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WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH PROFILES
GCC Celebrates Women’s History Month
POV: Advocating for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Profiles by Romy Griepp & Megan Torrey-Payne
Alice Wong
Disability Activist
Alice Wong (she/her) is a disabled activist, writer, editor, and community organizer. She is also an independent research consultant, columnist, and public speaker who works with companies including Netflix, Teen Vogue, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
As a graduate of University of California, San Francisco with an MS in Medical Sociology, she has worked with the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research as well as the National Council of Disability (as appointed by former President Barack Obama). Currently, she is best known as the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project, an online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media & culture.
Speaking on the intersection of education, race, and ability: “I think a lot about how disabled students [of color] go through processes where they have to make things better for themselves, but how do you change the institutions so that the next coming groups of students with disabilities don’t have to fight as hard? There was a lot that I went through that I really wish future students don’t ever have to go through this or have to work as hard.” Ultimately, she says her life’s work is “to create a world that is reflective of all of us” (Wendy Lu, Huffpost).
Sources:
Image:
https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/about/alice-wong-media-kit/
Hedy Lamarr
Actress, Inventor
1914-2000
In the 1930s and 40s, Hedy Lamarr was known as “the most beautiful woman in the world.” She appeared in 30 films in Europe and the US and is thought to have inspired Walt Disney’s Snow White and Catwoman. In a 1990 interview, she said, "The brains of people are more interesting than the looks, I think.” She would know the truth of that statement better than many: what few people knew during her lifetime was her skills as an inventor
Hedy was known for keeping inventing and fabricating tables in her private home as well as in her on-set film trailers. She was self-taught and, as a young girl and then woman, became fascinated by how things work. She worked to improve traffic lights and created a tablet that, when added to water, would make a carbonated cola drink. She also worked with famed pilot Howard Hughes to develop a more aerodynamic shape for airplanes. However, she is most known for an early signal-hopping system that allowed a radio frequency to move between frequencies and was impossible to jam. Hedy hoped that it could have been used to prevent the Germans from being able to jam submarine-tracking torpedoes during World War II. She filed a patent for it, and although the Navy wasn’t interested in the device, they made it classified and confiscated it. This technology now serves as the base for our modern-day GPS, wifi, and Bluetooth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rlXHNeQD-s
Image: https://www.womenshistory.org/resources/lesson-plan/hedy-lamarr
Scholar, Educator, Activist
1995 -
charlie amáyá scott is a Diné (Navajo) scholar, educator, and activist born and raised in the Navajo Nation. Their English pronouns are they/them and she/her. They are currently a doctoral candidate at University of Denver studying Higher Education, having previously completed their Master of Science degree at University of Rhode Island in 2019 and Bachelor of Arts degree at Brown University in 2017.
They are widely lauded as an analyst and critic of colonialism and imperialism, specifically educational disparities, indigenous sovereignty, and transphobia. Notable presentations include “Disrupting Colonial Constructs: Supporting Indigenous LGBTQIA2S+ Scholars” (2021) and “Indigenous In/Visibility: Settler Colonialism and Higher Education” (2018). They are a popular presenter, panelist, and moderator for businesses (i.e. Netflix) and schools (i.e. San Diego State University) alike.
As a published author, they have contributed to publications such as the Encyclopedia of Queer Studies in Education (2021). They have a popular social media presence on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, with content ranging from LGBTQIA2S+ Navajo creation stories to the legacy of Brown vs. Board of Education. They are also a gamer, posting playthroughs of games like Baldur’s Gate III and The Sims on Twitch & Instagram.
Sources:
- ineaesthetics.com/
- dineaesthetics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CScott_2022-CV.pdf
- youtube.com/@dineaesthetics/videos
Image: https://dineaesthetics.com/
Caroline Menjivar
CA State Senator
Caroline Menjivar (she/her/ella) serves as the California State Senator for Burbank and San Fernando Valley, a position she has maintained since 2022. She also serves as the Chair for Budget Subcommittee #3 on Health and Human Services, as well as a Commissioner on the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. She is the first LGBTQ+ member to represent Burbank and San Fernando Valley.
Menjivar is a first-generation graduate of California state schools, including CSUN and UCLA, where she earned her Master’s of Social Welfare. With her degree, she worked as an EMT in Van Nuys, a domestic violence therapist, and a mental health consultant for the Los Angeles Police Department, all of which informs her belief in quality, accessible, and transformative healthcare services.
She was an active military service member in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2009 to 2016. She served under the now-defunct military law, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” under which she faced anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination that ensured she remained closeted during her service. Now an open member of the LGBTQ+ community, she is on the board of directors for the Los Angeles Chapter of Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN). She lives in Panorama City with her wife, Jocelyn, a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist.
Sources: sd20.senate.ca.gov/biography
Image: sd20.senate.ca.gov/biography