Ep 15: Mona Sinha, Equality Now: Right to Thrive

Equality Talks: The Official ERA Podcast

In episode 15 of the Equality Talks podcast, host Elisa Parker introduces us to Mona Sinha, Global Executive Director of Equality Now and former chair of the ERA Coalition's Fund for Women's Equality. ERA Coalition partner, Equality Now believes that equality is rooted in legal change. The United States is the only democracy that does not have equality in its constitution yet the majority of Americans thinks we do. It's been 100 years since the ERA was first introduced in Congress and Mona is taking the lead to ensure that not one more year goes by without constituional equality in the United States.

Elisa speaks with Sinha about future-proofing gender equality, why we must meet people where they're at and shift the narrative, how she helped raised 1 billions dollars to support grass-roots movements and why the ERA is a global movement (all eyes are on us). She shares how growing up in India and volunteering with Mother Teresa at a young age was formative in her gender-centered work and the belief that everyone has a right to thrive. Equality is not political. Equality is fundamental.

Hosted by nationally acclaimed radio host and Equal Voices/ERA Coalition, Elisa Parker, Equality Talks bridges the intersections of equality, justice, and social activism to unify as a collective and change the status quo.

Equality Talks focuses on the key facets of equality across all communities, including everything from gender, racial, economic and reproductive justice, to labor, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ rights.

For more information on Equality Talks go to www.ERACoaltion.org and www.EqualVoice.org.

Moving from silos to solidarity.

The ERA Coalition was founded in 2014 to bring concerted, organized action to the effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. The ERA Coalition has a sister organization, the Fund for Women’s Equality, which promotes public education and outreach on the need for constitutional equality. Composed of more than 290 organizations across the country representing millions of people, the Coalition is a movement of movements focused on overall equality in the United States.

While the effort to amend the constitution to include sex equality began nearly a century ago, our renewed efforts are centered on women of color (African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Latina, and Native American), gender-nonconforming and transgender women and girls, and nonbinary people – those who are most impacted by systemic inequities.

www.eracoalition.org | www.fundforwomensequality.org

About Mona:

S. Mona Sinha, Global Executive Director, Equality Now

Sharmila (Mona) Sinha is a globally recognized advocate for gender equality. She brings over 25 years of experience in strengthening mission-driven organizations to Equality Now. Aligning her passion for social justice and women’s empowerment with her early experience working in the corporate sector, she has enabled over 90 organizations that unlock the economic potential and protect the legal rights of women, girls, and gender non-conforming people.

With her deep understanding of the women’s rights ecosystem and an intentional focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, Mona has led and catalyzed over $1 billion to fund progressive projects, initiatives, and grassroots movements that elevate the economic agency of women and amplify women leaders. All on a global scale. Mona serves on several non-profit boards with a focus on governance, strategy, and sustainability. She is the Board Chair of Women Moving Millions and serves on the Executive Council of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, slated to be built on the Washington Mall within the decade. She is an Advisory Board member of Gucci CHIME and the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise at Columbia University.

Formerly, Mona chaired the Equal Rights Amendment Coalition’s Fund for Women’s Equality and is a trustee emerita (Vice Chair) of her alma mater, Smith College. In 2022, she was awarded the Smith College Medal in recognition of her bold feminist leadership in stewarding a trans-inclusive admissions policy and her critical role in fundraising $486M for the school’s Women for the World campaign.

She has served in various leadership capacities on the Boards of Connected Women Leaders, Apne Aap International, Columbia Global Mental Health Program in partnership with WHO, Breakthrough USA, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy.

As the founder of the Insight Circle Fund, she has facilitated meaningful partnerships and resources to uplift women and center marginalized communities. She also co-founded the Asian Women’s Leadership University to bring the liberal arts education model to women across the region.

Mona is the Executive Producer of the award-winning Netflix documentary Disclosure, which explores the representation of trans people in entertainment and premiered at Sundance in 2020. She is an Executive Producer of What the Constitution Means to Me, which was nominated for Best Play at the 73rd Tony Awards and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2019. She also produced Sell.Buy.Date and My Name is Andrea, which premiered in 2022 at SXSW and the Tribeca Film Festival, respectively.

She’s received wide recognition for her work across sectors to advance equality and empower women leaders. In 2023, she was listed in Forbes 50 Over 50 for her impact as a leading force driving change for a better future. She’s the recipient of the 2023 Horton Award for Excellence in Social Enterprise from Columbia University and CARE USA’s 2021 Impact Award. She was presented the Last Girl Champion Award by Gloria Steinem and Apne Aap in 2017 and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, honoring the accomplishments and service of US citizens in 2015. She has also received awards from Children’s Hope India, Modern High School in Kolkata, Smith College, and Breakthrough USA, and was named one of the “21 Leaders for the 21st Century” by Women’s eNews.

Mona graduated with a BA in Economics (Magna cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Smith College and an MBA in Finance and Marketing (Dean’s List, Beta Gamma Sigma) from Columbia University.

https://equalitynow.org/

Equality Now

We use the law to change the world. Social change often begins with legal change and so we use the power of the law to create enduring equality for women and girls everywhere.

At Equality Now, we believe in creating a just world for women and girls. Since 1992, our international network of lawyers, activists and supporters have tackled the most difficult issues, challenged ingrained cultural assumptions and called out inequality wherever we see it.