Community

This Holiday Season, Forget Dieting: Commit to Your Communities Instead

For millions of women, the new year rings in a commitment to dieting. With the recent headlines that three quarters of Americans are now overweight or obese, we can expect surging spending on diet products targeting women this holiday season—adding to the estimated $33 billion that Americans already spend on commercial weight loss products each year.  

As an anthropologist who studies how people make sense of nutrition guidelines, I’d like to propose a feminist alternative. Forget dieting: Make a commitment to become involved in collective action—anything that involves joining others in your communities to work for change. It is by working with others that lasting health benefits will come about.

Ubuntu in Action: How Black Giving Circles Redefine Community Support

Black philanthropy has a rich history, exemplified by trailblazers like Madam C.J. Walker. As the first woman to become a self-made millionaire in America, Walker built her fortune by creating a successful line of hair care products for Black women. While she used her wealth to fund anti-lynching campaigns, give scholarships to women and more, her philanthropic journey began long before she amassed her wealth, as giving is deeply rooted in personal experiences and identity. 

Walker is just one of many Black philanthropists who have made significant contributions throughout history. While women like Rihanna and Janelle Monae are widely recognized for their charitable work, most Black philanthropists are working behind the scenes to make a big impact on countless causes in their community. This Black Philanthropy Month, it’s crucial to recognize both the historical and current landscape of Black giving, drawing important lessons from this legacy of generosity and community support.

This essay is part of a Women & Democracy package focused on who’s funding the women and LGBTQ people on the frontlines of democracy. We’re manifesting a new era for philanthropy—one that centers feminism. The need is real: Funding for women and girls amounts to less than 2 percent of all philanthropic giving; for women of color, it’s less than 1 percent. Explore the “Feminist Philanthropy Is Essential to Democracy” collection.

Inside the Fall Issue of Ms.

Inside the Fall Issue of Ms. Magazine

In our expanded Fall 2020 issue, we examine how the ongoing battle over voting rights will have an impact on the country’s ability to hold fair elections during a pandemic, as well as on the difference women will make as voters and candidates.

Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get this expanded Fall election issue delivered straight to your mailbox.

Five Ways to Support Ms. Before the End of the Year

Ms. is a non-profit, independently-published magazine—meaning we rely on the support of our community to stay in print, publish online and continue mobilizing the feminist movement around the world. There are many ways you can support the work we do to make feminist perspectives heard and amplify voices from the feminist frontlines.

Cyber Monday: Five Feminist Gifts on Sale NOW in the Ms. Store

It’s Pink Friday in the Feminist Store! (Like Black Friday, only you don’t have to leave your house, wait in line or support a massive corporation in order to finish all of your shopping.) Here’s a sampling of what’s on sale all weekend long—including Ms. memberships, feminist tees and a community of feminist finger puppets.