ZIVA VOICES started as a movement to create more exposure for women in the media. We started with the Ziva Voices Bookazine. Throughout 2022, we wanted to extend our reach. The Ziva Voices HerStory in the Making speakers’ event was created.
Did you know that only about 24% of news resources are women? That means that ~24% of what you are reading and seeing represents a female perspective. Moreover, under 33% of all actors are women. Recently, many major news outlets have terminated their women-focused sections. A CNN article just reported on The Washington Post’s decision to close its hub for gender coverage called The Lily. This development follows The New York Times pulling the plug on its In Her Words newsletter dedicated to women. According to Luba Kassova, author of The Missing Perspectives of Women in News, “both outlets had cited the need to integrate gender coverage into reporting across beats.”
ZIVA VOICES is here to change this, to fill the gap in the media, and to amplify women’s voices. In October 2023, at the Kentucky Theatre in
Lexington, Kentucky, we held our first mainstage event with this goal in mind. For this inaugural speakers’ event, nine women from all over the world shared their stories with our audience and a panel of women who spoke about the topic of “belonging.”
It is my pleasure to introduce you here to the women who joined us from across the world to grow a movement that will be the catalyst for change. Like most meaningful efforts, this certainly took a village. There are no words to describe how grateful the ZIVA VOICES team is for each and everyone who supported this audacious idea and made this event not just possible, but excellent.
Some of them include:
21c Museum Hotel Lexington, who ensured that every guest felt welcomed and taken care of. Multiple Lexington-area restaurants, such as Dudleys, LockBox, Zims Cafe, and more, displayed incredible hospitality. The team at Kentucky Theatre made sure that the event ran smoothly, and Lillie Ruschell and the entire Mahan Multimedia team made sure that the event was captured in world-class quality audio and video. Our collaboration partners, It’s Time campaign and Central Bank of Kentucky, made it possible for us to secure all of our guest speakers’ travel. And many, many more supporters played a significant role in making this event a success.
This event was a representation of what is possible when women come together, collaborate and share resources. The event was a celebration of diversity, creativity, and power. Soon we will be able to share the entire series in video on our site, so be sure to get on our mailing list there.
We are so glad that you are part of this journey – together, we will change how the world perceives women’s stories. ◆
Sources:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/women-representation-in-media/
Actors Statistics:
https://www.zippia.com/actor-jobs/demographics/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/692465/distribution-lead-actors-gender/
You can also learn more about the speakers in our last magazine issue below:
