We have a lot to think about on the one-year remembrance of January 6th—a day that showed us we cannot let our guard down, even for one instant.
More Work Ahead: Fighting Food Insecurity Among Military Families
In one of its last sessions of 2021, Congress passed a pared-down version of the Military Family Basic Needs Allowance as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This marks an important first step toward closing gaps in our social safety net through which currently-serving military families have been allowed to fall. But it’s miles from enough.
In the wake of Congress’s lackluster response, it is more urgent than ever for the administration to use its authority to take action on concrete, long-term solutions to address military hunger.
Women Are Taking Over City Councils—From New York to New Mexico
Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation.
This week: Women hold 31 of the 51 seats on the New York City Council; the all-women city council in Las Cruces, N.M.; meet 21 women involved with voting rights; Women make up nearly half of the Cabinet in the Netherlands; the dearth of women in one teen’s AP history textbook; 111 must-see places in women’s History in D.C.; and more.
Knoxville Planned Parenthood Clinic Burned Down by Anti-Abortion Extremists: “A Huge Loss for the Community”
On New Year’s Eve, anti-abortion extremists burned down the Planned Parenthood clinic in Knoxville, Tenn., the organization’s only branch in East Tennessee. Fire department officials confirmed Thursday the cause of the fire was intentional arson. No suspects are yet in custody.
This is just one example of increasing violence against abortion providers. Anti-abortion extremists are no doubt feeling emboldened by the unconstitutional six-week abortion ban in Texas (in effect for over four months) as well as a likely ruling against abortion rights in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
The U.S. Is in Urgent Need of Childcare Solutions. Build Back Better Would Be a Game-Changer
The U.S. has not prioritized childcare. Even before the pandemic, many families could not find childcare when and where they needed it. More than half of all families lived in childcare deserts, and those who didn’t faced exorbitant prices. That’s gotten even worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. For those who can afford childcare, extremely high prices take a toll—many families pay more than mortgage payments or rent for care. It’s unacceptable.
The Build Back Better Act will be a game-changer for parents across the nation, lowering prices and increasing the supply of high-quality care at the same time.
Discussions About Bullying Too Often Ignore its Unique Impact on Black Girls
A school with a history of racist harassment refused to protect a disabled Black girl from bullies. Now, her death shines a spotlight on how often the impact of bullying on Black girls is ignored.
White Masculinity and the January 6 Insurrection
While it is critically necessary to analyze the racial politics of January 6, this focus too often has the effect of rendering invisible another key aspect of that tragic event: the role of gender. The vast majority of insurrectionists were not only white people; they were white men.
Men—many of whom are conditioned from childhood to see themselves primarily as protectors and defenders—are the ones who respond most eagerly to pleas for them to help rescue their country, through violent means if necessary.
Call Ghislaine Maxwell What She Is: A Pimp
If we are serious about ending sex trafficking by future Ghislaine Maxwells and Jeffrey Epsteins, we should not allow ourselves to be seduced by racist images of porn and pop culture—while rich and sophisticated white pimps, and their equally well-connected shills, sexually exploit girls in plain sight.
Kids Learn About Sex From Porn. Comprehensive Sex Ed Could Help Change That.
For decades, Howard Stern has used his celebrity status to normalize porn and misogyny. Last month, Billie Eilish, only 20, made a shocking revelation on Stern’s show: “I used to watch a lot of porn. I think it really destroyed my brain.”
Eilish is right—research shows conclusively that pornography is harmful for young people and, indeed, all brains. But kids take to porn because they find the sexual education offered by their schools and parents to be unhelpful and unreal.
The Texas Six-Week Abortion Ban Is Still Stuck in Court. Here’s Why.
Despite a December ruling allowing legal challenges to proceed, the six-week abortion law out of Texas remains in effect. Where do things currently stand? And where will they go next?