Company Culture
The Recording Academy (2.4 stars) , the organization behind the Grammy Awards, has announced Deborah Dugan will serve as its first woman CEO. Dugan’s leadership may signal a new leaf for the academy—former CEO Neil Portnow came under criticism last year for comments that implied women need to step up to advance their music careers, and the Grammy’s in general have been viewed as out of touch by many artists. NY Times
The NBA has never had a woman head coach, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver says he wants to change that. At an appearance at The Economic Club of Washington, Silver said he wants half of all new officials hired by the NBA, including referees and coaches, to be women. ESPN
Alongside other donors, yogurt-maker Chobani (2.9 stars) contributed almost $50,000 to help clear out student lunch debt after a Rhode Island public school district announced it would limit children with outstanding meal account balances to sun butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. In a tweet , Chobani’s CEO and founder Hamdi Ulukaya said, "As a parent, news of Warwick Public Schools breaks my heart. Every child should have access to natural, nutritious & delicious food.” The school district rolled back the decision a day later after facing public backlash. NPR
Buy a pair, give a pair. That’s the one-for-one business model TOMS (3.4 stars) has made popular since the company opened in 2006, donating a pair of shoes for each pair sold. Since, companies like Warby Parker (3.8 stars) and State Bags (Rate This Company) have implemented similar programs. But TOMS is committed to remaining a trailblazer in charitable business models and will now give consumers even more choice in how their money can benefit others by allowing them to choose to direct their purchase to furthering one of five causes: safe water access, ending gun violence, ending homelessness, improving mental health, or promoting equality. Fast Company
Quick Hits
Researchers from MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital have created the first artificial intelligence model that can analyze mammograms and predict if a woman will get breast cancer in the future, detecting about 31 percent of high-risk patients. That might not seem very high, but compared to traditional methods, which have only about 18 percent accuracy, this new AI is revolutionary in breast cancer treatment and prevention. And because it was fed data from women of many races, it remains accurate for black women, unlike traditional methods. Fast Company
According to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week, about 700 women die from preventable pregnancy-related complications every year. Racial disparities continue to be a contributing factor to stats like these—the CDC found deaths among Black and American Indian/Alaska Native women to be three times as likely as white women. The Washington Post
New research from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor has found that while exercise may help to reduce symptoms of depression in men, it does not help women. Considering women experience depression more often than men and only about half of patients with depression get the help they need, it’s clear more research into what helps women needs to be done. Medical News Today
On Tuesday, the governor of Georgia signed a controversial “heartbeat bill” into law. The law, which would go into effect in 2020, would ban abortions once a doctor detects a fetal heartbeat in the womb. That’s usually around six weeks. Most women don’t know they’re pregnant by then, and many believe the bill is a Supreme Court case waiting to happen. The Washington Post
Pop Culture
Non-binary actor and model Indya Moore has made history as the first trans person to be featured on the cover of the American version of Elle magazine. Out
In an expansion of her Fenty brand business empire, Rihanna* will start her own fashion line with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (3.6 stars) , the world’s largest luxury group. Through this partnership, Rihanna will become the first woman to create an original brand at LVMH and the first woman of color to head a maison at the company. NY Times
Around the World
Philippines: Out of eight opposition party candidates running for Senate, Samira Gutoc is the only woman—and the only Muslim candidate in a country that is majority-Catholic. She’s also garnered a reputation as a champion for women’s rights and justice that offers fiery, outspoken criticism of misogynistic behavior from the Philippines’ controversial president Rodrigo Duterte. NPR
Kenya: Same-sex marriage is criminalized in Kenya, but women in rural communities still form unions under a system called “nyumba mboke.” Under this system, women don’t marry for love, but to raise children. But what could be an egalitarian co-parenting partnership is complicated by poverty and issues of consent that arise when parents sell their daughters into nyumba against their will. Al Jazeera
Denmark: Denmark is generally regarded as one of their better places to live for women, with a low gender pay gap, equal employment rights, and universal child care. Yet, only one in six Danes identifies as a feminist, one in three find cat-calling women in public to be acceptable, and two in five have unfavorable views regarding the #MeToo movement. The Guardian
*In the email that went out for this Digest, Rihanna's name was incorrectly spelled. There's no good excuse. RiRi deserved better.