Jackson Free Press logo

This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

[Verbatim] As Governor Palin and Senator Biden prepare for the V.P. debate, much attention will be paid to the role of women voters and how they may decide the outcome of the elections. In the meantime, a growing working women’s movement is advocating for policies that value families at work, such as paid sick days, equal pay and the flexibility to take time off to care for a sick child or attend a parent-teacher conference. Polling shows Americans, particularly women, support these issues. While many are asking how Sarah Palin manages work and family responsibilities, advocates argue the real issue is making it possible for all workers to meet their family responsibilities without risking their jobs or their paychecks.

WHO:
Celinda Lake, President, Lake Research Partners

Ellen Bravo, former Director of 9to5 (National Association of Working Women) and Coordinator, Multi-State Working Families Consortium (network of 11 state coalitions representing nearly a million members of a wide range of organizations)

Debra Ness, President, National Partnership for Women and Families

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director, Moms Rising (grassroots organization with 150,000 members that organized letter to Gov. Palin with 22,000 signatures)

WHAT:
A briefing for reporters on the growing working women’s movement and public opinion on family-friendly workplace standards

WHEN:
10 AM Eastern time on Wednesday, October 1st

HOW: Call 1-800-944-8766. Access Code: 44046

MFP Solutions Lab logo

The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.

Founding Editor Donna Ladd is a writer, journalist and editor from Philadelphia, Miss., a graduate of Mississippi State University and later the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she was an alumni award recipient in 2021. She writes about racism/whiteness, poverty, gender, violence, journalism and the criminal justice system. She contributes long-form features and essays to The Guardian when she has time, and was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press. She co-founded the statewide nonprofit Mississippi Free Press with Kimberly Griffin in March 2020, and the Mississippi Business Journal named her one of the state's top CEOs in 2024. Read more at donnaladd.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @donnerkay and email her at donna@mississippifreepress.org.