On Saturday, a four-day, 27-mile Selma-to-Montgomery style march from Georgetown—a suburb north of Austin—ended with a rally at the Texas Capitol attended by almost 10,000 people. The rally was the culmination of a four-day march from Georgetown, a suburb north of Austin, which began on Wednesday, as a way to pressure the U.S. Congress to pass voting rights legislation.
Author: Roxy Szal
Roxy Szal is the digital editor at Ms. and a producer on the Ms. podcast "On the Issues With Michele Goodwin." Find her on Twitter @roxyszal.
Texas Democrats: On Abortion Rights and Voting Rights, “I Don’t Want To Go Back”
It’s been a little over a week since Texas Democratic state legislators decamped to Washington, D.C., in protest over Gov. Greg Abbott’s uncompromising agenda during the state’s special legislative session. Republican attempts to pass extreme voter suppression legislation are taking up the bulk of media attention—understandably. But the fight isn’t just for voting rights: It’s also about reproductive rights, which are under severe attack in the Lone Star State.
Texas state Rep. Donna Howard is one of the Democrats that fled the state. As a registered nurse and current chair of the Texas Women’s Health Caucus, Howard spoke to Ms. late last week to discuss the flawed assumptions behind the Republican push to restrict abortion access in Texas and the real-life impact of these laws on everyday Texans.
From Texas to D.C.: A Legislator—and Her Child—Fight for Voting Rights
Over 50 Texas Democrats have left the state en masse to prevent a quorum in the House and to freeze extreme election bills from advancing through the chambers. One of those “fugitive” Democrats is Texas state Representative Erin Zwiener (D)—a mother to a 3-year-old daughter named Lark. Due to very real child care constraints, Zwiener faced an impossible choice: Do I flee the state with or without my child?
Zwiener joined Ms. to discuss how these drastic measures relate to Texas Democrats’ overall strategy, and how their quick exit affected her as a wife, parent and legislator.
On the Ground in Texas: The Latest Front Line in the War on Voting Rights
After Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called a special legislative session to discuss voting restrictions and other cultural issues, activists and lawmakers are fighting back against Republicans’ extreme agenda.
Abbott is “pushing forward an agenda that is over-politicized and all predicated on a big lie,” said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter. “We’re calling this ‘the suppression session.’”
Texas Democrats: Nothing Is “Off the Table” Ahead of Special Legislative Session on Voting Rights and Budget
In a year of rampant voter suppression, voting laws in the Lone Star State are the most restrictive in the country. The fight for voting rights in Texas will reach a new flash point this week during a special legislative session beginning Thursday, July 8.
State Representative Erin Zwiener (D) joined Ms. for a conversation about what to expect throughout this special session, how she and other Democrats are fighting growing Trumpism among state legislative bodies, and what Texas Democrats are up to next in their attempts to protect the right to vote for all Texans.
Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act—a Major Win for Women: “The ACA Is Here to Stay”
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), which since its 2010 passage has granted health coverage to more than 31 million Americans, has survived another day in court. In Thursday’s 7–2 decision from the Supreme Court, the justices ruled that Texas and other objecting Republican-led states had no legal standing to bring the challenge to court.
#TalkingIsPower: Advocating for High-Quality Sex Ed—at Home and in Schools
This May, a coalition of reproductive justice, sexual health and feminist organizations came together to celebrate #SexEdForAll month, designed to highlight the importance of high quality sex ed.
Ms.’s Roxy Szal spoke with four experts on how to support young people as they navigate sex ed, consent and relationships.
Meet the Feminist Artists Recreating the Iconic First Ms. Cover—Five Decades Later
In 1972, Miriam Wosk created the iconic first cover of Ms. magazine. Fifty years later, the Spring cover of Ms. pays homage to Wosk’s work.
The idea for the cover recreation was conceived by Ms. art director Brandi Phipps, who commissioned the project to D.C.-based artist Ashley Jaye Williams. Ms. digital editor Roxy Szal spoke to Phipps and Williams to see what it was like to pick up Wosk’s baton five decades later, their hopes for the cover’s impact on viewers, favorite Ms. covers over the years, and more.
Six Things Feminists Should Know About the War on Drugs
On 4/20, feminist conversations shift to the war on drugs and its disproportionate impact on Black and brown communities.
Civia Tamarkin: The U.S. Is “On the Road to Gilead.” Here’s How We Turn Back
Feminist journalist and filmmaker Civia Tamarkin is calling out the anti-abortion opposition’s game.
“We only have a very reactive and defensive movement that runs around plugging up the holes in the dike, filing injunctions against all these laws that are passed and fighting in court—but not strategizing enough to have the impact we need.”