In Hiring, a Friend in Need Is a Prospect, Indeed; New York Times, 1/27/13

Nelson D. Schwartz, New York Times; In Hiring, a Friend in Need Is a Prospect, Indeed: "Ms. Swan of Manpower cautions that although employee referrals are a valuable tool, “you have to watch the ultimate long-term result in terms of diversity and skills.” Otherwise, she warned, “you’re going to get people like you have.” People tend to recommend people much like themselves, economists say, a phenomenon known as assortative matching. Mr. Topa’s study for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that 63.5 percent of employees recommended candidates of the same sex, while 71.5 percent favored the same race or ethnicity. As a result, some companies are trying to make sure the proportion of employees who are recommended doesn’t get too high even as they expand their referral programs."

She’s (Rarely) the Boss; New York Times, 1/26/13

Nicholas Kristof, New York Times; She’s (Rarely) the Boss: "In America, only 17 percent of American Fortune 500 board seats are held by women, a mere 3 percent of board chairs are women — and women are barely represented in President Obama’s cabinet... So what gives? A provocative answer comes from Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, who has written a smart book due out in March that attributes the gender gap, in part, to chauvinism and corporate obstacles — but also, in part, to women who don’t aggressively pursue opportunities... [W]e need more women in leadership positions for another reason: considerable evidence suggests that more diverse groups reach better decisions. Corporations should promote women not just out of fairness, but also because it helps them perform better. Lehman Brothers might still be around today if it were Lehman Brothers & Sisters."

Openly Gay, and Openly Welcomed in Congress; New York Times, 1/25/13

Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times; Openly Gay, and Openly Welcomed in Congress: "For some of the gay members, their freshman orientation sessions were a reminder of just how unequally the law treats them, since the entity that cuts their paychecks and provides benefits — the United States government — is barred from recognizing their relationships. “They would be explaining what your benefits were, then all of a sudden this embarrassed look would flash across their face like, ‘Oh, sorry. I guess this doesn’t apply to you,’ ” Mr. Maloney said. At a ceremonial swearing-in this month by John A. Boehner, the Republican speaker of the House, standing alongside Mr. Maloney were his partner of 20 years and their three adopted children."

Stonewall? Explaining Obama's Historic Gay-Rights Reference; NPR, 1/22/13

Liz Halloran, NPR; Stonewall? Explaining Obama's Historic Gay-Rights Reference: "From the Stonewall uprising came activists groups, gay-rights organizations, and in 1970, the first Gay Pride marches in New York and other major American cities on the anniversary of the first night of the riots. In 1999, the Stonewall Inn building, and the small streets around it, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. M. John Berry, then the assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior, told The New York Times that Stonewall was the "first such historic site recognizing the national significance and contributions of lesbians and gay men." "Even those of us who became active immediately after Stonewall never dreamed that even 40 years later there would have been enough progress to be noteworthy," Duberman said. "We would never have dreamed that a president would mention Stonewall in the same breath as Selma.""

A Map of Human Dignity; New York Times, 1/21/13

Frank Bruni, New York Times; A Map of Human Dignity: "Seneca Falls, Selma, Stonewall. The alliteration of that litany made it seem obvious and inevitable, a bit of poetry just there for the taking. Just waiting to happen. But it has waited a long time. And President Obama’s use of it in his speech on Monday — his grouping of those three places and moments in one grand and musical sentence — was bold and beautiful and something to hear. It spoke volumes about the progress that gay Americans have made over the four years between his first inauguration and this one, his second. It also spoke volumes about the progress that continues to elude us. “We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths — that all of us are created equal — is the star that guides us still, just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls and Selma and Stonewall,” the president said, taking a rapt country on a riveting trip to key theaters in the struggle for liberty and justice for all."

Obama Offers Liberal Vision: ‘We Must Act’; New York Times, 1/21/13

Peter Baker, New York Times; Obama Offers Liberal Vision: ‘We Must Act’ : "Barack Hussein Obama ceremonially opened his second term on Monday with an assertive Inaugural Address that offered a robust articulation of modern liberalism in America, arguing that “preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.” On a day that echoed with refrains from the civil rights era and tributes to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mr. Obama dispensed with the post-partisan appeals of four years ago to lay out a forceful vision of advancing gay rights, showing more tolerance toward illegal immigrants, preserving the social welfare safety net and acting to stop climate change... He became the first president ever to mention the word “gay” in an Inaugural Address as he equated the drive for same-sex marriage to the quests for racial and gender equality."

"X-Men" Is No Stranger To Powerful Women; ComicBookResources, 1/16/13

Alan Kistler, ComicBookResources.com; "X-Men" Is No Stranger To Powerful Women: "As reported by CBR, writer Brian Wood and artist Olivier Coipel are bringing readers a relaunched "X-Men" title featuring an all-female cast, part of the Marvel NOW! initiative meant to provide a jumping-on point for new readers and old ones curious to return. There's been a lot of talk following the announcement with many comic fans surprised about the book's all-women cast...Days after "Brave" and the HBO series "Girls" won Golden Globes despite some heavy competition, the focus on this new book shouldn't be "will the team work with all women?" With characters such as Storm, Kitty Pryde and psychic ninja Psylocke, we know the book will have an interesting, powerful roster. Rather than be startled by the book's cast, we should just be impatient with those who don't understand that a good protagonist is a good protagonist, regardless of gender. If you encounter those who think an all-women roster doesn't work or shouldn't be called "X-Men," don't gently reassure them everything will be all right. Tell them how silly and behind the times they are. We'll all be better off."

The battle against 'sexist' sci-fi and fantasy book covers; BBC News, 1/18/13

BBC News; The battle against 'sexist' sci-fi and fantasy book covers: "Jim Hines straddles the remnants of a defeated alien species (a table), and clasps a pistol (a toy gun) as he triumphantly raises a cyborg's head (a toaster). Sometimes he fights battles alongside his romantic interest (a large teddy bear). But no matter the mission, Hines shows some flesh. Just because he is waging a war, it does not mean he cannot be alluring at the same time, right? Hines, a fantasy author, is posing like some of the female characters on science fiction and fantasy book covers he says objectify women."

Minority Applicants to Colleges Will Rise Significantly by 2020; Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/10/13

Eric Hoover, Chronicle of Higher Education; Minority Applicants to Colleges Will Rise Significantly by 2020: "Over the next decade, more students of color than ever before will pass through the gates of the nation's colleges and join the ranks of its work force, according to new projections by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. By the year 2020, minority students will account for 45 percent of the nation's public high-school graduates, up from 38 percent in 2009. In short, the number of white and black graduates will decline, and the number of Hispanic and Asian-American/Pacific Islander graduates will rise significantly. Those projections appear in the latest edition of Knocking at the College Door, a regular report on demographic change published by the commission, which is known as Wiche."

Remembering Clara Stanton Jones; Library Journal, 12/27/12

Maurice Wheeler, Library Journal; Remembering Clara Stanton Jones: "I once asked Moseley what Jones really had to say about the injustices she faced at DPL because of her race. She said, “Mrs. Jones didn’t discuss those kinds of things in the presence of her staff.” That doesn’t surprise me in the least. Clara Stanton Jones never lost sight of the importance of presentation and perception. Taking great pride in her fortitude, we might imagine that she never wavered, but that is not true. Yet, I’m relieved to know that she surrounded herself professionally and socially with people who helped to lighten the load of being a barrier-breaker. Jane Hale Morgan, her deputy director and successor as director, stated that Jones often used her as a sounding board, and in the midst of the controversy about her ALA presidential candidacy, Jones sometimes telephoned her late at night in need of a sympathetic ear...Jones was keenly aware that we all stand metaphorically on the shoulders of those who came before us, and she embraced the fact she was heir to a long line of trailblazers. Jones proudly reflected that at the board meeting at which she was appointed director, her critics were silenced by an eloquent speech that compared her qualifications to those of the two previous directors. That speech was made by Marjorie Bradfield, the first African American librarian hired by DPL in 1937."