For this weeks newsroom roundup we discussed the local news of an all woman staffed charity celebration, the national concern of voter ID laws for the upcoming election, and the global headline of Brittney Griner’s appeal being denied. All of these news stories were presented and discussed with a feminist lense, and hopefully this recap will serve to bring new knowledge about what is happening in the world in both a small and large scale.
Local:
In 1995 Dolly Parton launched the “Dolly Parton Imagination Library” with a monthly book gifting program. This program donates children’s books to toddlers up to five years old from any background no matter the family income.
The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg-Rockingham took part in this initiative with a goal of reaching 900 children but completely surpassed that and reached 1,849 children and donated 1,000 books.
This is especially celebratory since the Community Foundation is staffed by all women (excluding board members) and shows the importance of feminism reaching areas of education and bettering the lives of youth in communities.
To read more about this news story click here.
National:
With the anticipation of the upcoming election on November 8th many discussions are occurring about surrounding issues, candidates, and possible results. Many headlines have been circulating the issue of voter ID laws and how they affect women
Across the US 36 states have voter ID laws in place whether they require paper or photo ID or both. These states are primarily concentrated in the Midwestern and Southern areas of the US.
Why is this an issue for women?
Women who are recently married or divorced with a name change will be unable to vote at the polls if their ID name is not updated. This also affects trans women with non updated ID information. This election is so crucial especially in a time where reproductive rights and LGTBQ rights are being stripped away. This election will elect Senate and House of Representative seats that write and vote on laws that will be crucial to all women all over the US.
Click this article to read more about ID laws.
Global:
In February 2022, WNBA star and black, queer woman, Brittney Griner was detained at an airport near Moscow when vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage. She was then sentenced to 9 years in Russian prison. Griner appeared virtually at her appeal hearing on Tuesday (10/25) and urged the court to reassess her sentence, saying that people found guilty of lesser crimes were given shorter sentences. The court near Moscow upheld the sentence, with the state prosecutor calling it “fair”.
Griner had originally gone to Russia to play basketball during the US off-season. Many WNBA players do the same to make more money during their offseason, since their average salary is around $100,000, in comparison to the NBA’s average salary of around $5M.
To combat the injustice faced by Brittney Griner, Black Feminist Future, a member-centered organization whos members help inform work, campaigns, and initiatives, launched #BringBrittneyHome campaign to raise awareness and amplify the call to urge U.S. officials.
To read more about Brittney Griner’s appeal click here.
ShoutOut! James Madison University 