More Than A Magazine, A Movement
When it comes to progressive politics, the Golden State can’t be messed with, historically leading the way in many areas including the environment, labor and education.
But while the state is known for liberal, progressive politics, we should not be lulled into thinking that those politics are without blemish. In California in 2019, Black teenagers accounted for 60 percent of the deputy contacts on campuses—but made up only about 20 percent of the enrollment in those schools.
The risks of being an adolescent girl are perhaps worse this year than any year since we began celebrating International Day of the Girl. The voices of girls are rarely centered, their solutions are rarely considered, and their needs are rarely addressed.
But an executive order from Biden could develop a whole-of-government strategy for children and youth. Empowering girls as leaders benefits us all and should be a priority.
On this International Day of the Girl, two feminists share how their childhood experiences with gender stereotypes have shaped their feminism, their work—and indeed, who they are.
“When I started school as a child, I was bombarded with rules that my body had to follow.”
“I was 8 years old when I was punished at school for refusing to do needlework with the rest of the girls in my class and wanting to do carpentry like the boys. I was awful at needlework. I was dying to swing a hammer.”
Taliban nostalgia threatens 20 years of progress for Afghan girls. The lives, aspirations and rights of girls are not just getting lost in the mix—they are actively being squashed.
How the U.S. responds will be a true test of whether the Biden administration’s stated commitment to gender equality applies in practice and beyond rhetoric. We don’t need another speech or more photo opportunities. We have enough promises. What we need is for President Biden to galvanize real action. Afghan girls deserve nothing less.
On Sep. 17, the Taliban issued a statement calling only for boys to return to secondary schools. The statement did not include girls. When the schools reopened the next day, millions of girls across the country did not return to their classes, losing access to their basic rights to education.
As the world watches the Taliban seize and tighten their grip on power in Afghanistan, women’s lives come under greater threat each day. What is the reality for women and girls on the ground in Afghanistan? What do Afghan women stand to lose? How are feminists fighting back?
Despite children under 12 being unable to get vaccinated and the Delta variant surging across the country, most schools are reopening in-person this month, presenting parents with a tough choice—especially in states and localities without mask and vaccine mandates.
Moms—particularly Black and low-income moms—are bearing the brunt.
For years, national advocates have pushed for federal legislation that would mandate queer-inclusive sex ed. As transgender homicides surge, experts say teaching kids that an attraction to transgender people is okay could curb the crisis.
Americans need to take responsibility for our role in enabling Taliban persecution and violence against women and girls and join governments and organizations around the world to protect their human rights.
Across the U.S., lawmakers in at least 28 states are attempting to pass so-called anti-critical race theory legislation that would prohibit teachers from teaching students about the role of racism, sexism and oppression throughout U.S. history.
In response, educators across the United States are signing a “pledge to teach the truth.” And this weekend, educators in at least 115 cities will stage public demonstrations to stand in protest against the wave of bans on discussing social justice issues in American schools and workplaces.
