bisexual and trans women to be fully included and respected in the movement. This important wave paved the way for where we are today. 

The fourth wave of feminism is said to have begun rising in 2012 and continues into present day. In this current wave, we focus on building new power structures, training women how to run for office and win in large numbers, fighting against sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace and now on the Internet, confronting body shaming and rape culture, the empowerment of women and girls, LGBTQ rights, and reframing our perspective of feminism with an intersectional lens that addresses racism, sexism and class together to achieve real progress. Social media played a large role in this wave as it became the go-to platform for people to raise awareness and concern surrounding persistent gender inequality, harassment and abuse (especially the #MeToo movement). Fueled by rage over high-profile incidents of women being discriminated against, raped, and killed, as well as dovetailing with the Black Lives Matter movement, this current wave of feminism is gaining unprecedented support and making bold moves.

We couldn’t talk about the fourth wave of feminism without mention of the legendary Women’s March which took place on January 21, 2017, the day after former President Donald Trump’s inauguration. On that day, 4.6 million women and their supporters attended various events across the United States to contest the inflammatory remarks that the new president had made during the campaign, as well as his past treatment of women and racist and regressive policy positions. Many who attended the massive Women’s March were first-time activists and came out to express their shock, grief and outrage at his victory over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election. Clinton was widely expected by pollsters and the mainstream media to win the election, so many were stunned on election night to see their assumed historic ‘first woman president’ victory snatched away. Reflecting the seismic shock of election night, the 2017 Women’s March was the largest single-day demonstration in American history, and it has been followed by revolutionary levels of ongoing feminist activism. This wave is still rising.  

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A message from the author - Sydney Williams

If you don’t consider yourself a feminist, I understand. Feminism in some ways can feel like it is forcing women to pursue a high paying career, be pro-choice, and feel shame if we are happy as a stay at home mom. But this is not what feminism is. 

We welcome you to the feminist movement.

Feminism Quote of the Day

“I embrace the label of bad feminist because I am human. I am messy. I’m not trying to be an example. I am not trying to be perfect. I am not trying to say I have all the answers. I am not trying to say I’m right. I am just trying—trying to support what I believe in, trying to do some good in this world, trying to make some noise with my writing while also being myself.”

— Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

Learning from the Girl Scouts

by Keesa Ocampo

Watch girls innovate! Local Girl Scouts are learning how to pivot their business strategy and learn about new ways to market and create strategies for safe deliveries. Photo by Girl Scouts of the USA

Neighborhoods across California are missing Girl Scout cookie tables this year but the organization is proving that cookie season is in fact, in full swing. Whatever your favorite flavor may be - samoas, lemon-ups, thin mints or girl scout s’mores, every box empowers girls with the skills they need to become young entrepreneurs.

Here are the ways that you can purchase all the Girl Scout cookies your hearts desire:

1. Ask a Girl Scout! Every Girl Scout gets a digital cookie link so you can continue to support the Girl Scouts in your neighborhood.

2. Free Delivery! Not too hot about shipping costs? No worries. Volunteers are doing contact-free deliveries in Greater Los Angeles. Just sign up and match with a volunteer. With parent approval, Girl Scouts around the state may also be able to deliver so be sure to help them flex their newfound skills of talking through the product if you have any cookie-related questions. 

3. Right at your doorstep. The Girl Scouts in the Heart of Central California can find you cookies nearest you by entering your zip code. Get the cookie hookup you need through their cookie finder. 

4. Order with Grubhub. This all new partnership that launched on the last weekend of February can bring you your dinner with a box of these world-famous cookies. 

The newly minted partnership with Grubhub makes Girl Scout cookies available with your next meal delivery. Photo by Girl Scouts of the USA

Bay Area Girl Scout Sara Hawkins belongs to a troop of top cookie sellers. From a Daisy to a Brownie, being a Girl Scout helped bring out her social and confident entrepreneurial spirit. “The Girl Scouts Cookie project taught me social skills and people skills. Before COVID, I was knocking on doors and interacting with customers. I used to be shy.” Teamwork and hard work earn them badges, reminding the Girl Scouts of fun cookie-filled memories. “The best thing about being a Girl Scout is getting to have fun with your troop.”

With every purchase, customers can support Girl Scouts access hands-on financial literacy skills and power incredible experiences for girls with troop funds for camps, troop travel, and service projects. All proceeds stay local with their troops.

“Girls are innovating new ways to market their cookie businesses and sell virtually while still giving their customers that classic buying experience. The cookie bosses of today are the business leaders of tomorrow and are getting a master class in real-world entrepreneurial skills," shared Theresa Edy-Kiene, Chief Executive Officer of GSGLA.  

The food and pastry community agrees that California needs Girl Scout cookies. Patissier Dorene Tan-Muzii shares, “The Girl Scouts teach all of our girls the value of entrepreneurship. What they learn today will be the same skills they’ll need tomorrow. Financial literacy, marketing, and teamwork are all the same ingredients that power my business, the Azucal Kitchen.”

Check out her latest recipe for Samoas Mango Pie using the coconut notes of the famous cookies and the techniques she used at New York’s Bar Boulud by Daniel Boulud and Bouchon Bakery by Tomas Keller. 

The Dare to Make the Best Pinot Noir

For Dot Wine co-founder Lise Asimont, great wines begin in the vineyards. Photo by Christina Gavin

By Keesa Ocampo

One of California wine country’s most influential women is Lise Asimont, who is a force to be reckoned with in the world of ultra-premium winegrowing. Lise has worked with some of the biggest and best wine brands in California, meticulously managing acres of vineyards to optimize wine quality while promoting sustainability and responsible land stewardship. These vineyards were her universities, where she learned to speak the language of the soil, translating it to the grapes, and letting the wines tell the great California story. 

After long days on the vineyards, Lise and her husband, Shawn would blind taste wine. He simply could not find her a Pinot Noir that she loved so he dared her to make her own. In 2016, they launched Dot Wine. Lise and Shawn created a simple formula to make wines they love: take exceptional fruit from exceptional vineyards grown by exceptional growers, and bring them straight to consumers with the least possible intervention. 

Winemaking still continues to be a male-dominated craft but every year, more women of color are breaking ground, blazing trails, and entering into the wine industry.  Lise recalls starting her career 24 years ago and finding that the only other women of color in the industry to take her under their wing were the handful of field workers she worked with, who helped her understand the Mexican American field laborer culture. “Being Filipina, I resembled a Latinx field worker, but lacked the language and culture to be an effective manager.  They changed that by guiding me and inviting me to their homes to learn Spanish and cook alongside them,” Lise shared. “There are far less women of color on the winemaking side of the industry, however the few are extremely collaborative and supportive.”  

Grape-growing and wine-making are meticulous processes that take patience, love, and nurturing. Lise shares that her favorite part is, “Definitely being in vineyards; how we do the best with what scientific knowledge we have about viticulture, but it’s really about your boots in the vineyard and being at peace that Mother Nature drives each vintage. It’s really humbling when you know that no matter your accomplishments, there is always much you need to learn in vineyards.” 

Viticulturist and vintner Lise Asimont and her husband, Shawn Philips, published hort couture gardener.
Photo by Christina Gavin.

But often, and more frequently it seems in recent years, Mother Nature has intervened in powerful ways. California’s wine country has seen some of the most devastating fires that have not only taken entire vineyards, but also the homes of those who tend to their care. Lise’s family has been evacuated from their home thrice in the last four years. 

In the wine industry, the 2020 vintage changed everything. “Prior to that time, wildfires and smoke exposure really only affected specific regions and the fires and risk occurred later in harvest around October. In 2020, much of California, Oregon and Washington were affected at the start of harvest and then additional fires occurred,” Lise says. “For Dot Wine, we lost over half of our production due to the 2020 fires. We were able to produce three beautiful wines that year, and I highly recommend that any 2020 vintage wine you buy is not only precious, but beautiful. As the gatekeepers of wine quality, winemakers are not going to make smoke tainted wines and ruin our reputations.”  

The earth and its winemakers are resilient with the layered challenges they face. As with any product, success and quality start from the very beginning. Whether it’s an idea, a canvas, or a seed, each step of the process shapes the final outcome. That is the story of every bottle of Dot Wine.

When asked about the most remarkable lesson that the volatility and dynamism of the industry has to offer, Lise shares, “Have a true north in your work and be authentic to that and yourself.  I’m never going to be a middle-aged white male making wines from my family’s palatial estate, and that’s a common image portrayed in the wine industry.  But I am a middle-aged Pinay working mom in a mixed race marriage, and we were amazed to find out that the consumer world is welcoming and needing this representation.” 

Such is the brand story of some of the best Pinot Noirs and vintages coming from wine country today. Every vintage, different. Every sip, the best of California soil. This happens when you only make the wines you love in true Lise Asimont style.

2018 Lyrik Pinot Noir, $45

Vintner’s Pick: “I’m currently in love with the 2018’s. It was such a big vintage, but the wines are gorgeous, deep and complex.”

2019 Chardonnay

Author’s Pick: “This is one of the most beautiful California Chardonnays I’ve ever had - unoaked and exploding with tropical pineapple and floral Meyer lemon. Finding something as remarkably perfect in its balance and quality will be very difficult.”

Baking with Girl Scout cookies

Chef Dorene Tan-Muzii. Photo by Vincent Gotti

by Keesa Ocampo

We asked patissier Dorene Tan-Muzii how pastry chefs and bakers can incorporate these tasty treats into new recipes. From creating French pastries at Daniel Boulud’s Bar Boulud and Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery in Rockefeller Center, New York, to working in the kitchens of Bon Appétit and Facebook, she put the cookies to the test at the Azucal Kitchen, a French-Filipino fusion concept for Frenchino desserts. 

“I wanted to remember my childhood fondness for Philippine mangoes in a pie made with French techniques like we did in New York,” said Muzii. “The mangoes from my hometown Guadalupe, Cebu City, are some of the best in the Philippines. The Samoas Girl Scout cookies lent their coconut flavors to the blend of mangoes and chocolate, in perfect harmony. This is the absolute throwback to the best days of our childhood.”

SAMOAS MANGO PIE 

French technique with a Girl Scout twist. Samoas Mango Pie by Chef Dorene Tan-Muzii of Azucal Kitchen:

100 g Samoas Cookies 
100 g Graham cracker crumbs 
25 g Sugar 
20 g Ground cashew 
20 g Melted butter 
MANGO CURD:
½ cup mango puree 
¼ cup passion fruit puree 
½ cup sugar 
2 eggs 
¼ cup butter 
Preheat the oven to 325F. 

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Crust:
Pulse together in a food processor all crust ingredients except the melted butter until fully ground. Pour enough melted butter to moisten the crumbs. Fill your tart molds enough to cover the bottom of the tart pan. Press firmly and freeze for 10 mins or until firm to the touch. Bake for 8-10 minutes, making sure it doesn’t get overly toasted brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Mango Curd:
In a stainless bowl, add all the purees, sugar, and eggs. Cook mixture over a bain marie of simmering water, stirring constantly until the curd thickens or approaches nappage stage. Test the curd by making a line behind your spatula after dipping it into the curd. If the line you made won't disappear or mix with the rest of the curd on the spoon, it means your curd is done. Add the butter and stir until fully melted and blended. Pour the curd into a container, cover with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap is touching the surface of the curd, to avoid skin formation. Cool in an ice water bath. 

Assemble the pie, pour the mango curd up to the top. Smooth with an offset spatula and tap the pan a little to smooth the top and remove any air bubbles on the surface. Chill in the fridge to allow it to set. Cut up some mango cubes and decorate the top of the pie tart. Accent with raspberry or strawberry and mint leaves. Serve and enjoy.

Amplifying the Voices of Bay Area Artists

By Polina Smith

When the pandemic first reared its head and wrapped the country up into its all-consuming vortex, artists were among the first to lose their livelihoods and their primary source of income. Longstanding issues of class inequity, racial disparity, and cultural ghettoization within the arts community were not created by the pandemic but were intensified by it.

Some artists have taken cover from the storm by finding freelance positions to supplement the sudden empty space; other artists have attempted to find outlets of expression in virtual mediums, struggling to create a sense of community in utter isolation. Creatives in Place, a Bay Area-based listening project initiated by the Akonadi Foundation, TJUniverse, Change Consulting, and Tao Rising, has seized upon this sociopolitical inflection point to create an artistic space to support Bay Area artists.

The 22 artists who make up the residency span an array of “artistic and cultural practices, ethnicities and races, and gender identities and sexualities, and with varying relationships to formal arts and funding institutions.” Challenging the homogeneity of an arts pipeline centered on credentials, awards, and institutions, Creatives in Place has assembled a diverse, non-application-based roster of innovators and thought leaders to reflect, listen, and create within a moment of suffering that transcends borders.

Through Creatives in Place, each artist is endowed with a $10,000 stipend, essentially a carte blanche to live and create with no formal dicta; the purpose of this generous commission is to create an attitude of “abundance rather than scarcity,” allowing artists have their individual and community-based needs met to free up space for exploration and introspection.

The featured artists of Creatives in Place are mission-focused multidisciplinary creators who align their values and objectives with the underserved and underrepresented communities of the Bay Area. Among the 22 resident artists are: 

Lisa Evans, Photo Credit: Creatives in Place

Lisa Evans - a Black non-binary performer facilitating art installations, solo shows, and youth development projects.

Kim Shuck, Photo Credit: Creatives in Place

Kim Shuck - a member of the Cherokee Nation and the poet laureate of San Francisco.

Ruby J. Fuala’au, Photo Credit: Creatives in Place

Ruby J. Fuala’au - a storyteller working through public educational infrastructures to uplift the voices of transwomen of color and the creative director of a Polynesian dance company that honors her Samoan cultural roots.

Nkeiruka Oruche, Photo Credit: Creatives in Place

Nkeiruka Oruche - a cross-disciplinary administrator, producer, and performer of Igbo descent widening the reach of the African Diaspora through her devised theater projects, her digital magazine at Nigerianentertainment.com, and her position as Executive Artistic Director with the Afro Urban Society.

This is just a small representative sample of the talented artists at Creatives in Place, each grounded in a distinct subcommunity with a focus toward uplift, amplification, and education of marginalized stories and underrepresented voices. Creatives in Place is staffed by a team of three producers and four advisers. Each individual on this team of overseers lends their expertise in the areas of artist advocacy, Bay Area-based philanthropic work, and nonprofit sector experience to create this supportive space for artists of all walks of life.

More information on specific artists and their work through this imaginative project can be found on the Creatives in Place website, which presents a gallery of each artist, their background, and their vast and varied portfolios for audience perusal. For those interested in their mission with the financial means to assist in its longevity, the team at Creatives in Place is still accepting individual donations as well as support from foundations.

Limitless

A Minute of Mainstream

The Queen and a Duchess Sat Down for a Chat . . . and Rocked the Monarchy!
Oprah Winfrey (our queen) and Meghan Markle sat in a beautiful fairytale garden for an astonishingly deep and intimate interview. They spilled the tea on events that led Prince Harry and Meghan to ‘Megxit’ Britain’s royal family. This elegant chat will likely be sending seismic shockwaves through the monarchy for years to come.