Can you believe that the story of a 15 year-old girl from World War II continues to inspire people more than 66 years after it was written? As just one example of its popularity, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is currently sixth out of more than 430 books in Ms. magazine’s all-time […]
Month: September 2010
Obama Recognizes Historically Black Colleges and Universities
On September 13th, during the White House reception for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), President Obama reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to funding these high-quality educational institutions. [PDF] This initiative, which will set aside $1 billion in federal funds for minority-serving institutions, is part of the president’s plan to increase percentage of degree-holding Americans […]
Better Muslim Than Gay
Lately I’ve been hearing a lot about how much my people are under attack in America today. The thing is, though, as an American Muslim, I don’t really feel under attack. Annoyed? Sure. But attacked? No. Despite all the controversy surrounding the construction of the Park51 Center in downtown Manhattan, for example, the fact remains […]
The Right of Every Woman
Driving through Uganda, one is struck by the beauty of its vast hills and green valleys, where banana plantations are bountiful and the fruit—one of the country’s staples—is sold alongside the road. But outside the capital of Kampala, one also notices how narrow and bumpy those roads can be, and how hard it would be […]
Where Are the Feminists for Bristol Palin?
Nineteen-year-old Bristol Palin has joined the cast of this season’s Dancing With The Stars (DWTS), and the usual ridicule of teen motherhood has ensued…Why aren’t more feminist pushing back against the sexism and degradation of single, teen mothers evident in public discourse concerning Bristol?
What Are You Thinking, Oprah?
Oprah, Oprah, Oprah–what are you thinking, girl? Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom is your book club selection, the first book of your last season? Really? Mr. “high-art literary tradition”? Remember him–he who refused to go slumming with Oprah’s readership nine years ago? Too lowbrow, too “schmaltzy.” The man who told National Public Radio in 2001: “I had […]
Sexualizing Young Girls Is Nothing to Cheer About
Last week’s MSNBC news story about the Michigan six-year-old booted off the cheerleading squad after her mom objected to a risque routine got me thinking. This has been a strange season for news stories concerning the sexualization of young girls. Back in April, the UK’s Primark department store was taken to task for selling padded […]
Gays on TV, Women in The Men’s Room and Bad Behavior at Goldman Sachs: Editors’ Picks, 9/12-9/18
CNN is the most trusted name in news. So it’s no surprise that they devoted an entire segment to covering the big debate going on in America over whether or not gay characters on TV shows are “bad for society”. Now if only they would address the question of whether or not Jesus votes Republican. […]
Global News Roundup: Michelle Bachelet Heads UN Women, France Bans Veil, and More
This week, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet is named new head of UN Women; maternal mortality has fallen for the first time in decades; the French Senate votes to ban face veils in public; a senior British cardinal says women can’t be ordained; and a woman purporting to be Sakineh Ashtiani, who was sentenced to […]
How My Mama Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mexican Independence Day
Because of what falls left of the hyphen in “Mexican-American,” I am often asked how my family celebrates Mexican Independence Day on September 16 (today). I have to confess that we never have. As native Californians, my family, just like everyone else on our suburban block on July 4th, merely lit up the ol’ barbeque […]