Introducing she256: Fireside Chats
In the year 1933 the world faced an economic depression of an unprecedented scale, and panic filled the lives of a largely unemployed, disgruntled American population. Just eight days after taking office in March of 1933, President FDR delivered his first “Fireside Chat”– a term coined for the radio addresses he made that were broadcasted to the American public. FDR’s informal addresses helped to create understanding of the political climate and assuage worries by making government action more transparent. The president’s friendly voice broadcasted in homes where families crowded around the radio throughout the US lifted the spirits of an anxious nation.
Starting January 24th she256 will begin a series of Fireside Chats– informal interviews with women in all areas of the blockchain space posted weekly. Much like the effect of FDR’s Fireside Chats, we hope to help set the tone and culture in the nascent blockchain space by sharing experiences and knowledge of women in an accessible way.
We aim to break down barriers to entry to the blockchain space by cultivating an inclusive community for women who are either interested in being a part of, or already in the crypto and blockchain world. FDR’s Fireside Chats eased anxieties of a nation; she256’s Fireside Chats aim to make women feel welcome by sharing ideas, creating influential narratives, highlighting accomplishments, and encouraging questions on an open, interactive platform.
Where she256’s Fireside Chats diverge from FDR’s is in our goal of engagement and reciprocity. We hope our Fireside Chats will not only inspire discussion and foster connections, but also create opportunities for our audience in order to grow and strengthen the community of women and their allies in the blockchain space. Each of the women featured in our Fireside Chats series is passionate about building a diverse culture in the space with a pattern of paying it forward. Above all, we want our content to be relevant. For this reason (starting this month) we will share who we are interviewing in advance and post a monthly call for questions in order to encourage our community to voice the issues and topics that matter to them.
Fireside Chats will be published every Friday, right here on the she256 Medium. This month we will be chatting with Aparna Krishnan, Linda Xie, Melissa Zhang, and Charlene Delapena.
To have Fireside Chats sent directly to your inbox weekly, subscribe to our mailing list below. And if you’re looking to get more involved, we have a lot of exciting events coming up! If you are interested in sponsorship our upcoming UI / UX Design Hackathon for high school students or our annual conference, email she256@blockchain.berkeley.edu. You can also support by donating here.
Write to Roshni Rawal at roshnirawal@berkeley.edu. she256:Fireside Chats are sponsored by Upscribe.
