Most of the feminist activism I do—whether it’s writing or teaching or protesting—requires a long view. A really long view. Sometimes I feel as if my feminist colleagues and I are saying and doing the same things over and over again, with little to no results to show for any of our work. And when […]
Month: May 2014
Proposed Rule Change for High-Tech Migrant Workers’ Spouses Isn’t Enough
On May 6, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a press release announcing it would extend work permits to the spouses of highly skilled immigrants in hopes of attracting and retaining these temporary migrant professionals. Since then, headlines such as: “H-1B visa spouses to get work permits soon” and “United States Changes Visa […]
When Slambooks Go Online
Thanks to social media, bullying has become more insidious than ever. “Confessions” platforms—independently run pages on social media sites and mobile apps where students can anonymously post about their campus communities—are rampant on campuses across the country. The emphasis on anonymous contributions makes the personal public. The forums feature racism, sexism and homophobia, perpetuating intolerance […]
Women Don’t Fear Power. Power Fears Women.
Reading yesterday about the abrupt firing of Jill Abramson, along with the resignation of Le Monde’s Natalie Nougayrède, was like watching a ripple of misogyny move through the air in slow motion. Similar, in fact, to watching the slow, then fast, build to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s removal from office. There’s no way to […]
Unfairly Judged: Why Cecily McMillan Doesn’t Belong in Prison
This story originally appeared at The Nation Pretend you have to choose a book: one is a lurid airport paperback written for people who don’t like to read, the story of a bad girl getting taken down a peg; the other is missing half its pages and it has a lot of footnotes. You’d choose […]
Columbia Students Take Campus Rape Into Their Own Hands
Last week, a list of names entitled “Sexual Assault Violators on Campus” appeared on the wall of a women’s restroom at Columbia University. The list was subsequently removed by school officials, however, it quickly reappeared several times in the bathroom of a different building, this time more glaringly titled “Rapists on Campus“. The Columbia “Rapist […]
Around the World, Mother’s Day is a Call to Action
Becoming a mother was not the blissed-out, exhilarating experience I thought it would be. It was painful, scary and the only time I have ever felt truly out of control. When I went to the hospital, I was expecting an “easy” birth. My pregnancy had not been particularly difficult, and I was slated to deliver […]
We Heart: HGTV for Cancelling New Show Over Hosts’ Anti-Gay Views
Home improvement cable network HGTV backed out of airing an upcoming reality TV series on house-flipping after it came to light that the stars of the series were anti-gay, anti-abortion activists. Twin brothers Jason and David Benham, noted real estate developers who have made a name for themselves in fixing up dilapidated homes and selling […]
Corporate Responsibility: It’s Time to Stand Up for the Kidnapped Nigerian Girls
This week in Abuja, Nigeria, corporations from the U.S. and around the globe will attend the World Economic Forum on Africa. Yes, Nigeria. Where 234 schoolgirls (possibly more, according to some reports) have been kidnapped by terrorist group Boko Haram and remain missing. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan recently blamed the girls’ parents for his government’s failure to quickly find […]
Why Mamas Write
Outside of a few high-profile writers such as Anne Lamott, women who write explicitly about being a mother risk being seen as lightweight by the literary establishment. Not real writers. The anthology Mamas Write: 29 Tales of Truth, Wit and Grit turns this assumption on its head. You won’t find cliché advice on how to […]