While we do, admittedly, sometimes bury it in a thick defensive layer of snark and pop-culture trivia, deep down we care deeply about social-justice issues here at The A.V. Club. (You might even call us “social-justice warriors.” It’s okay. We’ve heard it before.) Many of our staffers are politically active, and have become especially so ever since the inauguration of our first jagoff president less than two months back. (Yes, it’s been less than two months, although it seems like several lifetimes.) As part of that political activism, we are joining other employees of Onion Inc. and our corporate cousins at Gizmodo Media Group by participating in the #ADayWithoutAWoman strike in honor of International Women’s Day.
As is often the case with women’s labor, while some of The A.V. Club’s female employees have a very public presence, others work long hours behind the scenes in essential positions that don‘t get recognized nearly enough. These include the women on our copy team and our social media team, all of whom will be participating in the strike alongside our female staff writers and editors. Our male co-workers will continue to work throughout the day, posting new content on the site and on social media alongside pre-scheduled, female-centric interviews and articles in solidarity with women and female-identifying people across the world. We recognize how profoundly privileged we are to be able to participate in an action such as this one without fear of reprisal, and stand in solidarity with our sisters who do not have the same privilege.
Below, you can read the message our assistant editor Caity PenzeyMoog wrote to our fellow Onion Inc. employees about the strike. We thought it was pretty great, so we asked if we could make it public. She agreed.
The women of The A.V. Club are joining others at Onion Inc. and GMG in striking tomorrow. We strike to bring attention to the often overlooked and chronically undervalued labor we perform both in the office and in our personal lives, from the wage gap to the daily immaterial labor of childcare and housework that falls disproportionately on our shoulders. As our rights erode, we strike to make a statement of our worth.
We strike because history shows us that the best way to demonstrate the worth of our labor is to withhold it. We’re privileged to work at a company where we can strike without fear of retribution, but we’re not so privileged that doing nothing is an option. We value the work we do at The A.V. Club, and we’re lucky to do it alongside all of you. We strike in solidarity with women who aren’t so lucky in their jobs, who can’t afford to miss a day of work, and who risk retribution by striking.
We strike not just for workplace equality like equal pay and paid family leave but to stand with women everywhere demanding reproductive freedom, an end to sexual assault, and the ability to create better conditions in all of our lives. We’re thankful for our co-workers’ support.
See you tomorrow,
Laura Adamczyk, copy editor
Meg Brett, social media manager
Laura M. Browning, co-editor
Danette Chavez, assistant editor
Marah Eakin, senior editor
Gwen Ihnat, assistant editor
Julia Nelson, social media coordinator
Caitlin PenzeyMoog, assistant editor
Katie Rife, news editor
Kelsey J. Waite, copy editor
Esther Zuckerman, staff writer