Tag: women in business

Will HRC Really Win Georgia?

Posted on by Scarlet Hawk

redclay

I enjoy discussing Presidential campaign politics as much as I enjoy tilling the red clay in my backyard when it hasn’t rained in a few weeks.  It’s tedious, gets me hot under the collar, and only has marginal capability of providing me with anything of beauty or worth in the end.  So I tread carefully when discussing our Presidential picks.  I leave that to my friends in the District.  I keep my feet firmly planted in state and local affairs.  Yet my ears perked up when I was listening to FiveThirtyEight’s podcast some time ago on Hillary making ad buys in Georgia.  And then again today when the DPG emailed out the NY Times front page line indicating Georgia may be a swing state for HRC.  First, the NY Times knows little about Georgia politics.  Yet FiveThirtyEight is a strictly data oriented site.  If you are unaware of FiveThirtyEight, it’s really a fantastic podcast and the analysis of polling is really both delightful and heartbreaking, depending upon how you perceive the results.  Nate Silver, Harry Enten, Claire Malone, and Jody Avirgan are the political nerds people like me look to for the cold hard numbers to back up or destroy our assumptions.  I find their humor engaging, their discussions meaningful to understanding the macro in our nation’s politics, and I always find their insights thought provoking.

It should be said, aside from admiring this team, their work and their expertise, I admire data above all.  I trust the 538data more times than not.  If the numbers tell you something, believe it.  In their August 29th podcast, Nate Silver encourages the listeners to look beyond the numbers though, for the inevitable “swing” where Clinton’s lead across the nation will inevitably fall in certain areas.  The group discussion centers around where that swing and fall may occur. You can click on the link and at about minute 29 they get into the Georgia discussion.

Spoiler alert: I disagree. Continue reading “Will HRC Really Win Georgia?” →

International Women’s Day: A Template For Future Success?

Posted on by Scarlet Hawk

WIT imageYesterday was International Women’s Day.  It’s a day where we celebrate Madame Curie, recognize women’s accomplishments and struggles across the globe, and pat ourselves on the back for “coming so far”.  But what if we didn’t?  What if we looked at the situation of women, not as a retrospective, but as a projection?  How would our worlds collide if we conceptualized women were the next leaders in business?  In politics? Georgia was named last year as the number one state for fastest growing women owned businesses.  Unmarried women also make up the largest voting bloc in not only the state, but in the nation.  According to MassMutual Financial Group, senior women age 50 and older control net worth of $19 trillion and own more than three-fourths of the nation’s financial wealth.

If women are owning more businesses, have more wealth, and hold more votes, wouldn’t it make sense to consider their interests when making our states’ economic and business plans?  I ask this in response to a couple of articles and propose that Georgia, if wisely positioned, could be set to be bold in business, make leaps for women, and all while not having to acquiesce the tax revenue normally sacrificed on the altar of attracting economic development.  Continue reading “International Women’s Day: A Template For Future Success?” →

Hey y’all!

Posted on by Scarlet Hawk

My name is Lora Scarlet Hawk, and while I reside in Atlanta, I am grateful to have been born in the Classic City and reared in Social Circle, GA.  More (read: boring) of my bio may be found here; follow me on twitter here.  I have assembled this group of writers to offer a different perspective on politics, business, and culture in the South.  I have written for other previous sites and publications, but wished to provide a platform for other writers whose voices may provide clarity on issues, diversity of opinion, and to dispel the notion of the meek and mild Southern woman.

Why? I love my state.

There is a strength that comes from this red clay that does not come from anywhere else.  The blue skies here are just a little clearer, the accents a little slower, and while it is not a place of quick change, everyone knows that even the kudzu will cover you if you’re standing still.  So I invite you to join us as each of the writers speak about the South we love, the places in which we reside, and all of  the challenges in between.

Some points of clarification about me are:

I am not a journalist. 

Politics is my profession (lobbyist, campaign consultant, and fundraiser), and my insights/opinions are based upon the relationships and experiences I have gathered in the last ten years of my work.

I am an Independent.

You are welcome to consider me what you will.  I question and work with candidates from both parties, a few nonprofits and small businesses, and I only work with the people and organizations in which I truly believe.

I am an all-inclusive and accepting kind of Baptist (join me in the pew at Northside Drive Baptist Church), a member of the Black Ring Mafia (ASC c/o ’04), the Cashmere Mafia, the Junior League of Atlanta, Inc., and when I’m not working, I’m volunteering. Everyone who knows me knows I’ve got a bias for girls trying to make in it business/politics for which I make no apologies.

What I hope this may become.

I hope this may become a place where these writers may be taken seriously…to inform, discuss, debate and analyze issues in a bi-partisan manner, with a diversity of writers that has not been seen in Georgia before now.  It is my hope that good policy may be considered, bad politics exposed, and all done with the air of respect that is deserved.  I hope you find the posts we offer worthy of your time and consideration.

“It was this feminine conspiracy which made Southern society so pleasant. Women knew that a land where men were contented, uncontradicted and safe in possession of unpunctured vanity was likely to be a very pleasant place for women to live. So, from the cradle to the grave, women strove to make men pleased with themselves, and the satisfied men repaid lavishly with gallantry and adoration. In fact, men willingly gave ladies