I had the honor of interviewing Liberian activist Leymah Roberta Gbowee just a few weeks ago, so you can imagine my excitement when she won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize today (along with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Yemeni journalist Tawakkul Karman). During Liberia’s lengthy civil war, Gbowee organized women across religious, ethnic and class […]
Month: October 2011
Hold the Sprinkles: National Pro-Life Cupcake Day Is Upon Us
Here at the Ms. Blog, we don’t usually turn down cupcakes. But over the next few days, we’ll be forgoing any of the tasty deserts handed out by the Cupcakes for Life movement. In case you didn’t see it on your calendar, this Sunday, October 9, is National Pro-Life Cupcakes Day, designed by folks against […]
And the Nobel Goes To … Women’s Rights
When it comes to honoring women, the Nobel Peace Prize committee has some catching up to do. Since 1901 when the first Peace Prize was given, only 12 of the 121 awardees have been female. But today, the female-to-male percentage rose from just over 9 percent to a nice round 12 percent, as three women–all […]
Afghan Woman Legislator’s Hunger Strike Reaches Day Six
Today, Simin Barakzai reached her sixth consecutive day of a hunger strike to the death in a tent in front of the Afghan parliament building. [Update, Monday 10/10: On day nine, Barakzai is still refusing water or food and is in critical condition.] Barakzai, a member of parliament from Herat, is camped out to protest […]
Top 100 Feminist Non-Fiction Countdown: 30-21
Many of books 21 to 30 were famous for challenging the status quo–whether that be male supremacy in general or privilege within the feminist movement. In this section you’ll find the defining works of Chicana, women-of-color and third-wave feminism (as well as one landmark anthology at the intersection of all three). Last, two 21st-century historians […]
Woman is the “N” of the World?
In 1969, Yoko Ono coined the phrase, and I quote, “Woman is the N****R of the World.” Shortly thereafter, she and her husband, the late John Lennon, wrote and he recorded a song with that same title. According to Wikipedia (which is ALWAYS questionable), at that time (don’t know where they would stand today) Dick Gregory and Ron Dellums defended the […]
Pawns of War and Peace: What Does the Future Hold for Afghan Women?
On November 18, 2001, in a radio address to the nation, then-First Lady Barbara Bush condemned the degrading treatment imposed on Afghan women by the Taliban regime. Thus the story of the U.S invasion of Afghanistan began with women: the promises of liberating them, the efforts to gain their trust and to feed their malnourished […]
An Ex-Bunny Bids a Not-So-Fond Goodbye to NBC’S Playboy Club
NBC has officially pulled the plug on the highly promoted new series The Playboy Club after airing only three episodes. The reason given? Poor ratings, which caused seven major advertisers to withdraw after only two episodes. As an ex-bunny, I won’t be shedding any tears. I recently wrote for the Good Men Project about the […]
Top 100 Feminist Non-Fiction Countdown: 40-31
As we get closer to the top, here are career-defining works from the likes of Angela Y. Davis, Kate Bornstein, Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof, Patricia Hill Collins, Susie Orbach and Mary Pipher. If you’ve heard of these folks, it’s probably because of the books below. If you haven’t, you have some great reading ahead! […]
Troy Davis Is Gone, But the Struggle Goes On
Like many, I was glued to Democracy Now’s live broadcast on the night of Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 6 p.m. until shortly after 11:08 p.m., the time that Troy Davis was killed by the state of Georgia, where I reside. Suddenly, the students’ essays that I was supposed to be grading or the dinner I […]