This week: Olympic athletes push for gender equality and inclusivity; Biden condemns state lawmakers’ attack on voting rights; ICE prohibits arrest of pregnant women, and federal judge rules DACA is unlawful; Rep. Joyce Beatty is arrested during demonstration; Zaila Avant-garde is first African American winner of the National Spelling Bee; and more.
Author: Sophie Dorf-Kamienny
Sophie Dorf-Kamienny is an incoming freshman at Tufts University. She is a former Ms. research and editorial fellow, and assistant editor of social media. You can find her on Twitter at @sophie_dk_.
Keeping Score: Olympics Ban Swim Caps Made for Black Hair; Abortion Restrictions Reach Record High in 2021; Biden Administration Boasts Narrowest Pay Gap in History
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 in this biweekly round-up.
This week: abortion restrictions skyrocket in 2021; Olympic policies disproportionately target Black women; Supreme Court rules in favor of free speech and gender expression; state legislatures endanger voting rights; and more.
Keeping Score: Paycheck Fairness Act Blocked by Senate Republicans; Biden’s Record Number of Women Judges; DOJ Defends Trans Rights
This week in Keeping Score: activists and DOJ defend trans rights; Senate recognizes Juneteenth as federal holiday; New York will offer gender-neutral IDs; Biden judicial nominees include a record number of women; and more.
Keeping Score: Most Mass Shooters Have History of Domestic Violence; Kristen Clarke to Lead Civil Rights Division; Simone Biles Wins Historic 7th Title
This week in Keeping Score: commemorating the Tulsa Race Massacre; Kristen Clarke is confirmed to DOJ; Naomi Osaka withdraws from French Open; mass grave is discovered at Canadian residential school; and more.
Keeping Score: Reproductive Health Care On the Line; AP Employees Speak Out on Wilder Firing; Antisemitic Violence on the Rise
This week in Keeping Score: advocates defend accessible contraception and abortion; Supreme Court case challenges Roe v. Wade; House passes Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA); Samoa swears in first woman prime minister; Texas resumes executions; women face continually high unemployment rates; 20 companies produce over half the world’s plastic waste; and more!
Keeping Score: Biden Raises Refugee Cap; Liz Cheney Warns Republicans, “Our Children Are Watching”; One in Four Women Cite Financial Woes
Tracking research in the fight for equality; cataloguing can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices; and keeping tabs on the movement’s milestones.
This week in Keeping Score: For the first time, two women flank the president at a joint address; Biden raises refugee cap to 62,500; Ecuador legalizes abortion in cases of rape; AAPI Americans are least likely to hold elected office; most adults support the For the People Act; and more.
“Madam Speaker. Madam Vice President”: Feminists React to Biden’s Historic Joint Address
Biden’s address was optimistic and solution-oriented, with a heavy emphasis on the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan.
But before he even began his prepared speech, Biden’s joint address was already one for the books: Never in history had two women shared the dais with the president, and feminists—both inside the chamber and out—did not hide their excitement.
Keeping Score: Chloé Zhao Makes Oscars History; Philonise Floyd Calls Chauvin Verdict “Necessary”; Senate Passes Anti-Hate Crime Bill; Reuters’s First Woman Editor-in-Chief
This week: Biden administration speaks on Black maternal health; all U.S. adults are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination; Derek Chauvin is convicted for murdering George Floyd; Senate passes bill to address anti-Asian crimes; Biden pledges to cut emissions in half; and more!
Feminists Rally in Support of the ERA with One Message: #NoTimeLimitOnEquality
For nearly 50 years, generations of feminists in the U.S. have marched, lobbied and advocated for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)—a simple but crucial amendment that would enshrine gender equality in the Constitution. Trailblazing feminists—including Alfre Woodard, Dolores Huerta and Kate Walsh—want to make sure the message is heard: There is no time limit on equality.
States Launch Attacks on Voting Rights: How Can We Protect Our Democracy?
In states like Georgia, Arizona and Michigan, Republican-controlled legislatures are launching attacks on voting rights, establishing barriers to access under the guise of “election security.” But just one bill in the U.S. Congress could protect citizens in all 50 states: H.R. 1/S. 1, known as the For the People Act.
“The Republicans have a very slim majority. … And yet here we find ourselves, where they are still governing from the most extremist policies. They’re working very hard to make sure that turnout never happens again.”