I have always been a little suspicious of religion, specifically Christianity/Catholicism. Not that I don’t respect those who follow religion (as long as they don’t use it to hurt others). In fact, I was raised Catholic, attend church occasionally, and live with three women who define themselves by their faith. As a member of the […]
Read More Can You Be a Faithful Feminist?Abolition is a movement to end systemic violence, including the interpersonal vulnerability and displacements that keep the system going…the goal is to change how we interact with each other and the planet by putting people over profits, welfare over warfare, and life over death. – Ruth Wilson Gilmore
Read More Abolish the PoliceOne in four women are victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence can include physical, sexual, social, emotional, verbal, spiritual, and economic abuse where one partner tries to exert power and/or control over the other. Domestic violence can take many forms, including stalking, physical violence, sexual violence, and emotional abuse. To put this into perspective, nearly […]
Read More America’s Domestic Violence CrisisThis week has been incredibly busy when it comes to how the police handle traffic stops with African American men. This week alone two major incidents have been brought to the attention of the media and the people of the United States and let me just say, the people are not pleased; so let’s get […]
Read More This Week in: A Country Rooted in RacismAfter ordering graduation announcements a few days ago, my mom hops on a call with me and exclaims, “you think these cards were made out of gold!” This got me thinking – to participate in graduation, a student must shovel out even more cash to the university to engage in ‘graduation culture.’ Let’s take a […]
Read More The Pitfalls of Graduation CultureWith the current climate of racism today, and the recent deaths of Daunte Wright and George Floyd, it’s great to see our favorite sports teams stand in solidarity with us to fight against racism and police brutality. Whether it’s wearing a new game day uniform with “Black Lives Matter” stitched on the back or writing […]
Read More Racism Within Our Favorite Sports TeamsThroughout my journey through feminism, I have heard about many different countries and how feminist in that country are handling the situations that have been thrown at them. However, interestingly enough, I have never (to the best of my memory) heard about feminism in Sudan. My best friend is from Sudan so the fact that […]
Read More Justice for Sudanese WomenLet us talk about the wide spectrum regarding marginalized health care in the United States. I feel like most people can find their gynecologist a comforting, sacred place in which they can confide most of their personal physical and emotional pains with. The first time I visited my gynecologist, the same lady who birthed me, made […]
Read More Not all Gynos Can Be TrustedThe 3 letter word no one wants to talk about but everyone wants to be good…SEX. Why is it important to have better sex ed?…For better sex of course!
Read More Let’s Talk About Sex BabySince the 2016 election, there has been this narrative constructed that Black women “save” elections and therefore “save” our country from tyranny and ruin. Even though the Democratic nominee did not win in the 2016 presidential election, we saw Black women turn-out in record numbers with over 90% of us voting for the Democratic candidate. […]
Read More Why Black Women Can’t Always Save You: The Dangers of Georgia’s Voter Suppression LawsLocal news: For local news Staunton is the first in the state of Virginia to have the latest 911 technology. With a faster and more efficient system, its the extra seconds that could save a person’s life. The system is called next gen 911, they traded in their outdated system for a quicker,high tech system […]
Read More Newsroom roundupAfter last week’s discussion in class about white conservative feminists and how they use their power in politics to protect the patriarchy, I wanted to talk more about how this has affected the civic engagement of women of color and other marginalized groups. To further explain the point I am trying to make; I want […]
Read More The Current fight for equal Voting rightsDuring Trumps time in office, there were some rules put in place that banned transgender people from serving in the Military. As of recent, the Pentagon announced a new policy to undo the rules under the Trump administration. The new policies will now provide service members a process in which they may transition gender while […]
Read More New Policies Granting the Transgender community to serve in the MilitaryIf you find yourself at James Madison University, and happen by some chance to come across the Sociology Department, you may have the chance to meet Professor Matthew Ezzell. The Professor started his education at UNC-Chapel Hill and acquired his BA in Women’s Studies, continued as UNC-Chapel Hill and attained his Master’s and PhD in […]
Read More Finding an ally: Dr. Matthew EzzellBeing someone who has always identified as a woman I was raised to be hyper-aware of my surroundings when going out, especially at night and once I got my driver’s license. Constantly looking behind my back as I am walking to and from my car, looking under my car as I walk up to it […]
Read More Women’s Safety in Public, Why it’s an Issue.Menstruation is a biological process that has been stigmatized for centuries. A taboo in most cultures, periods are something people prefer not to talk about, and are encouraged to keep quiet about. My mother had her period, hell, I’m on mine now, and I’m sure my grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother had her period too. Almost all […]
Read More TALKIN BOUT TAMPONSIt really grinds my gears when people say “why is everything made so political” or “I don’t care about politics” when it comes to laws being passed that affect groups of marginalized people. Maybe people will “be less political” once there aren’t laws that affect others based on their bodies and identities. Back in 2019, […]
Read More When Will Republicans Stop Targeting Trans People?Taking on a new viewpoint when exploring the topic of pro-life and anti-abortion.
Read More A different perspective on the pro-life movementEver since I was little, the “perfect” body type was everywhere. Whether you are walking around the mall or watching TV at home, Victoria Secret ads were unavoidable, flaunting these beautiful (size double 0, I might add) models in our faces. To add insult to injury, once a year we were subjected to the over-the-top […]
Read More Body Shaming is so Last SeasonAlthough National Women’s history month has come to an end, we must not forget or neglect the present’s strong women. In today’s blog post, I would like to call to attention the pandemic’s lasting effects and how it has disproportionately affected women. This March marks an entire year since the start of the full-fledged quarantine, […]
Read More Covid-19 and Women’s Mental HealthIt’s strange to think about how things can affect other things. Something you’ve probably never thought of- climate affecting feminism. Strange concept, but it’s actually a thing. Loosely referred to as climate feminism. What is climate feminism? Easiest way to explain it is through an example. So back in the fall of 2020, between October […]
Read More What is Climate Feminism and How to Tackle ItThe first and second waves of feminism both wave reached their ends before the beginning of the 21st century. And there has actually been much argument in feminist circles about whether or not there is a third, or even a fourth, wave. So, lets delve into what each of the waves represented and achieved. The […]
Read More Waves of FeminismLet’s discuss what it means to be a feminist today, and yes, it means you can still wear make-up and be girly. Today, I will be introducing a feminist named Deborah Frances-White. Not only is she a well-known feminist, she is also a well-known comdedian, owning her own podcast, The Guilty Feminist. This is one […]
Read More Why it’s Time for Women to be Noisy and AnnoyingIn Our Backyard (Local): The Rockingham County Board (RCB) started and expanded the “Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow” program. The Rockingham County Board is continuing this semester-long program for the high schoolers, but with a twist . This will now offer mentorships in addition to learning about how to be an effective teacher. This means that […]
Read More Newsroom Roundup!Today, March 31, 2021 is international Transgender Day of Visibility. All around the world, transgender and nonbinary people will be recognized today and it is our job as allies and advocates to show up and show them support. Today is an extremely important day, so let’s talk about it! With such an important day, it […]
Read More Transgender Day of VisibilityA peek into the life of local business owner Grace Mayer, and how she started her own business.
Read More Interview with local business owner Grace Mayer of The Hidden GEM companyOne show that has all the fixings for a great but silly story…BUT, there’s a big elephant in the room we need to talk about.
Read More Bridgerton, Great Show…But ProblematicWhen the United States Women’s Soccer team won the world cup in 2019, well-known soccer player Megan Rapinoe proclaimed, “I’m not going to the f*cking White House” when asked if excited about going. This occurred during the Trump administration and Rapinoe has made it very clear that she is no fan of him. However, how […]
Read More Is Joe doing his part for the feminist community?Her face flushed with a look of concern in her eyes, my roommate walked into my apartment a few days ago after seeing the local OB-GYN. “How did it go?” I asked her hesitantly. “It wasn’t my normal woman.” She replied with defeat. “She had a male student check me out instead. He had no […]
Read More Yeast Infections, The Least of Our WorriesLocal: Digna Barhona, along with local Harrisonburg residents and immigrants Kamilo Rivera and Crimson Solano, will be taking their turn on the D.C hunger strike between April 15th and 17th. They will be joining fellow immigrants on the lawns of D.C to work towards immigration reform to bring attention to the shortcomings of the TPS […]
Read More Newsroom Roundup!I usually never watch the Bachelor, and to be honest, I don’t entertain reality TV shows at all. But once I heard that this season of the Bachelor would be a black man, (bi-racial; but would mainly identify as black) along with Ryan Claytor a JMU alumna being one of his perspective love interest, I […]
Read More The Bachelor is Harmful to Women’s Mental HealthRecently, in the United States, there have been many acts of violence, and especially violence against those in the Asian community. These actions and events are not new to those within the Asian community or those who are POC (people of color), but ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the term “Asian […]
Read More Atlanta: Gunned downWhen you think of nurses, you probably think of intelligent, brave, and selfless people who are on the frontline risking their lives to save others. Even though more men are entering the nursing profession, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 89% of nurses are female. But what if I told you that these […]
Read More Our Heroes are VictimsI walk into work and clock in at 4:00pm, and although It hadn’t been the first time a man has argued with me over whether “women have it easier than men” or not, I wasn’t expecting it to come from my coworker. Why is it up to women to explain to men that we live […]
Read More How To Explain Patriarchy To A Man, *cough* Boy 101A brief look at the history of mental health institutions and what sort of treatments were provided.
Read More Mental Health. How far we have come, and how far we still have to go.Pardon me while I fangirl a bit. But the “pulchritude” spelling, “I’m sorry to this man” saying, Millennial Queen Keke Palmer descended upon James Madison University via zoom. The Center for Multicultural Student services hosted Women’s History Month Speaker Keke Palmer on Mar. 17, 2021. And the gag is, Ms. Lauren Keyana Palmer dropped numerous […]
Read More Keke Palmer Event RecapSo, I had to do an analysis of an advertisement for one of my classes this week and I picked this ad: The Ad I like the colors, the representation and the message – that you don’t NEED to shave these parts of your body. I was also interested in analyzing how structures of power […]
Read More Hairy ExpectationsThis past week in news: Local: On Thursday, Mary Baldwin University (MBU) responded to claims that one of their women’s basketball players used racial slurs during a January 30th game against William Peace University. In the MBU statement, ““During the investigation we carried out in conjunction with colleagues at WPU, our administrators carefully reviewed video […]
Read More Newsroom RoundupWe’ve all pretty much grown up with the idea of the gender binary. You know, the idea that there are simply two genders and whatever gender you are lies within your chromosomes or whatevers in your pants. Then, once you’ve been assigned that gender, you have roles and expectations that you must fulfil. Honestly, this […]
Read More America and the history of gender binariesJames Madison has been honoring the celebratory month with a series of virtual events throughout March. The first event on March 2nd, titled “Latina Leadership Experience” consisted of a women’s panel conversing on silencing gender, age, ethnicity, and cultural biases in leadership positions. “D.E.E.P. Dialogue: Human Trafficking” followed the next day, where Impact Diversity Educators […]
Read More Happy Women’s History Month from yours truly, JMUSay her name: Sarah Everard. Sarah was a 33-year old woman who worked as a marketing executive that lived in South London. On March 3rd, she left a friend’s house around 9 p.m. to head back home for the night. Unfortunately, she never made it home. After an exhaustive search, her remains were found in […]
Read More The Deplorable Story of Sarah EverardThe issue regarding abortions has been a huge controvery within recents years. Those who agree with the pro-life stance which opposes abortion and those who agree with the pro-choice stance which advocates for abortion rights and legalizing abortions have had an intense fued going on for years. Recently, more and more states have been banning […]
Read More Arkansas’ new abortion lawFor those who don’t know, Soledad O’Brien is a widely known journalist and documentarian, and she now is the host of her own talk show! Her new talk show called, Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, aires live on matteroffact.tv. The show uncovers and explores the ongoing problems America is facing today, such as: racial […]
Read More Soledad O’Brien’s “Matter of Fact Listening Tour”I am someone who, since a young age, LOVED being very feminine, and a “girly-girl”, if you will. I love make-up, I love clothes, and I LOVE style. Home videos of a four-year-old me show me trying on lipstick and high-heels! Unfortunately, make-up and certain clothes can cause stares, rolling eyes, and snickers, from both […]
Read More DRESS HOW YOU WANT, LIVE HOW YOU WANT, AND MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONSThe beautiful, carefree Vanessa Hudgens is captured meditating on her yoga mat on top of a mountain in the warmth of the glowing sunset beaming off her clear, soft skin. As she stretches into her yoga poses while joyfully looking out into the horizon, a narrative lists “Nexplanon may cause mood swings, nervousness, depressed mood, […]
Read More Women: the beasts of burden for birth controlThe 2021 Grammys rewarded the three biggest awards of the year to women. Two women in particular, for the first time in Grammys history, were the first women to receive these awards.
Read More 2021 Grammys- The Women Win BigIdentifying as a feminist is still seen as a polarizing distinction to make these days. Or at least from where I’m standing. People who have never had to personally confront the reality of our country’s violent history seem to be eager to move on from accepting responsibility for the racist and male dominated fabric of […]
Read More Women’s Access to Health; Why So Tricky?The tragic and violent ending that Sarah Everard endured on March 3rd while walking home in South London was a sickening reminder of the violence that many women face and that many of us fear. Despite the abundance of precautions, she took in order to keep herself safe, her life was unfairly taken from her […]
Read More Violence Against WomenIn the wealthiest nation in the world, Black women are dying in childbirth at rates of those in poorer colonized nations. At alarming numbers, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes in comparison to white women, which has caused the overall rate of pregnancy related deaths to […]
Read More The Health Care System is Failing Black Women
