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.
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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.
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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.
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Activists Rally Against Kavanaugh’s Nomination
People across the country are rallying to oppose the nomination of Brett Kavanagh to the Supreme Court, fearful that his confirmation could be detrimental to the future of the Affordable Care Act, abortion rights, workers’ rights, and more.
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GOP Works to Roll Back the Endangered Species Act
Over 20 actions items aimed at rolling back portions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) have been proposed or voted on by Congress over the past two weeks.
Anti-Abortion Extremists Flood Indianapolis
This week, members of the extremist anti-abortion group Operation Save America stormed Indianapolis in an attempt to harass doctors, staff and patients of three local reproductive health clinics. OSA’s leader has made it clear that he believes women should be subject to criminal prosecution—even the death penalty—for accessing an abortion.
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Remembering the Legacy of Seneca Falls
On this day 170 years ago, a group of women gathered in Seneca Falls for the first women’s rights convention in the United States. The Convention, which propelled the long fight to pass the 19th Amendment, revealed the Declaration of Sentiments, a list of women’s grievances modeled after the Declaration of Independence. In the years following the convention, women fought, across the country, for the right to vote.
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New Hampshire Passes Voter Suppression Law
Last week, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed a law that would prevent most out-of-state students from voting in the state.
Pro-Choice Caucus Rejects Kavanaugh, Fights to Save Roe
This morning, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi held a press conference with several members of Pro-Choice House Caucus concerning the threats Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court poses for reproductive rights. Feminist Majority joined several reproductive rights organizations to unite with members against Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
350 Afghan Women Certified by USAID
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Women’s Leadership Development program, Promote, awarded over 350 Afghan women certificates of accomplishment last week.
Indiana Clinic Forced to Close After Anti-Abortion Harassment
The Fort Wayne, Indiana Planned Parenthood clinic is closing because of harassment from anti-reproductive rights activists.
Victory in the Fight to End Virginity Testing in Afghanistan
A major breakthrough was secured for Afghan women last week following a new policy that aims to prohibit virgin testing across health care facilities.
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Brett Kavanaugh Nominated to the Supreme Court
On Monday night, President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace retiring Justice Kennedy on the United States Supreme Court. An extreme conservative, Kavanaugh would rank nearly the same as Justice Clarence Thomas on the ideological spectrum. Justice Kennedy announced two weeks ago that he will be retiring from the Supreme Court, allowing President Trump to have a second appointment.
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Thousands March for Humane Immigration Policy
On Saturday, June 30, over 30,000 people gathered in Lafayette Square across from the White House to protest Trump’s policy of family separation and indefinite detention at the southern border.
Justice Kennedy’s Retirement Leaves Court’s Future Uncertain
Justice Kennedy announced last Wednesday that he will be retiring from the United States Supreme Court. His retirement will allow President Trump to have a second Supreme Court appointment.
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Scott Pruitt Resigns from EPA
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned yesterday following a long battle with ethics violations allegations. Pruitt, a self-proclaimed “leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda,” is an avid climate change denier, fossil fuel supporter and collaborator with oil and gas companies.
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Judge Temporarily Blocks Arbitrary Detention of Asylum Seekers
On Monday, the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia issued a preliminary injunction halting Trump’s system of arbitrary detention for asylum seekers. The judge ruled that according to a 2009 directive, asylum seekers must be considered for release.
Larry Nassar Faces Additional Charges
A grand jury in Texas has charged former Michigan State and USA Gymnastics Team Doctor Larry Nassar with six additional counts of sexual assault for attacks that allegedly occurred at the famed Karoyli Ranch, a gymnastics training center for budding Olympians. The Karoyli Ranch near Houston is run by the notoriously abusive gymnastic coaches Martha and Bele Karoyli. County prosecutors have declined to file charges against the couple.