Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
The French Campaign Equivalent to Time’s Up Lights Up Eiffel Tower for International Women’s Day
Deadline reports that the group of French actors, directors and producers behind the campaign #MaintenantOnAgit (#NowWeAct) lit up the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday with the movement’s hashtag and colors tonight in honor of International Women’s Day. These representatives from France’s film industry launched their campaign last month to help female victims of violence.
With the Tower scheduled to light up at 7 p.m. French time, French Culture Minister Françoise Nyssen and Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo first spoke from the monument itself on behalf of the movement. The special ceremony comes less than a week after France’s Oscars equivalent, the César Awards, where guests wore white ribbons in support of #MaintenantOnAgit.
The Eiffel Tower lights up with the message #MaintenantOnAgit (#NowWeAct) projected on it to honor women’s rights ahead of #InternationalWomensDay. (: Anne Hidalgo and La tour Eiffel) pic.twitter.com/k7Pi4hmJRd
— CNN International (@cnni) March 8, 2018
City of San Francisco Will Take Down Controversial Statue of Native American Man
San Francisco will remove a controversial statue showing a “submissive” Native American man after the city’s art commission voted to take it down in response to last summer’s white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The New York Times reports that opponents of the statute, “Early Days,” find its depiction of a Native American man sitting below a standing Catholic missionary disrespectful and racist. “Early Days,” which also features a Spanish cowboy, was built in the late 19th century.
Other critics have focused on how the statue puts Native Americans in an inferior role and how the man is clearly a Plains Indian rather than a member of a tribe native to California. The statue’s presence in the city was previously debated in the 1990s, when San Francisco added a plaque explaining its historical message.
According to a spokeswoman for the arts commission, the city will remove the statue sometime this year and then keep it in storage.
San Francisco will take down a statue outside City Hall that critics say promotes racism and genocide. It depicts a Native American at the feet of missionaries. The man is also styled like a “Plains Indian” instead of a member of any California tribe. pic.twitter.com/QTIOeCAevS
— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 7, 2018
New Zealand Company Pays Employees to Ride Bikes to Work
We all hear about finding a way to contribute to a healthy environment, but being kind to Mother Earth is sometimes easier said than done. One New Zealand ad agency is trying to prove otherwise. Christchurch company Make Collective has started paying employees $5 a day to ride bikes to work. If a staff member bikes for at least half of their yearly total of work days, Make Stuff will increase the bonus to $10 a day.
Given how great New Zealand weather must be, all but one of the agency’s employees have apparently taken up the company on its offer. In addition to the biking being environmentally friendly, the early exercise also helps staff feel particularly energized for work. Sounds like a win-win deal! Now, if only those of us still experiencing winter could stick to this kind of pattern…
This is an interesting idea from Christchurch business Make Collective. We’re keen to hear if there are Wellington businesses that are actively encouraging their employees to walk or bike to work. Comment below if you know of any. https://t.co/exkBQ8zEWr
— Wgtn City Council (@WgtnCC) March 7, 2018
What to look out for…
Happy International Women’s Day! March 8 celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, and nowadays, honoring what this title means is more important than ever before. See if your campus or nearest city is hosting any special events to commemorate the day!