by Musaba Kangulu (@ThatTypeOfMoose) At a time when women are publicly calling out abusers as never before and expressing their collective anger, I would like to use this year as a starting point to ‘churn’ all of that into action: a specific kind that will see Hidden Figures encompass a different approach.
Last year, Hidden Figures was specifically aimed at raising awareness through the celebration of unsung heroines in the marketing industry. But having then worked in the advertising and corporate world for some time, I’d noticed a pattern whereby the system had failed to actively celebrate women who work behind the scenes, despite the vital role they play in the delivery of exceptional work. The truth is, there’s been a lot of raising awareness from many different industries when it comes to gender inequality. Right now, it feels as if “I’m aware now. So now what?”
Whether you’re fighting for diversity in boardrooms, equal pay, reproductive rights or wanting a better understanding of movements such as #MeToo and #TimeIsUp and why they’re so fiercely appreciated by women from around the world, this column will engage it.
You’re not obliged to read or share the content; however, I’m extending an invitation, once again, for you to care. If we’re to have these conversations to create true cultural change, we must talk with the man on the street, in our lives, our colleagues and friends. Equally, we need to have the conversation with the women in our lives to examine why, when we’ve seen sexual misconduct or harassment, we’ve often looked the other way when it didn’t impact us directly.
It’s so important to be made consciously aware of what is happening on a global scale. It’s no longer about the what but the how. If that comes in the form of shedding light on uncomfortable conversations and welcoming respectable debates from both genders, so be it.
In the words of Oprah Winfrey: “A new day is on the horizon.”
A firm believer in women using their diverse skill set to push distinctive thinking as a way to deliver new insights to the table, Musaba Kangulu (@ThatTypeOfMoose) now finds herself in a tech-consulting role that allows her to use digital transformation design thinking to improve organisation operational and decision-making structures. Tapping into human experiences and harvesting customer input with technology development practices is a sure way to grab her immediate attention. She contributes “Hidden Figures” to MarkLives.com.
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