To mark the week of International Women’s Day (Friday 8 March 2019), the SRS DEOLO Network have arranged some staff activities with kind support from Wendy Appleby.
Free staff screening of 2016 Oscar nominated film “Hidden Figures” with an introduction from Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu
Wednesday 6 March – 1-19 Torrington Place B17 lecture hall – 2pm – 4.30pm
“Hidden Figures tells the incredible untold story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) – brilliant African-American women working at NASA who served as the brains behind the launch into orbit of astronaut John Glenn, a stunning achievement that turned around the Space Race. The visionary trio crossed all gender and racial lines and inspired generations.”
Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu (UCL School of Pharmacy, Pro-Vice Provost for Africa and the Middle East, Provost’s Envoy for Race Equality) will join us at 2pm to give a short introduction to the film and speak about gender and race equality at UCL. Professor Uchegbu is an engaging and inspiring speaker and we are delighted that she can join us.
As much as possible managers should allow interested staff to attend. Registry staff are prioritised but it will also be open to other UCL staff – there is capacity for 90 people.
We will take and tweet selfies with International Women’s Day #BalanceforBetter selfie cards at the end of the screening.
Staff fundraising to support Solace Women’s Aid
Throughout the week we will be fundraising for Solace Women’s Aid, a London charity supporting women and girls affected by violence. Our Student Support and Wellbeing team work in partnership with them to support UCL students, so this is a great opportunity to give back.
If you’d like to make a donation (however large or small) you can use the justgiving link below, or give cash to a collection box (at the film screening or on Friday 8 March in staff lunch spaces).
Teams are welcome to organise additional fundraisers during the week, such as bake sales etc.
We will send an update on total raised after the week.
International Women’s Day – Wear purple green and white
On Friday 8 March 2019 we would like to encourage everyone to wear any combination of purple, green and white (colours of the British suffragette movement) to show support – and donate to a Solace Women’s Aid collection box if you wish.
Contribute to a display celebrating inspiring women
Finally, we want to create wall displays celebrating women that our staff find inspiring. If you’d like to contribute please email Alison and Clare giving your name, your role and a description of a woman who inspires you by Friday 22 February. You can write about a UCL colleague, someone you know personally, or a fictional, historical or current public figure. We’d love to hear about a diverse group of inspiring women!
We hope all teams get involved and enjoy the week!
Alison Forbes and Clare Hewitt
SRS Assistant DEOLOs for Gender and the SRS DEOLOs Network