Gymnast Simone Biles, Oscar winner and activist Jane Fonda, WNBA star Brittney Griner and moderator of Food Network Padma Lakshmi on February twelfth are among the many experienced and famous women who’re Keynote-Reden on the fifth annual Californian conference for ladies in Hold San Jose.

Just just a few weeks before March Women's History of Month, around 5,000 female managers in business, non -profit organizations and other organizations will gather for the one -day event within the Mcenery Convention Center of San Jose. The day incorporates a lot of speeches, panel discussions and other events on a lot of topics that relate to “connection, motivation, inspiration and skills” for ladies of all ages and in all phases of their profession.

The highlight of the day will after all be the keynote speeches. Biles, essentially the most decorated gymnasts in history, with 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Cup medals, becomes more about resistance, durability in sport, the change in gymnastics culture and the query of whether it’ll participate within the 2028 Olympic Games on the age of 31 The best female gymnasts retire.

Biles has also change into an advocate of the protection of mental health and security of young athletes after she was one among the various gymnasts, the claimed that the US gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar had sexually attacked it and that the USA -gymnastics contributed to it. Biles also modified the conversation about athletes who took a break from the competition to preserve her mental health when she retired from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but recovered triumphantly. She won the all-round competition on the World Championships in 2023 and the all-round gold medal on the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, along with two gold medals and a silver in team, protected and floor routine competition.

The 87-year-old Fonda will discuss her latest thing, climate change and in regards to the redefinition of wellness to an age. Fonda is understood for her lifetime of activism, which began within the 1960-cultural counterculture, in addition to her 64-year-old profession in Hollywood, which included HIT comedies and dramas, one of the best actress Oscar Triumph in “Klute” and “Coming Home” and Your Empire of Jane Fonda training videos.

Griner, a 3 -time Olympic gold medalist, became an ignorant farmer within the growing hostility of Russia to the United States, when she was charged on this country in February 2022 for drug smuggling, shortly before the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in Ukraine by Russia. She had played basketball with the Russian Premier League in the course of the WNBA season when Russian customs officials provided lower than a gram of medically prescribed hash oil that is unlawful in Russia in her luggage.

After Griner, 34, was sentenced to nine years in prison, he spent 10 months in a Russian criminal colony before being released in a prisoner exchange. Griner has now returned to the WNBA and continues her advocacy for LGBTQ+ reasons. In conversation with journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro, Griner will probably discuss courage, perseverance and reconstruction after adversity.

In the meantime, Lakshmi, also a bestseller cookbook writer of the New York Times, is to make use of food for bridge cultures in addition to about equality, the rights of immigrants and the strengthening of ladies of their work as a UN goodwill ambassador and ACLU -Tunist speak, speak. Ambassador.

The conference starts at 8 a.m. and lasts until 5 p.m. within the congress center, 150 W San Carlos St., San Jose. Tickets cost 475 US dollars per person, however the readers of the Mercury News and the Bay Area News Group have 150 USD discount online and use the code “Mercury”. You can find details in regards to the conference and registration www.caconferenceforwomen.org.

Originally published: February 10, 2025 at 2:58 p.m. PST

Celebrities born on this present day: Steven Yeun, 41; Ray Romano, 67; Samuel L. Jackson, 76; Jane Fonda, 87.

Happy Birthday: Don't take anything without any consideration. Develop a method, reorganize and define the life-style that suits your needs. When you invest your desires, time, and energy into what makes you joyful, you may embrace what you’re feeling enthusiastic about and make a difference. This yr your decisions will probably be difficult. However, additionally they result in opportunities that reduce stress and calm your soul. Romance is written in the celebrities. Their numbers are 9, 14, 23, 26, 32, 35, 48.

Aries (March 21-April 19): Pay attention to the sidelines. Expand your periphery to incorporate unfamiliar viewpoints and also you'll get a clearer picture of what's possible. A social event or fundraiser puts you in contact with someone who piques your interest. Follow the points and consider the possible outcomes before taking a step. 3 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Force your way forward and finish what you began. Time is of the essence, and wasting it on petty disagreements is not going to calm your nerves. Joint investments reach an impasse when you may't agree on how much to spend on gifts, travel, investments or entertainment. Choose compromise over stubbornness. 5 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Beautify your surroundings and update your look. A brand new look will attract attention and encourage you to seem vigorous and appealing to someone you want. Make travel plans, meet up with family and friends, or say “yes” to a day of physical activity with someone special. 2 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Think about what you desire to do next. Looking at profession trends will provide insight into how you may redirect your energy to make sure you're able to benefit from a possibility. A change that results in financial growth is nearby. Use intelligence and experience to pursue your goal. 4 stars

LEO (July 23-August 22): You need an outlet for pent-up energy. Make a listing and move on. It's a busy time of yr, and whether you're still maintaining and attempting to deal with business or having fun with the festive events and preparations, doing so with enthusiasm will satisfy your soul. 3 stars

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Follow your instincts and pursue the trail that makes you’re feeling good. A novel conversation with an elder will enable you to gain insight into the probabilities you must find out about. However, check the knowledge first to avoid overspending. A commitment will change the way in which or where you reside. 3 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Get within the spirit of the season and use the free time to meet up with an old friend or prepare for upcoming events. Communication and travel encourage you to take into consideration latest possibilities or possible steps. Love, romance and self-improvement are preferred. 3 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Take a step back and observe. You'll gain insight right into a situation that can enable you to avoid an emotional burden or expense that would set you back. Discipline, specializing in something or someone you’re feeling enthusiastic about, or closing one door and opening one other is in your best interest. 4 stars

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Don't fall into an emotional trap. Be a great listener, play your cards rigorously, and don't assume anything. Take care of cash matters and make your position on joint ventures clear. Leave yourself open to seizing a possibility. Romance is on the rise. 2 stars

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19): Take the trail that guarantees probably the most unforgettable journey. Your experiences will change the way in which you concentrate on making, spending and saving money. Discipline is needed if you desire to avoid temptation. Listen to what others want, but don't try to purchase love. Caring is the technique to gain affection. 5 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Somewhat charm coupled with keeping your guarantees can pay off. High energy and getting your tasks done results in downtime with someone you like. Enjoy the moment and express your thoughts, feelings and plans for the approaching yr with someone you like and respect. 3 stars

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Set a budget before you permit the home. Indecision results in costly emotional mistakes. If you overreact and expect an excessive amount of from others, you’ll grow to be isolated. Step back, reconsider your position, search for compromises you may live with, and approach situations with understanding and compassion. 3 stars

Birthday boy: You are aggressive, helpful and impressive. You are clever and mysterious.

1 star: avoid conflict; Work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can achieve something, but don't depend on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll achieve your goals. 4 stars: High goals; start latest projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; Get gold.

Visit Eugenialast.com or follow Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.

More than two centuries after Jane Austen died in 1817, many fans of the English author wish to know the way she addresses the key problems with her time, including Race, colonialism and slavery.

Fierce debates proceed about what she could have been pondering, but her family's involvement within the abolitionist movement is progressively coming to light.

After Searching through newspapers and archives from the nineteenth century As recent information, I discovered that three of Austen's brothers publicly participated within the abolition movement within the years following her death.

The efforts of one in every of her brothers, which I actually have unearthed from historical records, shall be described here for the primary time and shall be included in my next book, Wild for Austen, in 2025.

Race and slavery in Austen’s novels

Many readers assume that Austen was criticizing the violence and suffering of colonial slavery, but there isn’t any consensus on this issue. Austen, the creator of Pride and Prejudice and other classic novels, uses the words “slave” and “slavery” nearly a dozen times in her novels.

Her last unfinished novel “Sanditon” incorporates a personality of mixed race named Miss LambeShe is described as a “half-mulatto” heiress from the West Indies.

The shy heroine Fanny Price from “Mansfield Park” asks her domineering uncle Sir Thomas Bertram – himself a slave owner – for Question in regards to the slave tradeReaders usually are not told how he responds, only that she drops the topic when his response is met with “such dead silence” from her uninterested cousins.

In “Emma,” the penniless Jane Fairfax is controversial compares the position as governess with the misery of the slave trade. She describes each enslaved people and governesses as “victims”.

Experts disagree whether these examples show Austen's tacit acceptance or implicit criticism of slavery.

Great Britain and colonial slavery

From the 1660s Britain brutally deported about 3.4 million Africans to be enslaved in America – about half 1,000,000 people died throughout the gruesome journey that was generally known as Middle passageMany of those enslaved people ended up within the British colonies within the Caribbean, the so-called West Indies.

Decades of abolitionist campaigns within the 18th century led to the ban on the slave trade within the British Empire in 1807.

It took greater than 20 years of further activism before Parliament In 1833, slavery was abolished in most British coloniesThis was greater than three many years before the The USA followed this instance.

Although Austen died before the abolition of slavery, the anti-slavery movement was in full swing during her lifetime. Her writings give few clues to her political beliefs, but one surviving letter mentions her love for the creator and noted Abolitionist Thomas Clarkson.

However, there isn’t any evidence that they freely contributed to the work of his campaigns or other Anti-slavery societies.

Profits from slavery

Some of Austen’s relatives had direct economic links to slavery.

One of them was her aunt Jane Leigh Perrot, who was born right into a wealthy slave-owning family in Barbados. This aunt had married the rich brother of Jane Austen's mother. The Leigh Perrots should inherit a share of her deceased father's plantationTheir joint fortune was eventually passed on to the descendants of James Austen-LeighJane's eldest brother, the In 1837 the surname Leigh was added.

The Austen family had other connections to slave owners.

Until 2021, many scientists believed Rev. George AustenJane Austen's father, benefited financially from the Antigua plantation of his former Oxford student, James Langford Nibbs. Rev. Austen is alleged to have been the trustee of this plantation, but there was considerable misunderstanding about his alleged role.

Rev. Austen was actually co-administrator of Nibbs' marriage contract of 1760, having just served as a priest who married Nibbs and his wifeas I came upon. Rev. Austen's unpaid co-administrative position “would never have burdened him with duties connected with the management of a plantation,” because the legal scholar John Avery Jones argued.

Research into the connections between the Austen family and slavery continues.

3 brothers who desired to abolish slavery

In the course of my research it got here to light that three of the Jane's six brothers later became publicly involved within the abolition movement.

One of them was Captain Charles John Austen. He supervised the illegal slave trade within the West Indies within the Royal Navy. He wrote a letter to an English newspaper about his capture of a slave ship in August 1826 and shared his observations of the terrible conditions the enslaved people on board were subjected to. However, his actions enabled the slave trader to flee, as I actually have seen in Investigating long-overlooked government documents.

Better known was the abolitionist work of Jane's brother Henry Thomas Austen, a failed banker who became a priest. He served as Delegate to the World Convention against Slavery in London in 1840, as I first reported in 2021. This fact had not been noted before, apparently because Henry was then using the name Rev. HT Austen. Earlier scholars hadn't realized that he was Jane's brother.

To this growing abolitionist history of the Austen family, we will now add a 3rd Austen brother, Francis “Frank” William Austen.

It has long been known that Frank, a naval officer, privately expressed abolitionist views. My recent research has revealed that after Jane's death in 1817, but before the British government passed the 1833 Act, he was openly lively as an area anti-slavery activist. Law for the Abolition of Slavery.

This makes Frank the primary known anti-slavery activist in Jane Austen's immediate family.

A motion to abolish slavery

A temporary announcement within the Hampshire Chronicle of February 6, 1826, states: “The Magistrates of Gosport, in response to the desire of many of the inhabitants, have called a meeting for Friday next, to consider the propriety of petitioning Parliament for the abolition of slavery in the West Indian colonies.”

Frank Austen took a number one role there, a incontrovertible fact that had gone unnoticed until then. At this meeting, “a petition to the House of Commons calling for the abolition of slavery in the West Indian colonies was approved.” Captain Austen of the Royal Navy – Frank Austen – moved for approval of the petition, which was then accepted.

The abolitionist work within the seaside town of Gosport was a part of a national movement. Many towns submitted petitions to the unattentive Parliament. In nearby Portsmouth, a 20-metre-long petition bearing the signatures of three,187 people was sent out, “praying for the abolition of black slavery in the West Indies,” based on one other report within the Hampshire Chronicle.

“Pray” here means “ask,” although there was also a spiritual aspect involved. Prominent members of the British clergy in Bath played a number one role in preparing the petition. In Gosport, nonetheless, the anti-slavery motion was led by Frank Austen, together with a lawyer, a surgeon, a grocer, and a baker.

The resolution adopted by Frank Austen described slavery as “repulsive” and called for “measures … which will enable the immediate improvement of the condition of the slave population, and the gradual but complete abolition of slavery,” based on a report within the Hampshire Telegraph on February 13, 1826.

Learn more

The Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton, England, there was recently an exhibition about Frank Austen, the born 250 years ago, in 1774There is more to learn not only about Jane Austen's own views on slavery, but in addition about Frank Austen himself.

The museum also announced the acquisition of Frank’s unpublished memoirs and sketchbook, for which it Crowdsourcing transcriptionOnce the memoirs are publicly available, they could shed further light on his beliefs.

In the meantime, scholars proceed to look for brand new facts, speculate about what Jane Austen's novels say between the lines, and investigate what she might need believed about slavery and abolition. This is occurring within the run-up to the 250th anniversary of her birth on 16 December 2025.

Taken together, these findings on the abolitionist activism of three Jane Austen's six brothers support the speculation that at the top of her life, which was cut short by illness on the age of 41, the novelist may herself have been on the solution to becoming a passionate, lively and public advocate of the abolition of slavery.

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Scott Porter, 45; Matthew Fox, 58; Jackie Earle Haley, 63; Jane Lynch, 64.

Happy birthday: Keep an open mind, but close your wallet. This yr, concentrate on saving and search for unique ways to extend your income. Sell what you not need or use and declutter so you may breathe freely. Focusing on what's vital will provide you with the liberty and peace of mind you want to follow your dreams and improve your future. Your numbers are 4, 15, 23, 27, 32, 40, 44.

ARIES (March 21 – April 19): Participate in something you’re keen about or attend a social event that guarantees stimulating discussions and concepts that can spark your imagination. A creative use of your skills and physical attributes will attract attention. Romance and a positive lifestyle change are promising. 3 stars

TAURUS (April 20 – May 20): Take pride in what you do and who you’re. Personal growth and a focus to the way you present yourself and what you may offer will open up unexpected opportunities. Look into institutional offerings that encourage training in marketable careers. Home improvement and self-improvement are preferred. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Attitude is every part. Take the initiative to arrange and plan events and activities that can involve you in your community or put you in a leadership position. It's time to expand your opportunities and let others learn about your talents. 5 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Think about your long-term goals, financial investments and outlook, and alter your lifestyle to fit your needs. Using your skills otherwise or providing a service that’s in demand will provide you with the liberty you want to live your life the best way you would like. Physical fitness will boost your energy and attitude. 2 stars

LEO (July 23 – August 22): Observe what is occurring and document what is vital. A curious attitude and charm will put others relaxed and make them more willing to share information. The more data you collect, the better it should be to include positive alternatives into your every day life. 4 stars

VIRGO (August 23 – September 22): Bring some excitement into your every day routine. A brief trip, activity or meeting will enlighten you and make you reflect in your life situation. When you come to what is vital to you, one can find that you don’t want as much as you regarded as satisfied. 3 stars

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22): You will gain insights into the right way to use your knowledge and experience to enhance your prospects. Discussing something with a detailed friend or relative will make it easier to realize your dreams, hopes and desires. Love and romance are in the celebs. 3 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Emotions will likely be difficult to manage. Calm down before you freak out or make a fuss. Social events will make it easier to see others through a novel lens. Be more observant and fewer permissive, and you may remain in charge of any situation you encounter. Avoid expensive things. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21): Be careful. Do not conform to anything unless you’re well informed. Make sure your plans are cost-effective and that you just base your decisions on facts, not emotions. Love can’t be bought, but you may sneak into someone's heart along with your charm. Rethink your strategy. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19): If you would like a change, go searching and begin from inside. A healthy attitude will put you in the fitting mind set to vary your circumstances to fit your needs. Don't let emotions interfere with what’s best for you. 4 stars

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18): Be clear. Honesty is one of the best strategy when coping with friends, family and others who attempt to compromise you. Stay near home and revel in what you will have worked hard for. Don't feel guilty, but be grateful and pleased with your achievements. Love yourself. 2 stars

PISCES (February 19 – March 20): Temptation might be problematic in the event you lack discipline. Don't let yourself be talked into doing something that may lead to bother with authority figures. Be the hero, not the perpetrator, and save the day by getting others to do the fitting thing. 5 stars

Birthday child: You are energetic, ambitious and disciplined. You are demonstrative and imaginative.

1 star: Avoid conflicts, work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can achieve something, but don't depend on others. 3 stars: Focus and you may achieve your goals. 4 stars: Set high goals, start latest projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you, aim for gold.

Visit Eugenialast.com or follow Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.