This week, leading Colorado businesses, civic leaders and community organizations are putting a spotlight on the pay and economic gaps that persist in women’s sports, and some big name professional athletes will be sharing their efforts to fight for a level playing field and work toward gender and pay equity.
The Colorado Classic Presented by VF Corporation, Vail Resorts, Comcast and the Colorado Women’s Foundation are hosting events to share their initiatives to ensure women and girls have equal access and opportunities to attain a secure and sustainable economic foundation. They will be joined by professional women cyclists and former and current U.S. Olympic Gold Medal Women’s Hockey players.
These events and conversations lead into National Women’s Equality Day on Monday, August 26, which is when we commemorate the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, granting women the right to vote.
Please see schedule of events below. These events are by invitation only, but will feature media availability.
Wednesday, August 21
Colorado Classic “Take a Stand” Luncheon Presented by Vail Resorts
This event will launch the Colorado Classic’s four days of pro bike racing by igniting a provocative conversation around gender inequities in sport; harnessing the stories and experiences from women in other sports while creating awareness around current gender inequities in cycling. The Colorado Classic is the only women's standalone pro road race in the Western hemisphere.
When:
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Where:
Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Schlessman Lobby, 2001 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80205
Media availability with speakers and athletes
Angela Ruggiero
and
Kathryn Bertine
, Colorado Classic CEO
Ken Gart
and COO
Lucy Diaz
and
Patricia Campbell
, President of the Mountain Division, Vail Resorts ~
1:15 p.m.
A representative of The Women’s Foundation of Colorado will be on hand to answer media questions about the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act and what it means for Colorado women.
Featured Speakers:
Angela Ruggiero - USA Hockey Olympic Gold-Medalist, Forbes 25 Most Powerful Women in Sports, Co-Founder Sports Innovation Lab.
Angela will be speaking about her personal story to lead change for the women’s USA Hockey team, and the challenges and opportunities in women’s sports, including gender equity and technology initiatives
Kathryn Bertine -- author, athlete, activist, documentary filmmaker, pro cyclist.
Kathryn will be speaking about the women’s pro cycling movement for equity, what it takes to make change happen, and the power of an individual to affect change.
Friday, August 23
Comcast and Colorado Women’s Foundation Economic Equity and Digital Inclusion Luncheon
This event is part of Comcast’s national expansion of its
Internet Essentials program
to promote digital inclusion and close the digital divide. Closing the digital divide is critical to a secure and sustainable economic foundation. Today, more than half of all job postings are for middle-skill jobs – the majority of which require digital skills, like the ability to use a computer and operate simple software programs.
When:
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Where:
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, 119 Park Avenue West, Denver, CO 80205
Featured Speakers:
Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando, 2018 USA Women’s Hockey Olympic Gold-Medalists
Jocelyne and Monique will be speaking about their efforts focused on equal pay for professional women athletes, digital inclusion, and more funding for girls’ youth sports programs
David L. Cohen, Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer, Comcast NBCUniversal
David will be speaking about the expansion of Internet Essentials which is the nation’s largest, most comprehensive, and most successful broadband adoption program for low-income Americans in the country. The program is uniquely designed to address the three major barriers to broadband adoption—digital literacy training and relevance, equipment, and cost--and relies on a network of tens of thousands of partners to help families cross the digital divide.
