On September 23, a decision was made by a grand jury concerning the murder of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old Black woman from Louisville, KY who was killed in her home in March of this year. Out of the three officers present at her murder, only one – Brett Hankison – was charged. Hankison was charged […]
President of Afghanistan Signs Amendment to Include Mothers’ Names on Children’s Birth Certificates
In a historical move, President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani signed an amendment for mothers’ names to be included in Afghan national IDs. The movement began by Laleh Osmany in 2017 in the Herat province with the hashtag #WhereIsMyName. The goal was to push for mothers’ names to be included on official documents, including their children’s […]
The Pandemic & Its Detriment to the Female Workforce
“Women have never experienced an unemployment rate in the double digits since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began reporting data by gender in 1948 – until now.” Women’s unemployment was almost 3 points higher than men’s in April, and has not experienced the same amount of recovery as men’s in subsequent months. This is due […]
Celebrating Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Enormous Contribution to Women’s Rights
The impact Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg left on the contours of American society are unmatched, unprecedented, and too numerous to count. Below are a few examples of her impact, both in and out of the courtroom. ACLU Women’s Rights Project: in 1972, Justice Ginsburg founded the Women’s Rights Project in the ACLU. One of its […]
Afghan Peace Talks: Focus on Ceasefire and Women’s Rights
Months after an agreement was signed between the United States and the Taliban, the Intra-Afghan talks began this week. The opening ceremony received international attention, and many of the speeches given by representatives from partner countries focused on ceasefire and women’s rights and human rights. Afghan women have made clear that they will not accept […]
Afghanistan Gains a Seat on the UN Commission on the Status of Women
On September 14, 2020, for the first time in history, Afghanistan secured a seat at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Afghanistan received the highest amount of votes and committed to promoting gender equality and women empowerment globally. Adela Raz, Afghanistan’s representative to the UN, said that it is of “critical importance during Peace […]
Family of Breonna Taylor Awarded Settlement by the City of Louisville
Yesterday, the city of Louisville announced a $12 million settlement with the family of Breonna Taylor, as well as some reforms to the Louisville police force. Breonna Taylor was shot to death in March after three police officers erroneously entered her apartment using a “no knock” warrant, which has since been banned by the city […]
Whistleblower Reveals ICE Facility Practiced Forced Hysterectomies
On Monday, Dawn Wooton, a whistleblower who formerly worked as a nurse at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Georgia filed a complaint to the Department of Homeland Security inspector general, detailing medical neglect and a high rate of hysterectomies in the facility. The facility is Irwin Detention Center, run by private corporation […]
Federal Court Blocks Trump Order Prohibiting Census from Counting Undocumented Immigrants
Yesterday, a three-judge panel in New York ruled unanimously that President Trump’s executive order to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census count was unlawful. The President’s July memo stated that undocumented immigrants should not count for purposes of deciding the reapportionment of the House. The court’s decision mandates that his order violates the 14th Amendment […]
Mexican Feminists Take Over Federal Building in Response to Femicides
Last week, feminists rushed the National Human Rights Commission federal building in downtown Mexico City, ejecting workers and declaring the site a shelter for victims of violence. The action is a latest in a series of increasingly radical measures taken by feminist collectives in response to the high rate of femicides in Mexico. On average, […]
New Billboard Campaign in Illinois Informs Public that Abortion is Covered by Medicaid in the State
This week in Chicago’s suburbs and across Illinois, the Chicago Abortion Fund launched a new billboard campaign to inform the public that abortion care is covered by Medicaid in Illinois. The billboard reads: “Abortion Is Healthcare. It’s Covered By Illinois Medicaid”. Under the Hyde Amendment, the 1976 law still in effect today that prohibits federal […]
D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department shot and killed 18-year-old Deon Kay
On Wednesday, September 2, Metropolitan Police Department Officer Alexander Alvarez shot and killed 18-year old Deon Kay, who is Black, in Southeast DC. The police department released body camera video recording showing the aftermath of the shooting. The footage shows an officer exiting his police car and approaching a parked car in the parking lot […]
New Report Finds Prison Inmates Twice As Likely To Die from COVID-19
According to a new report released on Wednesday, incarcerated people are twice as likely to die from coronavirus in prison than those on the outside. Kevin T. Schnepel, assistant professor of economics at Simon Fraser University, found that the mortality rate in state and federal prisons is twice as high as in the general population. […]
Abortion Rights Organizations File Lawsuit Against Tennesee Anti-Abortion Law
Reproductive rights groups challenged a new Tennessee law requiring abortion providers to inform medication abortion patients that their abortion pill can be “reversed”, despite no conclusive medical evidence that an “abortion reversal” pill is effective or even safe. The lawsuit was filed on Monday by several abortion clinics in Tennesee. The plaintiffs make the case […]
U.S. Coronavirus Cases Rising Rapidly Among Children
Amid school re-openings and 6 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S., new data from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that instances of COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths among children and teens are increasing at a more rapid pace than the general public. According to an article from the New York Times, while […]
The Feminist Majority Foundation Stands with the March on Washington Against Police Brutality
Below is a statement of Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, on the March on Washington: “Today marks the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington during which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. The Feminist Majority Foundation is proud to be a partner in the […]
57 Years Later, Thousands Protest Against Racial Injustice at 2020 March on Washington
Exactly 57 years after the first March on Washington and 65 years after the murder of Emmett Till, demonstrators are coming together once more to protest against police brutality and racial discrimination. A march continuing the unfinished work of its predecessor has been convened today by the Reverend Al Sharpton and the National Action Network […]
Federal Court Rules That Students May Use Bathrooms That Match Their Gender Identity
In a win for transgender rights, a federal appeals court has ruled that a Virginia high school’s transgender bathroom rule is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and a violation of Title IX rules. Gavin Grimm sued his Virginia high school in 2015 after being barred from using the boys restroom, citing Title IX protections against sex discrimination. While […]
Anti-Abortion Activist Who Advocated for Ending Women’s Suffrage Speaks at RNC
Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee turned anti-abortion activist, spoke at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Tuesday. Johnson was the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic before leaving after reportedly watching an abortion on an ultrasound. She now runs And Then There Were None, an organization which helps those who work in facilities […]
Police Have Killed 751 People This Year
According to Mapping Police Violence, a database built by Samuel Sinyangwe, there were only 27 days in 2019 that the police did not kill someone. Mapping Police Violence claims to be “the most comprehensive accounting of people killed by police since 2013.” The database highlights the racial disparities in police killings. The data show that […]