Women as Teachers, Governors and Civil Service: The Fight for Women’s Leadership Everywhere

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, sports and entertainment, judicial offices and the private sector—with a little gardening mixed in!

This week:
—Teachers have always been the cornerstone of thriving communities and a healthy democracy. It’s no accident that so many powerful women leaders began their journeys in classrooms. And yet, while women dominate the teaching profession, they remain underrepresented in our political institutions.
—President Trump’s recent federal workforce reductions have disproportionately harmed Black women, who are long overrepresented in civil service relative to the private sector.
—A growing number of women are entering the race for governor in 2025 and 2026.
—Debra Shigley, an attorney, small business owner and mom of five, has secured a top spot in a Georgia runoff election for a state Senate seat. Her election on Tuesday, Sept. 23, will be one to watch as women’s leadership in Georgia, and across the country, continues to grow. Georgia already uses ranked-choice voting, sometimes called “instant runoffs,” for military and overseas voters. Expanding this system statewide would guarantee majority winners in a single election.
—U.K. women are calling out dangerous narratives that weaponize sexual violence against women to scapegoat asylum seekers.
—Italian women fight digital violence and demand consent online.

… and more.

“We Know What We’re Doing”: How To Engage With Black Women Organizers Ahead of the 2022 Midterm Elections

“We Know What We’re Doing”: How To Engage With Black Women Organizers Ahead of the 2022 Midterm Elections

To effectively engage communities of color ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, it’s time more groups include the expertise of Black women organizers in their strategies year-round. Yet the financial investments, resources, and above all, trust in Black women organizers’ work is nowhere to be seen as this year’s election cycle gears up.   

Fulton County DA Fani Willis Is Holding Trump Accountable

District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County, Ga.,

As the historic second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump continues to unfold, District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County, Ga., is working to hold the former president accountable in her own jurisdiction.

“I’ve had to double my security. We’ve gotten a lot of comments. And they’re always racist. I don’t think it’s an insult to remind me I’m a Black woman. It’s a waste of their time.”

“We’re Building a Future Voting Culture”: How Barbara Arnwine and Others Mobilized Georgia’s Historic Win

"We're Building a Future Voting Culture": How Barbara Arnwine and Others Mobilized Georgia's Historic Victory

Voice hoarse from being on the bullhorn on Election Day, Barbara Arnwine—president and founder of Transformative Justice Coalition—spoke to Ms. early Wednesday morning to discuss the election, what the results mean for the future of U.S. politics, and why when Black women organize and vote, everyone benefits.

“It took every bit of work we had in our bodies, every bit of energy we could give, every voice you could give.”

Keeping Score: Georgia Resists Trump, Argentina Legalizes Abortion

Keeping Score: Georgia Resists Trump, Argentina Legalizes Abortion

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in in this biweekly round-up.

THIS WEEK: NYC paramedic targeted by New York Post for supplementing income with sex work speaks out; Trump pressures Raffensperger to overturn election results; Bianca Smith is the first Black woman to coach baseball; an inhumane new Ohio bill says women must bury or cremate tissue after an abortion; Argentina legalizes abortion; 300 Nigerian boys kidnapped by Boko Haram; Dr. Susan Moore dies after being disregarded by her doctor; Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul is sentenced to six years in prison; and more.