Women in Business

The Story of Chicago’s First Black Woman-Owned Bookstore

An excerpt from Prose to the People: A Celebration of Black Bookstores by Katie Mitchell, out April 8:

“Meeting Desiree Sanders made me wish I had a time machine so I could travel back to the 1990s and 2000s and just once, experience Chicago’s first Black woman-owned bookstore, Afrocentric Bookstore. …
Before the store closed permanently in 2008, Afrocentric Bookstore served the Black community for 18 years. Thousands sat at book signings, partied at book festivals, browsed curated inventory, and soaked in the artful aesthetics that Afrocentric became known for—no time machine required.”

Young People Are Fleeing States With Abortion Restrictions

One in five individuals planning to have children within the next decade has moved—or knows someone who has moved—to another state due to abortion restrictions. 

Characterizing the exodus as a “brain drain,” Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, president and CEO of Institute for Women’s Policy Research, warned employers: “Our report makes it clear that companies who fail to address these needs risk losing their competitive edge. To build a resilient workforce and thriving economy, it’s up to corporate leaders and lawmakers to take decisive action and make reproductive healthcare a top priority.” 

Women’s Paychecks Are Shrinking—And Policy Isn’t Keeping Up

Last September, the National Partnership for Women and Families reported the wage gap for all women workers had widened to 75 cents for every dollar men earned, representing a 3-cent decrease in real pay per hour for women.

While on the surface this may seem negligible in a paycheck, even a seemingly small increase in wage disparity dramatically impacts the significant gains in pay since the 1980s. American Progress reports that with this current backslide, it will now take until 2068 to close the wage gap.

Building Strong Homes and Businesses: Empowering Cherokee Women Founders Through Access to Capital

Under 2 percent of women founders receive venture funding, and it’s not getting better, according to Lesley Robinson, director of education at the Ayana Foundation. Venture capital funding for Indigenous Native American women is significantly lower: just .0013 percent of venture capital funding.

The University of Tulsa Cherokee Women’s AcceleratHER Fellowship is working to change that.

“[It’s] not just understanding who you are as a founder and really focusing on the business, but really more about the identity and intersectionality of who you are. Then having this really beautiful, intentional, impactful handshake in the Cherokee Nation, and then the resources as a business woman that you can begin to cultivate from there,” said Robinson. 

Rep. Jasmine Crockett on Politics, Patriarchy, Profits and the Presidency

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, representing Texas’ 30th Congressional District, has become a breakout star in the Democratic Party, effectively keeping politicians and pundits three times her age in check using clapbacks, one-liners—and facts. 

I was one of the first creators in history invited to the Democratic National Convention this fall. There, I spoke to Crockett, where she delivered an energetic, standout 10-minute speech. (“Will a vindictive vile villain violate voters’ vision for a better America or not?” she asked the crowd. “I hear alliteration is back in style.”) She shared her advice for young entrepreneurs, her fight for reproductive justice in Texas, and what it means for a woman of color to be nominated for president of the United States.

She Said, He Said: Your Fast Feminist Guide to the Harris-Trump Debate

Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris had their first and only debate on Tuesday night in Philadelphia. According to CNN, Trump spoke for about 42 minutes and 52 seconds, while Harris spoke for 37 minutes and 36 seconds. Trump spoke 39 times to Harris’ 23 times.

Here’s what each candidate said on some of the issues feminists care about—including access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare, the Affordable Care Act, childcare, immigration, racial unity and the economy.

Microcredit Is Transforming the Lives of Women Entrepreneurs in Haiti: ‘Business Is in My Blood’

In 2020, the Raising Haiti Foundation began funding the provision of small loans ($25-$50) to 50 women clients in two communities: Medor and Sarrazin. Most of the women use their loans to become entrepreneurs, or to expand their current businesses, selling goods in local markets. Some use them to purchase livestock or crop seeds, improving their farming outputs.

This interview with recipient and entrepreneur Benita Bien-Aimé exemplifies some of the achievements of the microcredit clients.

“I think what makes women like me successful in business is that we have courage, we have strength; we know what the market needs are, we go looking for these products, and we bring them to the community!”

Saie Relaunches ‘The Every Body Campaign’ in Support of SisterSong

Saie, a clean beauty brand, recently relaunched The Every Body Campaign. The campaign joins together over 60 brands to raise awareness and funds for reproductive justice. As the largest beauty industry-backed reproductive justice initiative in history, the campaign is projected to raise over $300,000 to support services for birthing people, mothers and funding for abortion care in Georgia, North Carolina and Kentucky. 

Mexico Is for Mujeres: The Next Mexican President Will Be a Woman

Mexico’s women-led presidential race does not reveal a feminist utopia—but it does signal progress and possibility.

In a country where women—especially Indigenous women—struggle to survive, Xóchitl Gálvez and Claudia Sheinbaum studied science, shaped policy and crafted resumes worthy of presidential bids. One of them will surely shatter Mexico’s glass ceiling.

(This article originally appears in the Winter 2024 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox!)