BLACKSBURG – Jodi Kantor, prize-winning investigative reporter and best-selling author, will speak at the Lyric Theatre on April 9 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Women’s Center at Virginia Tech’s 25th anniversary celebration.
Known for her work revealing hidden truths about power, gender, technology, politics, and culture, Kantor will share her perspectives with the campus and local communities and engage with Virginia Tech students interested in writing and journalism.
The general admission event is free and no tickets are required, but space is limited. The Lyric Theatre is located at 135 College Ave. in downtown Blacksburg.
In October 2017, Kantor and Megan Twohey broke the story of Harvey Weinstein’s decades of sexual abuse allegations for the New York Times. Their work helped ignite the #MeToo movement, shift attitudes, and spur new laws, policies, and standards of accountability around the globe. Together with a team of colleagues who exposed harassment across industries, Kantor and Twohey were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, journalism’s highest award.
Before then, Kantor’s article about the havoc caused by automated scheduling systems in Starbucks workers’ lives spurred changes at the company and helped launch a national fair scheduling movement. After she and David Streitfeld investigated punishing practices at Amazon’s corporate headquarters, the company changed its human resources policies, introducing paternity leave and eliminating its employee ranking system.
The article Kantor wrote about Harvard Business School’s attempt to change its climate for women provoked a national conversation about women in business schools. Kantor’s report on working mothers and breastfeeding inspired two readers to create the first free-standing lactation suites for nursing mothers, now available in hundreds of airports and stadiums.
For their work on Weinstein, Kantor and Twohey also received a George Polk Award, the McGill Medal for Journalistic Courage from the University of Georgia, and honors from the Los Angeles Press Club and the Canadian Journalism Foundation. Along with other members of the Times sexual harassment reporting team, they were awarded the IRE Medal from Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc., The Batten Medal from the American Society of Newspaper Editors, a Scripps Howard Award for Impact, a special citation from the Goldsmith Awards of Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center, and the Matrix Inaugural Incite Awards from New York Women in Communications.
Kantor and Twohey are currently writing a book on the Weinstein investigation and sexual harassment, forthcoming from Penguin Press, which will be adapted into a film by Plan B Entertainment, makers of “Selma” and “Moonlight.”
Kantor’s presentation is hosted by the Women’s Center at Virginia Tech in celebration of its 25th anniversary. The Women’s Center serves students, faculty, and staff across the university by promoting a campus community that is safe, equitable, and supportive for women and that celebrates their experiences, achievements, and diversity.
The April 9 event is made possible through support and co-sponsorship from the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost; Department of English, Pamplin College of Business, Howard Feiertag Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Marketing Department, Business Leadership Center, Division of Student Affairs, The Graduate School, Moss Arts Center, University Libraries, Virginia Tech MFA Program, Residential College at West Ambler Johnston, Department of Psychology, Science, Technology and Society, Department of Religion and Culture, Program in Philosophy, Politics and Economics; Office for Inclusion and Diversity, United Feminist Movement, Women’s and Gender Studies Program, and Sociology Department.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jessie Meltsner at 540-231-7806 or email jmelts@vt.edu during regular business hours at least one week prior to the event.
For more information on services and programs, or events for the 25th anniversary celebration, visit the Women’s Center at Virginia Tech’s website.
