October 10th is a day of remembrance referred to by two different names that are fundamentally paradoxical in nature- the widely recognized national holiday that is Columbus Day and the growing movement to reclaim it as Indigenous Peoples Day.
Carla Hayden Becomes First Woman and First African American Librarian of Congress
Carla Hayden, the former head of Baltimore’s public library system, was sworn in Wednesday as the 14th librarian of Congress, making history as the first African American and the first woman to ever hold this position.
Victory for Louisiana Planned Parenthood
The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision of a lower court on Wednesday, ruling that Louisiana cannot deny Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood clinics for non-abortion procedures.
Middle School Girls Fight Sexist Dress Code Policy
A group of girls at Urbana Middle School in Frederick County, Maryland are protesting their school’s sexist dress-code policy by wearing large yellow shirts marked “I am more than just a distraction.”
Food Insecurity in US Still High with Devastating Consequences for Teens
A new report released last week by the Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service found that while the percentage of American’s experiencing food insecurity has gone down, the risk of hunger in the United States is still high, with potentially devastating impacts.
Senate Fight on Zika Funding Continues
After a seven-week-long recess, Congress returns to work today, with the Senate expected to vote on funding to combat the Zika virus
Thousands Join Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to Protest Oil Pipeline
Thousands of protesters have been gathering at the Cannonball River on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota to stop construction of a $3.7 billion oil pipeline that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe says will endanger its main water supply.
North Carolina is Still Trying to Suppress Voting
In the wake of July’s federal appeals court ruling overturning the majority of North Carolina’s 2013 election laws, the state’s 100 local election boards, all comprised of one Democrat and two Republicans, have had to file their own respective election rules with the state, and critics are calling them equally as egregious as the original laws.
Today is the 96th Anniversary of the Adoption of the 19th Amendment
Today is Women’s Equality Day, the 96th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th amendment into the Constitution, outlawing voter discrimination on the basis of sex.
American Women Dominate the Olympic Games, Huge Success of Title IX
American women are taking home 61 medals from Rio, with another 55 going to the men and five awarded in mixed events.
Department of Justice to End Privately Run Federal Prisons
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week that it will end the use of private prisons to house federal inmates, following the inspector general’s report that private facilities are significantly less safe and more costly than Bureau of Prison (BOP) run institutions.
Sex Testing for Female Athletes Might Become a Thing of the Past
For the first time in over 50 years, women competing in the Olympics have not been subject to sex-testing, a shocking practice that has for years allowed sports governing organizations to police the gender and sex of women athletes, sometimes with devastating consequences.
An Important Precedent Set in the Case of Purvi Patel
Last month, a state appeals court overturned Indiana woman Purvi Patel’s feticide conviction, finding that the “Indiana legislature did not intended for the feticide statute to apply to illegal abortions or to be used to prosecute women for their own abortions.”
North Dakota Voter ID Law Blocked
Continuing a pattern of recent federal court decisions in favor of voting rights, Judge Daniel L. Hovland of the U.S. District Court for North Dakota yesterday blocked enforcement of the state’s strict voter ID law.
Court Strikes Down North Carolina Voter ID Law
A panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has struck down North Carolina’s voter identification requirement, arguing that it was passed with racially discriminatory intent.
Judge Creates Temporary Exception to Wisconsin’s Voter ID Law
A federal judge in Wisconsin issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday that allows voters lacking a state approved photo ID to vote via affidavit in the upcoming November elections.
5 Major Supreme Court Victories for Women this Week
This was a great week for women.
Women Refugees Flee One Form of Violence for Another
The refugee crisis currently taking place across Syria and Europe is a distinct issue concerning the violence and challenges that women face around the globe, as a recent United Nations report found that over 75 percent of Syrian refugees are women or children under the age of 17.
Pat Summit, Trailblazer of Women’s Sports, Dies at 64
Pat Summit, former coach for Tennessee’s Lady Vols basketball team and icon of women’s sports, died early on June 28 in Knoxville, TN.
Supreme Court Upholds Tribal Sovereignty in Split Decision
The Supreme Court yesterday affirmed that non-Tribal businesses and individuals can legally face civil suit in Tribal courts.
