On this week’s 51%, we hear about honoring women and labor and have you ever wondered about the origin of pregnancy tests? Plus, we meet a woman who focuses on food, farms and sustainability. I’m Allison Dunne and this is 51%.
In the mid-19th century, more than 3,000 women — almost one-half of Troy, New York’s female industrial workers — were employed in the collar industry. (Hence the nickname "Collar City.”) As 51%’s Dave Lucas reports, one of them was a 23-year-old Irish immigrant: Kate Mullany.
Now we turn to labor of an entirely different sort, and learn about the history of pregnancy tests, which weren't always the neat, little plastic wands we have in drug stores today.
We bring you another installment of the 51% segment called “Force of Nature,” from Dr. Sharon Ufberg. She is co-founder of the personal development/wellness company, Borrowed Wisdom, in Napa Valley, California. She regularly blogs for The Huffington Post. This week, she interviews Eileen Gordon Chiarello, founder of Barnraiser, a community for good food and healthy living. She and her husband, Chef and TV host Michael Chiarello, are proprietors of Chiarello Vineyards - sustainably farmed vineyards in Napa Valley – and several Bay Area restaurants. She created Barnraiser in 2014. She has worked on food, farm and sustainability projects in more than 40 states. Ufberg asks Chiarello why Barnraiser is an important project. www.barnraiser.us , also on Facebook and Twitter @barnraiser. Force of Nature is recorded at the InnerVoice Network.
The Chicago City Council has rescinded a city sales tax on tampons and sanitary napkins. The March 16 vote followed a recommendation that was made without opposition by the City Council's finance committee last week. The items are taxed 10.25 percent in Chicago. The vote will remove Chicago's portion of that tax, or 1.25 percent. Supporters say the measure corrects unfairness to women. Tampons and sanitary napkins are now characterized as medical necessities to be exempted. The tax on the feminine products has become a national issue, with at least seven states now considering legislation. Also, five women in New York recently filed a lawsuit arguing that the tax is unconstitutional. In Illinois, lawmakers recently advanced a measure to exempt feminine hygiene and incontinence products from the state sales tax.
And that's our show this week. Thanks to Patrick Garrett for production assistance. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock. Our theme music is Glow in the Dark by Kevin Bartlett. This show is a national production of Northeast Public Radio. If you’d like to hear this show again, sign up for our podcast, or visit the 51% archives on our web site at wamc.org. And follow us on Twitter @51PercentRadio
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