Honoring Transgender Rights Activist Janet Mock
PHILADELPHIA– May 15, 2015 – The international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP is sponsoring the 2015 Women’s Way Book Prize honoring cultural critic and author Janet Mock for her book, Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More. The free event will feature a moderated conversation between Mock and University of Pennsylvania professor and renowned feminist scholar Salamishah Tillet, Ph.D.., followed by a celebration reception and book signing/selling at 5p.m., May 19, 2015, at the Moore College of Art & Design.
Women’s Way is the leading philanthropy, advocacy, and education organization for women in the Greater Philadelphia region. Greenberg Traurig, LLP has proudly supported its efforts for over a decade. Michael L. Lehr, the firm’s regional operating shareholder, commented, “We are always pleased to support Women’s Way in its strategic and effective endeavors to engage the community in women’s issues. This year’s Book Prize recognition is especially important to our firm’s initiatives to advance the moral, legal, and business case for LGBT equality.”
Mock is a writer, cultural commentator, and advocate for trans women’s rights and the New York Times best-selling author of Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More. Currently, she hosts the weekly culture show So Popular! on MSNBC’s Shift network. Mock first told her story of growing up as a trans girl in 2011 in Marie Claire, where she now serves as a contributing editor writing articles about pop culture, gender, race, and representation.
Dr. Tillet is an associate professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania. She has a secondary appointment in the Department of Africana Studies and is a core teaching and faculty member of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies. Dr. Tillet guest blogs for The Nation, has appeared on the BBC, CNN, MSNBC, and NPR, and written editorials for The Chicago Tribune and Washington Post magazine, The Root. In 2011, she interviewed Gloria Steinem on the future of the feminist movement at the TEDxWomen conference. Her research interests include 20th century African-American literature, film, popular music, cultural studies, and feminist theory.