PBS’s new two-part report on women in Guatemala, which aired this week, shines a much-needed light on a mounting crisis of women’s health, rights and safety while offering a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel. As I reported in the Winter 2011 issue of Ms. Magazine in my article “Fighting Femicide”, the […]
Month: March 2011
The Disappearance of Phylicia Barnes
The media’s inattention to missing women of color is nothing new. Criticism of that trend isn’t either—and yet, it continues. Consider how names such as Elizabeth Smart, Natalee Holloway or JonBenet Ramsey rank in name recognition, even years after their disappearances. Then consider names such as Starr Snead, Artdrunetta Hobbs or Lachrica Jefferson. All are […]
What Happened on March 8 in Tahrir Square
Several hundred women gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square for International Women’s Day on Tuesday, demanding equal rights in a “new Egypt.” But the event–part celebration, part demonstration–soon turned violent when throngs of men arrived to harass the women. As a U.S. Fulbright fellow in Egypt, I was able to digitally record what happened (video below). […]
For Spring Equinox: A Global Call to End Catcalls
During a recent warm spell across the United States, I immediately noticed an increase in Tweets and Facebook posts about unwelcome catcalls. I experienced it, too. On the warmest day I wore shorts during my daily run and men in a car whistled and hooted at me. Until then, weeks of cold had kept car […]
Live-Blogging Women’s History: March 10, 1919
In honor of Women’s History Month, I’m writing every day about 20th century feminists (primarily the suffragists) from a you-are-there viewpoint. March 10, 1919: Tonight’s gala at New York’s Carnegie Hall is a worthy finale to the nationwide, spectacularly successful 23-day tour of the “Prison Special.” An elaborate pageant of color and light opens the […]
Honor an Abortion Provider Today–and Every Day
Dr. David Gunn: Murdered on March 10, 1993. Dr. Barnett Slepian: Murdered on October 23, 1998. Dr. George Tiller: Murdered on May 31, 2009. These are just three of the most sobering examples of the violence extremists have levied against abortion providers in the U.S.. Though threats of violence against abortion providers are prohibited by […]
Leslie Knope Loves Ms. Magazine!
Leslie Knope, the fictional deputy director of the Parks and Recreation department in Pawnee, Ind., is the ultimate feminist. She has pictures of Nancy Pelosi and Margaret Thatcher on her walls, dreams one day of being the first female president and celebrates Galentine’s Day instead of Valentine’s Day, honoring her female friendships. Played by the […]
What Would an Intersectional Women’s History Month Look Like?
Women’s History Month gives us an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the legacy of global women. Yet, year after year, the faces of Women’s History Month are the same: slideshows and commemorative stamps of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. These women all provided groundbreaking work for women’s rights, […]
Live-Blogging Women’s History: March 9, 1910
March 9, 1910: More proof of a revitalized suffrage movement was evident in Albany today at the New York State legislature‘s hearings on changing the state constitution to enfranchise women. Today’s unprecedented turnout encouraged suffragists to believe that they can succeed in striking one word from the section that grants voting rights only to the […]
Did The New York Times Blame the 11-Year-Old Victim of a Texas Gang Rape?
There is so much that is horrid with regard to this story coming out of small-town East Texas: 18 men and teenage boys have been arrested in the gang rape of an 11-year-old girl in Cleveland, TX. There’s what Feministing’s Chloe Angyal noted, that those quoted in the article seem strangely concerned with how participating in a gang […]