Date/Time
Date(s) - Aug 17, 2017
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location
Motor City Java & Tea House
Categories
The Association for Women in Communications Detroit Chapter will host a special viewing of the TV pilot “Good Girls Revolt” followed by open dialogue with guest commentator Mary Lou Butcher, a retired reporter who won a similar fight for pay and parity in the 1970s. We meet on Thursday, August 17 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm at the Motor City Java & Tea House, 17336 Lahser Rd, Detroit.
Members of the Association for Women in Communications (AWC) Detroit Chapter invite the public to join them in a screening of Amazon Prime’s Good Girls Revolt, in honor of past board member Diana Jacokes, and a conversation about pay and parity over the decades.
The hour-long TV program explores the struggles faced by the women of Newsweek who stood up for equal rights in the late 60’s. The historical drama web television series was based on the book The Good Girls Revolt, written by Lynn Povich and based on real life events.
The viewing will be followed by a discussion led by Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame inductee Mary Lou Butcher, who waged an eight-year battle with a team of 90 employees to achieve pay and parity at the Detroit News. The team won the class action suit in 1984, but not without hassles. She will lead a discussion comparing and contrasting fiction and reality.
“As professional communicators it is important to remember and honor the struggles of the past,” says Deniella Ortiz-Lalain, president of the AWC Detroit Chapter. “We can never take for granted the opportunities that were hard won by determined professional women in our industry. This evening is dedicated as a tribute to the many women who blazed the trail.”
In 1976, Butcher, an 11-year veteran at The Detroit News and the sole woman reporter on the news desk, was banished to a suburban bureau after she complained about hours and assignments. Instead of grumbling, she took action and eventually won in 1984.
“She charged the paper with sex discrimination, beginning what became a class-action lawsuit to eliminate sexual bias in hiring, promotions and the handling of reporting assignments,” recalls Barbara Hoover, retired Detroit News feature writer. The Detroit News settled with $330,000 paid to 90 female employees to settle the lawsuit, a template for many suits around the country.
Butcher often speaks on sex discrimination topics. She served as vice president of Carl Byoir and Associates and also joined her husband, Jack Casey, at Casey Communications.
The program includes a special tribute to former AWC Detroit member Diana Jacokes, president of Jacokes Communications, who passed away from cancer earlier this year. Jacokes was dearly respected by her colleagues and was a staunch crusader for women’s rights in the business world and in the media industry.
The location – Motor City Java and Tea House – is owned by Diana Jacokes’ brother and sister-in law, John and Alicia George. Diana helped champion their work in restoring the Old Redford District with Motor City Blightbusters.
Diana Jacokes was a former board member of the AWC Detroit Chapter. She started her career as a senior editor in Ford’s marketing communications department and launched her own Farmington Hills-based agency 30 years ago when few women owned multi-media businesses. She was a strong advocate for hiring women in all positions, and a tireless fundraiser for Mercy High School, her alma mater.
The program is open to the public. Cost for members is $25.00, future members $35.00 and students $15.00. The timeframe for the evening is as follows:
5:30-6:00 Registration and networking
6:00-6:30 Registration, networking, dinner
6:30-7:30 View pilot of Good Girls Revolt
7:30-8:30 Q&A and discussion with Mary Lou Butcher
To register or to learn more information about the Association for Women in Communications visit http://womcomdetroit.org/future-events/.
About the Association for Women in Communications- Detroit Chapter
The Association for Women in Communications – Detroit Chapter is dedicated to advocating for women’s needs and honoring communication excellence.
About Mary Lou Butcher
In 1976, Mary Lou Butcher, an 11-year veteran at The Detroit News and the sole woman reporter on the news desk, was banished to a suburban bureau after she complained about hours and assignments. Instead of grumbling, she took action.
“She charged the paper with sex discrimination, beginning what became a class-action lawsuit to eliminate sexual bias in hiring, promotions and the handling of reporting assignments,” recalls Barbara Hoover, retired Detroit News feature reporter. In 1984, after an eight-year legal battle, The Detroit News paid $330,000 to 90 female employees to settle the lawsuit. Women reporters covering the story helped accelerate the movement toward women editors, bureau chiefs and investigative reporters.
Butcher spent her life in communications organizations and endowed a scholarship at the University of Michigan. She has been inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame and the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame. She speaks often about the Detroit News case and how it sparked similar suits in newsrooms across the country. Butcher later became vice president of Carl Byoir and Associates and joined her husband, Jack Casey, at Casey Communications. The couple live in Bloomfield Hills and California.
About Diana Jacokes
Association of Women in Communications board member Diana Jacokes started her career as a senior editor in Ford’s marketing communications and launched her own Farmington Hills-based agency, Jacokes Communications 30 years ago when few women owned multi-media businesses. She was a strong advocate for hiring women in all positions, and a tireless fundraiser for Mercy High School, her alma mater. She raised three children. Two own Go Comedy in Ferndale. She died of cancer this winter.