The Duchess of Sussex has scheduled her next “public” appearance! She will appear at the virtual summit from The 19th*, a very new “nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom focusing on gender and politics.” The name comes from the 19th Amendment, which legalized women’s right to vote. The asterisk is for the unfinished business of the 19th Amendment, namely that there are not nearly enough women running for office or winning elections. The 19th* was started by CEO Emily Ramshaw, and Ramshaw is who will be interviewed by Duchess Meghan. The virtual summit will happen on August 14th, and Meghan’s interview with Ramshaw will happen at about 4:30 pm EST. Here’s more about the summit, plus an actual quote from Meghan:
The event will mark the centennial of women’s right to vote with a series of live-streamed conversations between prominent women in politics, civics, journalism, and the arts. The organization is named for the transformative amendment that granted women—but in practice, white women—the ballot. The asterisk serves as a visible reminder of the 19th amendment’s unfinished business. That kind of candor—about whom our democratic ideals have accommodated and whom those same values have failed to protect—seems to have drawn Markle’s interest.
“The 19th*’s commitment to reporting and storytelling that lifts up those who are too often underrepresented in the media has never been more important,” the duchess said in a statement to Glamour. “I’m looking forward to asking the cofounder what it means to build a media outlet with gender equity, diversity, and community at its core.”
Ramshaw explains that “the duchess learned about The 19th* and its mission and reached out to us. She told us that our vision for The 19th*—building a truly diverse and representative newsroom that covers women with nuance—spoke to her immediately.”
The summit—The 19th* Represents—will see journalists from the outlet sit down with some of the most influential women in America: three U.S. senators (including potential vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris), several congresswomen and congressional candidates, Melinda Gates, Hillary Clinton, and Stacey Abrams. It will also feature none other than Meryl Streep.
I’m looking forward to hearing from all of the cool kids who knew about The 19th* before Meghan! You know there will be somebody claiming that, which is funny because it truly just launched a few days ago. You can see The 19th*’s site here. There is a lot of original content – mostly political analysis – already, even though the site was only launched in the past week. This looks like a great thing for Meghan to highlight, especially in an election year where, frankly, we need more women to turn out and more women to be engaged in the political process. My fear is that a flock of Karens will dominate the political debate – perhaps that’s what Meghan is concerned about too. I’m very interested to see what Meghan has to say and has to ask Ramshaw.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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