On August 10th around 6:30pm, Hanifa Yousoufi made history by being the first woman to summit Mt. Noshaq in Afghanistan. Mt. Noshaq is Afghanistan’s tallest peak, and is 4,000 feet higher than the tallest peak in North America.
FMF Launches Campaign to Oppose Alabama “Personhood” Amendment
The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) has launched a campaign to educate and mobilize students against a thinly-veiled “personhood” amendment to the Alabama state constitution on the ballot this November. Amendment 2 would grant full legal rights to fertilized eggs, embryos, and fetuses, declare that there is no constitutional right to abortion in Alabama, and pave the way to banning abortion and some forms of birth control in the state.
Historic Number of Women Running for Afghan Parliament.
On September 28, candidates for the Afghan parliament launched their campaigns ahead of the October 20 elections. Of the 2,565 people running, a historic 417 are women. According to data by The World Bank, the number of seats in parliament held by women rose from 4 percent in 1990 to 28 percent in 2017.
Brett Kavanaugh Confirmed to the Supreme Court Despite Sexual Assault Allegations
On Saturday, Brett Kavanaugh was quietly sworn in as the 114th justice of the United States Supreme Court after the Senate voted 50 to 48 to approve his confirmation. The only Senators to break from party lines were Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski (R) and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin (D). It was the narrowest voting margin for a Supreme Court confirmation since 1881.
Unaccompanied Migrant Children Transported at Night to Tent City
Roughly 2,000 unaccompanied migrant children have been quietly removed from shelters and transferred to a temporary tent city in Texas as part of a mass reshuffling by the Trump administration. Permanent shelters are at full capacity, with 12,800 undocumented children currently in federal custody after crossing the border alone or being separated from their families.
Protests against Kavanaugh Continue in the Wake of Sexual Assault Allegations
Capitol Police arrested fifty-six people yesterday on Capitol Hill during a protest against Supreme Court Nominee and alleged abuser, Brett Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh Accused of Sexual Assault
California professor Dr. Christine Blasey Ford has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were both in high school in the early 1980s.
Voters Are Choosing Progressive Women of Color
Last week, near the end of a primary season marked by an unprecedented numbers of victories for progressive women of color, Ayanna Pressley won the Democratic primary for the 7th district of Massachusetts, unseating ten term incumbent Rep. Mike Capuano.
Today is Equal Pay Day for Southeast Asian American Women
Currently, the average Southeast Asian American woman make 61 cents or less for every dollar a white man makes. Breaking it down even further, Burmese women make 51 cents, Samoan women make 56 cents and Hmong women make 59 cents for every dollar a white man earns.
Republicans are Playing Politics Kavanaugh’s White House Records
On Thursday morning, Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee leaked documents from Brett Kavanaugh’s time in the George W. Bush White House that had previously been marked as committee confidential, a designation meant to protect matters of national security.
Denying Justice to Campus Sexual Assault Survivors Saves Colleges Money
“The Trump administration is sending us back to an ugly time when rape victims suffered in silence in our schools, and perpetrators were able to assault multiple women with impunity.”
Letter in Opposition to the Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court
See PDF version here August 31, 2018 Chairman Chuck Grassley Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate Dear Chairman Grassley and Ranking Member Feinstein, On behalf of the Feminist Majority Foundation, a national organization dedicated to women’s equality, reproductive health, […]
Again, Judges Rule North Carolina’s Congressional District Map Unconstitutional
On Monday, a three-judge panel on the Circuit Court of Appeals ruled North Carolina’s congressional district map as unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor Republicans.
Protesters Unite for Justice and Reject Kavanaugh
With 200 events all across the country, protesters gathered on Sunday for the single-day #UniteForJustice action, demanding Senators reject Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
Kavanaugh Hearings to Move Forward Without White House Records
Today the National Archives doubled down on their refusal to provide Senate Democrats with relevant records relating to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s time in the George W. Bush White House, citing a policy that the Archives only responds to requests from committee chairs, positions currently held exclusively by Republicans.
Black Women Demand More on Equal Pay Day
This year, Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is August 7, the point into 2018 that black women must work on average to earn the same amount that white men earned in 2017 alone. That’s over 8 months of labor. Black women are paid 63 cents to every dollar that white men earn. When compared to white men, black women earn 38 percent less, and they earn 21 percent less than white women.
Today is the 53rd Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act
August 6, 2018 marks the 53rd anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing into law the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965. Politicians and organizations alike are recognizing the milestone on social media, highlighting how the VRA continues to influence American elections and politics today.
Protesters Arrested In Civil Disobedience Action Against Kavanaugh
Seventy four people were arrested in Washington, DC last week for civil disobedience while protesting the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court. The activists were led out of the Hart Senate Office Building with their fists in the air as they sang, “Hear the voices of the sons and daughters, protect our freedom now!”
6 Year Old Sexually Abused in Immigration Detention Told to Stay Away from Assailant
After a 6-year-old girl was sexually abused in an immigrant detainment center in Arizona, she was forced to sign a document saying it was her responsibility to stay away from her abuser. The girl was residing in the detention facility after being forcibly separated from her parents at the southern border. Her abuser is an older child staying in the same center, Casa Glendale.
Democrats Plan to Introduce Free Community College Initiative
House Democrats are planning on introducing a bill to provide students with two years of tuition-free community college. Both parties have introduced their own proposals to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, which controls a large amount of the federal spending for higher education.