More Than A Magazine, A Movement
As we face the arrival of authoritarianism, it is to our democracy’s peril if we lose sight of the ways comparable regimes worldwide regularly and deliberately target women’s and LGBTQ equality. They do so to consolidate and exert power. They acknowledge the correlation with brazen certainty.
And, therefore, so must we.
The Trump administration’s aggressive dismantling of U.S. foreign aid, particularly through the gutting of USAID, has jeopardized decades of global health programs, including those focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Under the guise of eliminating waste and fraud, misleading claims about foreign aid, such as false allegations about funding condoms in Gaza, have fueled the freeze on vital funding. Legal battles, internal chaos and staff layoffs have compounded the damage, leaving millions without essential services and pushing U.S. foreign policy into crisis. Despite limited waivers, the global consequences of this policy shift remain dire.
When Albert Einstein wrote an obituary for Emmy Noether in 1935, he described her as a “creative mathematical genius” who—despite “unselfish, significant work over a period of many years”—did not get the recognition she deserved.
Noether made groundbreaking contributions to mathematics at a time when women were barred from academia and when Jewish people like herself faced persecution in Nazi Germany, where she lived.
“Action is the antidote to despair.”
I find this statement by the legendary activist/songwriter, Joan Baez, to be particularly relevant and inspiring in this time when it’s so easy to fall into despair. When I am engaged in activism—the purposeful resistance to the many push backs on rights and freedoms—I push aside despair and reclaim the hope that comes with action.
And it’s time for action! Time to stop the handwringing and worse, the silence, about what is happening in the U.S. that is having an impact everywhere in the world.
Activists and civil society groups considered the political declaration recently adopted at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) gathering as a victory against strong opposition from the United States. However, women’s rights groups remain deeply concerned that despite 30 years of advocacy, the declaration reflects minimal progress in advancing gender equality as politics disrupt gains and funding continues to lag.
The document, focusing on women’s global rights, was significantly watered down to accommodate opposition from some member states, particularly the U.S., during the months-long negotiations preceding the approval.
This Women’s History Month, as we honor the many women who have helped shape this country throughout the years, I had the opportunity to speak with one such history maker, former longtime U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).
As the first Black woman elected to the State Assembly, State Senate and Congress from Northern California and the highest ranking Black woman appointed to Democratic Leadership, Lee has had a trailblazing nearly three-decade political career.
“There are plenty of things you can do now, and I have found that lifts people’s spirits. They see that they can do something, and it keeps people engaged. Because that’s how democracy’s supposed to work. You’re not going to let a dictator take over, but they will take over, this will be an authoritarian government, which it’s close to being, if in fact we don’t do something,” said Lee.
Texas’ first abortion-related arrests come after a month-long attorney general investigation, marking the first criminal charges under the state’s near-total abortion ban.
Margaret Prescod, co-founder of Black Women for Wages for Housework, knew that raising children is hard work and that women on welfare are among society’s hardest workers. In a newsletter printed up by Prescod and Wilmette Brown and handed out at the 1977 National Women’s Conference in Houston, they wrote, “We don’t need more work. We need more money to work less.”
And after several days of lobbying, bolstered by support from delegates from several Southern states, the National Plan of Action ratified by the conference included a plank labeled Women, Welfare, and Poverty, which stated: “We support increased federal funding for income transfer programs. And just as with other workers, homemakers receiving payments should be afforded the dignity of having that payment called a wage, not welfare.”
The demand encapsulated in the Women, Welfare, and Poverty plank of the Plan of Action—the result of lobbying and organizing by Black, working-class and poor women—was perhaps the most visionary proposal to come out of the conference.
The Trump administration is trying to gut the Department of Education and divert funds to charter, private and religious schools that won’t be held accountable. This move threatens the progress we’ve made through civil rights efforts, especially in making schools more integrated and fair. The dismantling of key federal protections and funding will disproportionately hurt low-income students, students with disabilities, and communities already struggling.
We need to stand up, demand better resources for public schools, and refuse to let these harmful changes happen. We’ve fought for this before, and we can do it again.
The freeze on U.S. foreign assistance funding and the subsequent stop work order has already taken an irreversible toll on global health programs, including family planning services, causing chaos across public health systems and forcing many sexual and reproductive health providers and programs to close doors permanently. Despite ongoing litigation to challenge these actions in court—including an important court victory that found this attack likely unconstitutional—most USAID partners are still waiting for government payments for work already completed. Adding to the upheaval, the administration gutted USAID staff and cancelled 83 percent of its aid contracts.
Contrary to the Trump administration’s claims, cutting foreign aid for reproductive health is not a fiscal gain, but a significant step backward.