Global

Microcredit Is Transforming the Lives of Women Entrepreneurs in Haiti: ‘Business Is in My Blood’

In 2020, the Raising Haiti Foundation began funding the provision of small loans ($25-$50) to 50 women clients in two communities: Medor and Sarrazin. Most of the women use their loans to become entrepreneurs, or to expand their current businesses, selling goods in local markets. Some use them to purchase livestock or crop seeds, improving their farming outputs.

This interview with recipient and entrepreneur Benita Bien-Aimé exemplifies some of the achievements of the microcredit clients.

“I think what makes women like me successful in business is that we have courage, we have strength; we know what the market needs are, we go looking for these products, and we bring them to the community!”

‘We Have No Rights’: An Open Letter from an Afghan Girl Living in Fear

My name is Suraya Mohammadi, a girl living in the heart of Afghanistan, a country under Taliban rule. I write this letter with a heart full of pain and hope, a letter that aims to be the voice of all Afghan girls, girls who are enduring an imposed and cruel silence.

Since the day the Taliban regained power, my life and the lives of thousands of other girls have turned into a nightmare. We have been deprived of going to school and continuing our education, from working and having a bright future. Every day, I look out of the small window of my house and wish that I could go back to school, open my books again, and dream of becoming a doctor, an engineer, or a lawyer. But sadly, these dreams have now turned into a nightmare we experience while awake.

Equal Rights Amendment Is Valid and Should Be Implemented, Says American Bar Association

At the annual meeting of the American Bar Association in Chicago on Aug. 6, the association’s House of Delegates adopted a resolution declaring the Equal Rights Amendment fully ratified as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The ABA resolution urged full implementation of the ERA by the legal community and all federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments. The ABA has a membership of 400,000 lawyers.

Keeping Score: Women Make History at the Olympics; Harris Picks Tim Walz for VP; States Attack Voting, Abortion and Contraception

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.

This week: Kamala Harris chooses Tim Walz; female Olympians make history; new Title IX rule faces legal challenges; JD Vance doubles down on supporting Project 2025; mandating in-person work hurts women; over 90 percent of women engage in civic actions; and more.

South Asian Representation Will Not Liberate Us. South Asian Solidarity Will.

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The United States has entered into a cyclone of “historic firsts” for Indian Americans—from the GOP presidential bids of businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, to the whirlwind Democratic nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris.

But these moments of mainstream attention offer a unique opportunity for the American public, and specifically South Asian Americans, to move past celebrating identity politics and to invest in liberation politics.

What’s Motivating Latina Voters in This Year’s Election? The Ms. Q&A With Lupe M. Rodríguez

Latina voters have become a dynamic force and a major voting bloc in recent elections, prioritizing grassroots organizing and building online communities in support of candidates such as Kamala Harris. Additionally, Latinas are the largest group of women of color affected by state abortion bans. Groups such as the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice and Voto Latino are galvanizing support for reproductive rights, workers’ rights and immigration reform—but candidates must recognize the importance of the Latina vote. Whoever captures this voting bloc will exponentially increase their chances of winning the presidency and down-ballot races this November.

Ms. spoke with Lupe M. Rodríguez, the executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, to discuss what’s motivating Latina voters in this year’s election.

Ms. Global: Paris Olympics Near Gender Parity, Afghan Women Banned from Third Doha Conference, and More

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The U.S. ranks as the 19th most dangerous country for women, 11th in maternal mortality, 30th in closing the gender pay gap, 75th in women’s political representation, and painfully lacks paid family leave and equal access to health care. But Ms. has always understood: Feminist movements around the world hold answers to some of the U.S.’s most intractable problems. Ms. Global is taking note of feminists worldwide.

This week: a special report from the Paris Olympics, as well as news from Afghanistan, Iran and more.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: U.S. Politics Is Halfway to Gender Parity; Feminists’ Presidential Dream Team

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Influential figures in Brussels are backing away from equality commitments; women make up less than 27 percent of all U.S. House candidates; rank your presidential dream team; two U.S. states receive an “A” grade for gender parity; and more.

She Surfed the Biggest Wave in the World. ‘Maya and the Wave’ Captured It.

In February 2020, Brazilian surfer Maya Reis Gabeira surfed a 73-foot wave (the height of a seven-story building) in Nazaré, Portugal.

With her documentary Maya and the Wave, filmmaker Stephanie Johnes tells a story of working with, not against, the ocean, and doesn’t shy away from the intensity of the sport. In an interview with Ms., Stephanie Johnes details what it is like to be an elite female athlete in a male-dominated sport.

“What I hope that the film accomplishes is to connect with people who are not necessarily surfers or even athletes, but who have felt that feeling of isolation when they’re trying to do something extraordinary or trying to do something in a male-dominated environment.”

Vice President Kamala Harris Is Anything But a DEI Hire

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Vice President Kamala Harris—the presumed Democratic presidential candidate and a storied politician—is on track to break all kinds of records for women of color. And yet as soon as she ascended to the top of the ticket, without fail, the conservative right began hurling racist, misogynist insults and tropes at her.

Harris’ experience of being questioned and labeled a “DEI hire” is one shared by many marginalized groups in society, where their identity eclipses their qualifications and leads to systematic racist and sexist practices that negatively impact their life and career trajectories. Contrary to the conservative narrative, DEI has unquestionably improved the lives of Americans.