Hey there feminists! On April 1st we facilitated a newsroom on the following local, national, and global topics listed below. Each topic was chosen with the intent of bringing issues to your attention and the hope that you learn something new!
Local:
A local homeless shelter in Staunton, Virginia, named Valley mission, has been accepting donations for Easter on Sunday. They are a Christian shelter that strives to serve hundreds of homeless individuals each year. For this recent holiday, they have collected not only candy and gifts for the children, but also hygiene products and food for everyone to celebrate.
National:
The next topic is in regards to the Supreme Court case, FDA vs. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. The availability of mifepristone, an abortion drug, could become severely restricted. After the FDA has run several tests proving that mifepristone is extremely safe, the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine argues that moral objections suit a heavy restriction on the medication. The Supreme Court’s decision is expected in June.
Global:
For years there has been ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel, however not much has been covered globally until this past October which painted Palestine in a poor light, rather than just the terrorist group Hamas. On October 7th, 2023, Hamas launched over 5,000 rockets from Gaza into Israel, creating war between the Israeli government and Hamas. However, what was not covered in the media was the long history of the Israeli government torturing and killing innocent Palestinians. It was not until recently that much of this torturing and killing was reported on by the media, uncovering many of the inhumane tactics that Israel has been using for years which have now been classified as a genocide. Many countries have led protests against the Israeli government calling for a ceasefire, one of which happened this past Saturday in Israel. This protest was the largest one yet that has occurred within Israel. While most of it was peaceful, it was reported that as the night went on, some fights broke out, protestors violated public order by blocking the highway with lit bonfires, which resulted in officers using a water cannon to disperse protestors from a highway. There were 16 reported arrests made. Lee Hoffman Agiv, an Israeli citizen at the protest this past Saturday, told The New York Times, “We demand our government to sign a deal now, no matter what is the cost. It’s a life or death situation — we will not forgive our government if another hostage dies in captivity.” With protests growing, and especially with protests growing in Israel against the Israeli government, people are hoping that this may get the Israeli government’s attention. Could possible change be around the corner? Stay updated daily with live updates from The New York Times here.
ShoutOut! James Madison University 