More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) was one of the nation’s first investigative journalists who launched the nation’s first anti-lynching campaign in 1892. It is only fitting that the journalism establishment of the U.S.—which once derided Ida B. Wells and her campaign—recognize her worth in 2020 and finally place her in canon where she belongs.
Music producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have been keeping quarantine “lit” with their Verzuz battles, featuring hip-hop and R&B entertainers live on Instagram battling it out. This weekend’s showdown between neo-soul divas Erykah Badu and Jill Scott was the first women’s battle. But what truly set this “battle” apart were the words of wisdom and the confessions shared between the songs. These women, mothers and mutual friends were ultimately way more interested in connecting than battling.
What happens when PPE is treated as a “one-size-fits-all” proposition? And when the default is the body and experience of a cisgender male? Two recent news stories highlight the dangers.
Given the scope and urgency of the challenges facing women and girls during the pandemic, there are immediate actions individuals and governments can take to protect women and girls in the most vulnerable situations.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who has led Democrats in Congress for two decades and broke the glass ceiling as the first woman to control the House of Representatives, said on Thursday she’ll step aside as leader at the end of the 117th Congress—though she plans to remain in the House as a lawmaker.
In her 2020 book Pelosi, Molly Ball documents how Pelosi leads, how she wins and how she uses her power. The book is ultimately a portrait of a woman who fully embraces her personal gifts, owns them and uses them effectively—not for herself alone, even though she certainly knows how to wield power to win a legislative battle or even her own reelection campaign.
Having realized the horrors of illegal abortions in 1969 when her best friend was forced to undergo an illegal procedure, she knew something must be done. That is why in 1991 after years of tirelessly advocating for reproductive justice, Schorr pitched the idea of a national independent fund for poor women who were unable to pay for safe and legal abortions.
Abortions conducted by trained providers have a low overall risk. In fact, childbirth carries a risk of death that is 14 times higher than abortion.
These bans will not help our collective efforts to protect patients and healthcare workers—but they will increase the risk of death and injury to women.
“Despite the excruciating pain, fear and loss, I still had an essential job to do. Because … as a mom and parent, meeting my child’s needs came first. Today, mothers around the country are also trying to meet their children’s needs.”
Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, on boards, in sports and entertainment, in judicial offices and in the private sector in the U.S. and around the world—with a little gardening and goodwill mixed in for refreshment!
“Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration are dead set on making schools more dangerous for everyone.”
Betsy DeVos’s new Title IX regulations make it much harder to discipline students accused of sexual misconduct than those accused of other much lesser serious infractions, such as plagiarism or substance abuse on campus. They have been described as “the antithesis of what Title IX was intended to do.” And they’re being taken to court.