Are We There Yet? vol. 56

For college basketball aficionados, this past weekend was the Holy Grail. The NCAA Division 1 Women’s Final 4 games and championship were on Friday and Sunday, respectively, and the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Final 4 games and championship were on Saturday and Monday. It was an amazing weekend with the University of Arizona upsetting perennial powerhouse Connecticut on Friday to advance to the championship game. On Saturday, Gonzaga freshman Jalen Suggs made a shot from just inside half-court at the buzzer to beat UCLA and preserve an undefeated season. On Sunday, Stanford, led by Hall of Fame coach, Tara Vanderveer, won when Arizona missed a last second shot and on Monday, Baylor ended Gonzaga dream of being the first team to finish a season undefeated since the Indiana Hoosiers accomplished that feat in 1976.

It was an exciting weekend but a significant moment that occurred over the weekend didn’t happen on the court. In Arizona’s game versus Connecticut on Friday, Arizona coach, Adia Barnes came out to the court late after halftime because she had to pump breast milk for her 6-month-old daughter. ESPN reporter and game commentator summarized the moment best. “For those of you who think this is too much information, let’s normalize working mothers and all that they have to do to make it all happen.” I wonder if it would have even gotten a mention if the broadcasters weren’t women.

We all know how important women are to the workforce and the economy, and we know that women face different and greater challenges as compared to their male counterparts. Working moms face even bigger hurdles. Coach Barnes reflected on the night before that huge game against Connecticut. “Capri woke up at like, 4 in the morning, so I fed her and then she spit up all over me. A second later she pooped on my lap, so I had to give her a bath. At this point, it’s 5a.m. and I’m getting ready to coach my biggest game.” She also reflected that “It’s hard. You wonder, is it possible? I’ve had my moments of breaking down and being like, ‘I just can’t do this. It’s too much.' But this is what I’m meant to do.”

We’ve come a long way over the years just to be comfortable having this conversation and where women feel comfortable in sharing their struggles and challenges. Thanks to Coach Adia Barnes and reporters like Holly Rowe who share these stories, we continue to move forward.

This week’s selection is:

TV SERIES:

Unbelievable (Netflix)

This is a repeat but fits the theme for the week. After a young woman is accused of lying about a rape, two female detectives investigate a spate of eerily similar attacks. Inspired by true events.