It was a whirlwind of a day at DOL. The room was filled with individuals briming over with remarkable energy and the highest, most authentic level of engagement led by Secretary of Labor, Tom Perez. The men and women in the room were a who’s who and what’s what of inspired leaders, ideas and commitment to to progress starting with a focus on worker voice (if you were really listening, you might have heard Anat Shenker-Osorio share why that word choice in itself was holding progress back). As Anita Dunn shared “As we hold the mirror up to ourselves, we begging to do better- that is the power of the personal narrative” and reminded us too that “Paid leave and equal pay were not women’s issues or family issues they’re American issues”.
Days later, my head is still spinning. Ideas, opportunities and angles — how we will make progress and make the most of thee days…My tweets from June 15 do the best job of summarizing not only what was shared, but bigger still — the context and the amazing passion of the day. Note the reference to Hamilton (extra points and props to Secretary Perez) as well as the “hello-baby” moment with Cooper Kaye.
The day ended with the ever-candid and driven Senior Advisor to the President, Valerie Jarrett urging us on, reminding us of our power and responsibility and moreover, vowing to help us cross the finish line.
Want a place to start — share your story of back to work after baby in the US story via the It’s Working Project/Shareyourstory. Onward…