More Than A Magazine, A Movement
The Biden-Harris administration’s proposed Supreme Court reforms are an opportunity to move forward discussions on how to check the third branch of government.
The courts had long served as a pillar of our democracy until conservative forces waged a decades-long campaign to twist the judiciary to its antidemocratic liking. The need for reform is clear—and something that voters across the political spectrum want.
On Sept. 27, 2018, Christine Blasey Ford testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in 1982. In a beautifully-written and searing new memoir, One Way Back, Blasey Ford recounts her life before, during and after the 1982 sexual assault and her 2018 testimony.
Blasey Ford’s memoir corrects the record, and explains what happened after her testimony.
The confirmation of Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, and her choice of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as running mate, represent an unprecedented moment in American history. At the Democratic National Convention later this month in Chicago, the pair will make headlines around the world, as will the reaction from the opposing candidate, Donald Trump.
The role of the press is critical in Harris’s candidacy as news and information—or disinformation—is tremendously influential in shaping voter opinion and action. But, many media outlets fail to label extremely negative counter-narratives to this historic move as the racist outrages that they are.
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.
The collective female rage in response to JD Vance using the “childless cat lady” archetype as an insult is driven by shared hurt at the mockery that reduces us to our reproductive capacity in a political context where women are already devalued. It demeans our dreams and aspirations outside motherhood. It seems small, but those three words carry so much emotional weight for us.
The fight is exhausting and there will come a time when I stop. But I pray that other women fight. All of us—intentionally childfree, mothers, delayed in motherhood, deprived of motherhood, stepmothers, more—certainly have a stake in the future: a hope that we may be cherished, not for the services our bodies offer men and society at large, but merely for our humanity and the women we are.
Last month, I attended America in One Room: The Youth Vote, a Washington, D.C., gathering of 500 first-time voters discussing policy issues.
I sat in on the healthcare deliberation and panel, as a young, uninvolved observer with an interest in reproductive health—also about to vote in my first presidential election. Here are my five main takeaways.
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.
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.
From Caitlin Clark’s success this season, to the Women’s Basketball Team shot at The Olympics this week, the history of women’s basketball has been paved by Title IX.
“It’s now over 50 years since Title IX was passed and it’s amazing how great U.S. women athletes are doing [at the Olympics]. Finally hearts and minds are getting closer to matching the law. People are investing in women’s sports as a business, not a charity,” said Billie Jean King.
(This article originally appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox!)
On Aug. 7, activists across the country observe Mothers’ Equal Pay Day, raising awareness for working mothers and the unique challenges they face. This day calls attention to the earnings gap between mothers and fathers and highlights workplace policies that are unfriendly to moms.
Together, we must work toward a world where women can care for themselves and their children without worrying about falling behind financially, and where professional progress doesn’t come at the expense of a healthy, supported family. Mother’s Equal Pay Day is one “holiday” that I would like to stop observing. Together, we can make this aspiration a reality.