Proposed California Law Would Block Digital Surveillance of People Seeking Abortion and Gender-Affirming Care

PUBLISHED 2/17/2023 by

Republicans in multiple states have introduced bills that would allow authorities to criminally prosecute women and pregnant people who have abortions and prosecute parents for obtaining gender-affirming care for their children. Reproductive justice advocates are concerned that police and prosecutors in these states will attempt to find these people using digital dragnet surveillance of their search histories and location data.

On Feb. 14, California Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) introduced Assembly Bill 793 to protect people from unconstitutional searches of their data. “No one should face or fear criminalization for their abortion or gender-affirming care. When we decide to end our pregnancies, we should be able to do so with dignity, and without fear of being arrested, investigated or jailed.”

It’s Past Time for a Woman President

PUBLISHED 2/17/2023 by and

On Presidents’ Day, we reflect on the legacy of the presidents who have led our nation since our founding. These leaders have differed in their ideologies, their policies, their professional experience, their age, their marital status. But in over 230 years of United States presidents, not one of them has been a woman.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Remembering the First Black Woman to Run for President; Teenage Girls Are in Crisis

PUBLISHED 2/17/2023 by

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

This week: We honor Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to become a member of U.S. Congress and to run for president; teenage girls are increasingly “engulfed in a growing wave of violence and trauma”; Scotland’s leader Nicola Sturgeon will be stepping down; and more.

Biden Administration Releases First-Ever Report on Diversity in Federal Government

PUBLISHED 2/16/2023 by

The human resources arm of the federal government has released its first-ever report on diversity across the federal workforce. The 31-page document breaks down hiring and retention across agencies and gives a snapshot of the administration’s efforts to remove barriers for applicants from underrepresented communities. It’s an area where the federal government has historically struggled.

The government can’t change what it doesn’t measure, said Dr. Janice Underwood, director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) at the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Dream Schools Can Be a Nightmare—But a New Data Tool Empowers Student Survivors

PUBLISHED 2/16/2023 by

To fight for change effectively, we must listen to students and survivors nationwide and provide them with critical information on how campuses handle sexual assault. We built the Campus Accountability Map and Tool (CAMT) to do just that.

There is no “one size fits all” approach to addressing campus sexual assault, but the CAMT centralizes data to shift focus to one that keeps students first in mind and an institution’s bottom line and reputation last. 

Three Ways to Make Sure Your Child Is Truly Connected at School

PUBLISHED 2/16/2023 by

Today, we are beginning to appreciate the impact of the pandemic on academic achievement and well-being for our kids. Children need to feel safe and secure to thrive in the classroom and beyond. Students with strong connections to their teachers are more likely to develop positive social and emotional competencies, feel more engaged in school, and perform better academically.

More than three-quarters of teachers believe that building stronger teacher-student connections is a highly effective way to boost student engagement. Parents also have a role to play, and there are steps we can take to make sure our kids have access to the kind of supportive relationships that can make a big difference.

‘Judy Blume Forever’ and the Enduring Power of Books

PUBLISHED 2/16/2023 by

Judy Blume is most at home surrounded by books. That’s the predominant impression of a new documentary on the author’s life directed by Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, Judy Blume Forever, which premiered at Sundance last month and will begin streaming globally on Prime Video in April.

The film relies heavily on interviews with Blume herself, a wonderfully charming presence throughout the documentary. (“I could be fearless in my writing the way I couldn’t in my life,” Blume explains in the film, referring to the complexities of her own personal life, where she chafed against the confines of her early marriages.) But one of its best components is its emphasis on the readers and how they were and still are affected by her novels.

The Childcare Crisis Is Costing You Money

PUBLISHED 2/15/2023 by and

We must do more to increase our nation’s stagnant labor force participation rate. Childcare providers and the families who depend on them cannot continue to bear the burden of supporting our current system without additional support.

The U.S. childcare system needs to be radically transformed. Our nation must focus on creating a childcare system that is affordable, accessible and equitable in the long term.