Who Was Dealt Out of the Debt Ceiling Deal?

PUBLISHED 6/16/2023 by

On June 3, President Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA) into law, allowing Americans to breathe a sigh of relief that we managed to avoid a catastrophic economic situation. But to agree to this compromise, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) insisted on several detrimental and dangerous changes to anti-poverty programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Plain and simple, these changes will increase hunger and hardship among the most vulnerable Americans. As usual, their impact will be felt most acutely by women, particularly women of color. The debt ceiling bill was far from perfect, and the fight for justice is far from over.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: One-Third of State Legislators Are Women; Black Women Struggle Most With Student Loan Payments

PUBLISHED 6/16/2023 by

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

This week: The percentage of women in state legislatures has steadily increased, but the gender gap is far from being bridged; President Biden and Vice President Harris celebrate Juneteenth with Opal Lee, the advocate who helped turn Juneteenth into a national holiday; bias against women is as entrenched as a decade ago, says a new U.N. report; “student loan debt is a true albatross on the ankles of young Black women and young, low-income people everywhere”; and more.

How State Constitutions and Courts Can Lead on Reproductive Rights and Gender Equality

PUBLISHED 6/15/2023 by and

One year ago this month, the U.S. Supreme Court abandoned 50 years of precedent and held there is no federal constitutional right to abortion.

Fortunately, the Dobbs majority opinion is not the last word on how other jurists will interpret constitutional guarantees that protect reproductive autonomy. With active cases in 19 states challenging abortion bans since Dobbs, debates over the constitutional meaning of life, liberty, equality and reproductive rights are now taking shape in state courts. And, as new research shows, many state courts have already decided that state equal protection provisions, equal rights amendments, and other state constitutional guarantees are not constrained by federal precedent and require robust, independent legal standards to address sex discrimination. 

The Vibe Was Silver: Beyoncé Brings Afrofuturistic Feminism to the World Stage

PUBLISHED 6/14/2023 by

Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour has been making waves across Europe for the last month. Many of us were unprepared for the power she would unleash. We had to be in our seats an hour before the show began, and the venue was buzzing in anticipation. When she finally appeared, in a metallic body suit with winged shoulder pads, it quickly became apparent that the vibe of the show was Afrofuturism. Her 2020 visual album Black Is King has already been analyzed through the lens of this cultural movement, and it seems Beyoncé is continuing these futuristic visuals on her world tour.

Afrofuturism is a trending movement in literature, music and the visual arts, seen as a way of understanding the African diaspora, not by looking back, but by looking forward. This gaze towards the future is a hopeful gesture that moves beyond the traumas of the past (and present). Characterized by elements of science-fiction, technology, cosmic exploration and alternate realities, it has been exploding in popular culture.

What’s on the Horizon for Working Women?

PUBLISHED 6/13/2023 by

One year ago this week, I was elected as the first woman to lead the AFL-CIO, America’s largest labor federation—consisting of 12.5 million workers across 60 unions.

The past 12 months have been nothing short of historic in how workers—from nurses in New York, to teachers in Minnesota, to warehouse workers at Amazon, to baristas at Starbucks—have risen up and seized our collective power. As working people continue to push for more, I’ll be focused on how we can continue to build a bold, inclusive and modern movement, empower working women through unions and unleash a wave of grassroots organizing that will put all working people on the path to a better life. And gender equity is essential to the future of our movement. 

How Anti-‘Abortion Trafficking’ Laws Actually *Harm* Youth Trafficking Survivors

PUBLISHED 6/12/2023 by and

Idaho’s anti-abortion legislature and governor created a new crime this year: “abortion trafficking,” a fallacious and deliberate attempt to spread misinformation on abortion. Laws like this will likely begin to appear in another anti-abortion states and state legislatures.

Equating abortion-seeking to ‘trafficking’ undermines the brutal and inhumane realities that youth trafficking survivors endure. Ultimately, for vulnerable children, so-called anti-‘abortion trafficking’ laws codify the human rights and bodily autonomy abuses that true anti-trafficking laws aim to reduce. Adolescent health professionals and advocates must remain vigilant and continue to mobilize a multi-strategy response to ensure adolescents’ reproductive rights amid current assaults.

Journalist-Activist Nadezhda Azhgikhina on Global Journalism, Women’s Wartime Roles, and Why We Can’t Just ‘Cancel Russian Culture and All Russians’

PUBLISHED 6/10/2023 by

Ms. spoke with Russian journalist and activist Nadezhda Azhgikhina about the global demise of journalism and women’s roles in peace negotiations between Russia and the U.S.

“I believe it’s possible for women in Russia and in Ukraine to find a common language and help each other. It’s women’s potential which expedites and eases a common language of peace so that we can all overcome the consequences of the tragedy we collectively face today.”

This Magazine Could Be Banned: Go Inside Ms.’ Summer 2023 Issue

PUBLISHED 6/9/2023 by

In the Summer issue of Ms., we look into the new Florida law that could decimate degree programs in women’s and gender studies, Africana, ethnic and queer studies, among others—part of a radical right-wing strategy that extends nationwide.

Also within the pages of the Summer issue: A look back at 50 years of women in hip-hop. A solution to inequality in professional sports: Let women and men play together. Solutions to men’s violence toward women. And more!
Join the Ms. community today and get the Summer issue delivered straight to your mailbox!