In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.
Lest We Forget
+ “It’s powerful that a whole league would put the name of a sister that’s fallen [on their backs]. None of us had met [Breonna Taylor] before, and it doesn’t matter. That’s what we’re trying to get the point across to a lot of people in America: Even if the issues don’t directly affect you, or it never affects you, it’s still your problem. We need to understand that we all have to be a part of shifting the culture.”
—WNBA Player Renee Montgomery in an interview with The 19th
+ “Women tend to run because we want to get something done. I call it ‘GSD’—Get Stuff Done.”
—Oregon Gov. Kate Brown at a Democratic Governors Association panel
+ “Do you seriously wonder, Mr. President, why this is the first time in decades that America has seen this level of violence? It’s you who have created the hate and the division.”
—Portland’s Mayor Ted Wheeler, after a member of a far-right group was fatally shot during protests in his city.
+ “How many African American lives would’ve been saved if the women’s suffrage movement would’ve worked with Ida B. Wells against lynching? And so I think at the same time we celebrate [the 19th Amendment], we have to hold these suffragists accountable for continuing the racism that was present in this society, and still is, and for fostering the voter suppression that we are still fighting in the 2020 election.”
—Sally Roesch Wagner, historian and director of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation, on an episode of “On The Issues with Michele Goodwin.’
+ “I’m not sad. I don’t want your pity. I want change.”
—Letetra Widman, the sister of Jacob Blake.
+ “[Chadwick Boseman] was the epitome of kindness, elegance, diligence and grace. On many an occasion I would think how thankful I was that he was the leading man I was working closely with. A true class act. And so perfectly equipped to take on the responsibility of leading the franchise that changed everything for Black representation.”
—Danai Gurira, co-star to late actor Chadwick Boseman
Milestones
+ Tennis star Naomi Osaka entered a stadium in the U.S. Open wearing a Breonna Taylor mask. She says she has masks with the names of seven different victims of police brutality and plans to continue wearing them throughout the competition.
+ Former digital editor Daniel J. Thompson—the only full-time Black staff member of The Kenosha News—resigned after the paper covered a rally in support of Jacob Blake and published the following headline: “Kenosha speaker: ‘If you kill one of us, it’s time for us to kill one of yours.’” The title has since been changed, but Thompson was frustrated by the use of one violent quote to drown out the “flood of positive ones” from that night’s rally.
+ Keke Palmer became the first Black woman to solo-host the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) on Aug. 30:
+ Three Democrats— Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rep. Ayana Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.)— recently introduced the Anti-Racism in Public Health Act, legislation that would treat racism as a public health issue. Specifically, the proposal calls for two new wings within the CDC to research anti-racism and law enforcement violence.
+ In Afghanistan, citizens will soon have their mothers’ names printed along with their fathers’ names on their identification cards. Before, a woman’s name was not part of one’s identity and was even considered shameful. Though a small win, advocates see this as major progress for women’s rights in a largely anti-women government.
+ Old Navy, Tory Burch and other fashion companies will be paying its employees to serve as poll workers on Election Day.
+ California Assemblymember Buffy Wicks voted at the California State Capitol with her newborn baby in the middle of a global pandemic. She says that her request to proxy vote was denied.
+ Legislation on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk would require greater racial diversity of corporate boards in California. Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), author of the legislation, was inspired by a 2018 law that mandates a minimum number of women on such boards.
+ A recently-erected statue in Central Park celebrates women’s rights advocates Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. They represent the park’s first monument to celebrate iconic women in history. The decision to commemorate these women was motivated in part by the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Some feminists take issue with the statue, as seating these three women at the same table glosses over the racism of white suffragists such as Cady Stanton and Anthony. Ironically enough, the statue was originally just going to be of those two women—adding Truth was an afterthought.
+ The Chinese government is committing grave violations of the human rights of Uyghur women. Reproductive rights abuses include forced consumption of birth control, IUD insertion, abortions, sterilizations and hormone injections.
How We’re Doing
+ New studies show that child marriage continues to occur at remarkably high rates in the U.S., with some states allowing marriage as young as age 14. The reports detail evidence of long-term health consequences, and an increased likelihood of abuse and poverty, for those that marry as minors.
+ A Gallup poll reveals 77 percent of American adults think nonviolent protests can spur positive change for Black Americans—9 percent higher than when the same question was asked in 1988.
+ Numerous universities now mandate students take at least one ethnic studies class. This field of study focuses on race and racism, emphasizing the experiences of people of color. The growing list of institutions includes Emory, Pittsburgh University and the California State system.
+ According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, women-owned small businesses are going to have a tougher time recovering from the pandemic.
+ A whopping 71 percent of college students plan to vote this year. Of those surveyed, 70 percent plan to vote for Biden, and 18 percent are for Trump.
+ The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rules that it is unconstitutional for schools to ban children from using the bathroom of their choice. This is a major win for transgender rights.
+ Over a million Americans applied for employment benefits in the last two weeks—signaling more dark times ahead for the country’s economy.
+ Another Fort Hood soldier, Sgt. Elder Fernandez, recently died after reporting a sexual assault. This death comes on the heels of the murder of Vanessa Guillen, another Fort Hood soldier who similarly died after reporting sexual harassment.
+ A new article from Working Mother suggests that, during work-from-home, fathers are three times more likely than mothers to receive a work promotion. Economists worry what this may spell out for working women as coronavirus lockdowns continue on.
+ Today, women vote in higher proportions and numbers than men do. This voting power means that men are shifting towards women’s viewpoints on several issues, such as gender equality and the economy.
