Tag: Obama administration

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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.

What Commitment to Diversifying the Federal Bench Looks Like

What Commitment to Diversifying the Federal Bench Looks Like

At the end of 2021, 80 percent of President Biden’s confirmed judges have been women—compared to 42 percent of President Obama’s federal judges and a mere 24 percent of President Trump’s.

It will take a sustained commitment to diversity to actually achieve a federal judiciary that reflects the American people. Even with President Biden’s diverse judges confirmed this year, the federal judiciary is still approximately 72 percent white and 65 percent men. The numbers are moving in the right direction, but we have a long way to go.

To Better Understand Sexual Violence on College Campuses, Congress Members Demand Education Department Changes

To Better Understand Sexual Violence on College Campuses, Congress Members Demand Education Department Changes

Up to 25 percent of undergraduate women will become victims of sexual violence—but because existing mechanisms for capturing and measuring this impact fail to capture the full scope of the issue, this number may be even higher. On Monday, members of Congress formally called this to the attention of the Biden administration.

In a letter signed by 77 members of Congress, signatories called on the Department of Education to update Campus Climate surveys, which assess campus culture including sexual violence.

‘Our Job Is Not Done’: Women Veterans in Congress Continue To Help Afghan Refugees

‘Our Job Is Not Done’: Women Veterans in Congress Continue To Help Afghan Refugees

Women policymakers and veterans are pressing the Biden administration to protect Afghan refugees, specifically women and children.

“Women have been on the frontlines—and not just in Afghanistan—of promoting democratic values in an important way,” said Rep. Mikie Sherrill. “So if we want to see an Afghanistan that does not look like an Afghanistan of 20 years ago, then supporting women is a critical piece of that … Our job is not done.”

The Biden Administration’s Expulsion of Haitians Is Unconscionable—and a Missed Opportunity

The Biden Administration’s Expulsion of Haitians Is Unconscionable—and a Missed Opportunity

“No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark. … No one puts their children on a boat unless the boat is safer than the land.”

Recent expulsions of thousands of Haitian migrants showcase how far the U.S. has to go on immigration reform.

The proliferation of Haitian migrants at the Mexican border did not begin under this administration. But for Biden, this represents not only a missed opportunity to distinguish himself on immigration, but also an egregious lack of humanity and regard for Black lives in the Caribbean.

“Uplifting the Rights of Girls and Women in the U.S. and Around the World”: Biden and Harris Announce New White House Gender Policy Council

International Women’s Day Executive Order Establishes White House Gender Policy Council

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced the formation of a new White House Gender Policy Council to lead a government-wide effort to address gender disparities in the U.S. and abroad.

TIME’S UP CEO Tina Tchen knows the importance of an all-of-government approach when it comes to uplifting women and girls—since she served as executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls during the Obama administration. Carrie Baker sat down with Tchen to discuss logistics and impact of the newly-formed White House Gender Policy Council—how it will work, what it will do, and why it is so desperately needed.

2020 Democratic National Convention Roundup

2020 Democratic National Convention Roundup

Speakers—including Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders, Ady Barkan, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Kamala Harris, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton—addressed the public through a virtual Democratic National Convention. Speeches included pleas to vote, praises for youth involvement, recognition of empathy and calls to keep fighting.