In her latest exhibition, “Freedom is for Everybody,” artist-activist Michele Pred uses sculpture, assemblage and performance as a call-to-action to uplift marginalized voices, activate and mobilize around the protection of freedom for *all* bodies—now more than ever.
Author: Sophia Michelen
Sophia Michelen is a women and children's rights activist, writer, photojournalist, and global health and humanitarian professional. She has experience in international policy, advocacy, research and communication, working with nonprofits, NGOs and international governments. Currently committed to children’s rights, Sophia has worked in emergency relief in the Middle East, on health-system strengthening projects for girls in East Africa, and created advocacy and communication programs for women in Latin America.
$200 Million of American Rescue Plan Will Support Domestic Violence Survivors and Their Children
During the pandemic, domestic violence in the U.S. rose by more than 8.1 percent. In response, the Biden administration last week confirmed it will allocate $200 million from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to support services for domestic violence survivors.
Mother’s Day Flowers That Reflect the True Value of a Mother’s Work: $800 Billion
In the “Moms Deserve More Flower Store,” bouquets range from $800 billion for the Unpaid Work Bouquet to $3,500 for the Mental Stress Bouquet—representing the real value of mothers’ work. The price tags highlight the ways in which our current national policies and COVID-19 relief efforts are failing to support our mothers.
They Don’t Teach You How to Grieve as a First-Generation, Only-Child American
As the only child, only daughter to immigrant parents coming from strong Latin and Middle Eastern cultures, I was taught many things of life in this “new” world. COVID-19 showed me that I was never formally taught one constant emotion amongst all of humanity: grief.
Just when I start to learn to process one traumatic event, another hits, and another, and the next—all while grieving a nation I love and a democracy my parents sacrificed to attain.