Feminist Weekly june 14
News clippings and #FeministWins curated by Contributing News Editor Annie Wu Henry. From feel good news to headliners keeping you on the pulse. Here is the round up for the week!
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ICYMI
Simone Biles became the first female gymnast to win 7 U.S. All-Around titles:
The 24 year old athlete has not gotten less than 1st place all-around in a competition since 2013. She now has more all-around titles than any other woman in history, making her the most decorated gymnast of all time.Darnella Frazier, the teen who filmed George Floyd's murder, was awarded an honorary Pulitzer Prize on Friday: Darnella Frazier was 17 when she recorded George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis. The video played a major role in igniting a global protest movement against police violence, and people was used as evidence in the trial of Floyd's killer where he was found guilty on all three charges (which is rare in police involved murders).
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry welcomed their second child, Lilibet Diana: In a statement on Sunday, the couple announced the birth of their second child: “On June 4th, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili. She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe. Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”
The Senate confirmed the first Muslim American federal judge in U.S. history:
Zahid Quraishi was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey by a Senate vote of 81-16 on Thursday. He is the son of Pakistani immigrants, his father emigrated to New York from Pakistan in 1970. Quaraishi graduated from Rutgers Law School and practiced until he joined the Army after the 9/11 attacks and served two tours. In 2019, he was appointed as a U.S. magistrate judge for the District of New Jersey and his nomination to this position in March was among the first judicial nominations that newly inaugurated President Biden announced.The Keystone XL pipeline has been officially cancelled by the developer: The $9 billion Keystone XL was proposed in 2008 to bring oil from Canada's Western tar sands to U.S. refiners. For the past 12 years U.S. landowners, Native American tribes and environmentalists have spoken out, demonstrated and fought against the project. The development was blocked by the Obama administration, but then re-approved by the Trump administration. However, even with the approval of needed permits by the previous administration, continuous legal challenges hampered construction. Throughout his campaign President Biden committed to canceling the project and soon after taking office he did just that by revoking the permit. Due to these blockages, the developers, TC Energy, have cancelled the environmentally hazardous project. The cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline is not only a win for the environment, but a major success for the tribes, people, and sacred places in the path of the proposed pipeline.
AOC and other politicians have been calling out corporations that have been rainbow washing during PRIDE month: Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pramila Jayapal took to social media to call out companies that have been rainbow washing, such as Raytheon — a defense contractor — whose PAC donated to Mitch McConnell's campaign while he was actively blocking the Equality Act.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris urged would-be migrants in Guatemala not to attempt to enter the United States illegally: During her trip to Guatemala, VP Harris spoke about immigration and discouraged those thinking about making the trek to the United States. In a news conference alongside Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, she said that the Biden administration will be focusing on the "root causes" of immigration and would like the US and Guatemala to "work together" to find solutions to "long-standing problems". However others such as AOC have pointed out that the "root causes" of migration for many asylum seekers in Central America are often due to U.S. actions and policies. Additionally, seeking asylum is a legal form of entry into the United States.
The Senate Republicans blocked the Paycheck Fairness Act which was aimed to aimed eliminate pay discrimination against women: The Equal Pay Act was enacted in 1963 and women still make an average of 82 cents for every dollar that men earn. The gap grows when it comes to BIPOC women with Black women being paid 63 cents to every white men’s dollar and Latina women paid 55 cents. If passed, the Paycheck Fairness Act would require employers to demonstrate that any pay disparities between men and women are related to the job and it would also give more power to those impacted by pay discrimination in class-action suits. When brought to a vote on Tuesday, the bill failed, 49 to 50, which was far from the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster and bring it to the Senate floor under existing rules.
Florida banned teaching critical race theory in schools: Florida bans use of critical race theory, “1619 Project” in teaching history. Florida’s ban is the latest of the growing charge by Republican politicians against schools teaching about systemic racism. On Thursday, the Florida State Board of Education took part in debate and heard public comment and then unanimously approved the amendment banning critical race theory. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who appointed much of the board, said that teaching children critical race theory would be telling children that "the country is rotten and that our institutions are illegitimate" and it "is not worth any taxpayer dollars." As one student put it before the board, per The Miami Herald, “When people are too afraid to have the conversation, how will we ever progress?” Read more.
On the Pandemic Front…
By the GoodGoodCo
Worldwide, weekly COVID-19 cases have declined for the past 6 weeks.
COVID-19 cases in the U.S. hit the lowest point since March 2020: In the past week, the U.S. averaged about 16,500 new cases per day, a 30% improvement over the prior week. New cases either declined or remained the same in all 50 states.
The U.S. is sending 25 million of its surplus COVID-19 vaccines around the world: The U.S. just announced its plan to send 26 million surplus COVID-19 vaccines to countries around the world, like India, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and more through the COVAX global vaccine sharing program.
This week in Culture
France is sending the U.S. a second Statue Of Liberty — Little Lady Liberty: 135 years ago, France gifted the United States the original Lady Liberty. Now France is sending her "little sister" just in time for Independance Day festivities. The two statues, will stand facingone another from July 1-5 and then the smaller statue (about 1/16th the size) will be taken to reside at the French ambassador's residence in Washington D.C. for the next 10 years.
A new dinosaur species was found in Australia — and it was HUGE! Scientists discovered and confirmed the largest ever dinosaur found in Australia. At two stories tall and a basketball court long, the fossilized skeleton is one of the biggest in the world. The Australotitan cooperensis, nicknamed "Cooper," was a titanosaur — a plant-eating species belonging to the family of long-necked sauropods, the largest of the dinosaur species.
The first drug developed without animal testing was submitted for FDA approval: Researchers from Hebrew University of Jerusalem believe it’s possible to test drugs without animals — and they’ve already demonstrated it by producing a promising cancer therapy without testing on a single animal. If successful, this could be a breakthrough in reducing the number of animals being used in labs.
#FeministWins
Support for same-sex marriage in the United States reached a record high of 70% according to a new poll: According to a Gallup poll released Tuesday, 70 percent of respondents in the U.S. said that marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid. This is an increase of 3 percentage points from June 2020 and this is the first time that more than 50 percent of Republicans supported same-sex marriage, with 55 percent responding in support.
The Pride flag has been updated to be more intersex inclusive: The traditional rainbow pride flag was designed by artist Gilbert Baker in 1978. The original intersex flag was designed by Australian bioethecist and researcher Morgan Carpenter in 2013, using the colors purple and yellow as an intentional counterpoint to blue and pink, which have traditionally been seen as binary, gendered colors. Now, the rainbow pride flag, which has undergone multiple updates to be more inclusive has been updated once again to include the intersex community. The new flag was designed by intersex columnist and media personality Valentino Vecchietti and officially unveiled by the advocacy group Intersex Equality Rights UK in late May. It has since gone viral, particularly with June being designated as LGBTQIA+ Pride month.
Male teachers across Spain are joining the Clothes Have No Gender (#laropanotienegenero) movement, which started in October 2020 after a student, Mikel Gomez was expelled and referred to psychologists after wearing a skirt to school. Gomez made a viral TikTok about the incident, saying he wanted to show support for feminism and diversity by wearing the skirt. Since then, teachers and other students have been wearing skirts to class to fight homophobia, bullying and gender norms.
Minnesota becomes first state to stop separating moms and their newborns in prison: Oftentimes pregnant inmates are separated from their newborn babies shortly after their birth in order to finish their prison sentence. This separation can impair the development of a bond between the parent and their child, making reunification difficult. The Healthy Start Act, which Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed earlier this month allows the Commissioner of Corrections to provide alternative arrangements for inmates for the duration of their pregnancy and up to one year after giving birth. “Every child deserves a healthy start. We listened to incarcerated moms on how we could support them and their babies through pregnancy, birth, and post-partum – and their stories became the bipartisan women-led Healthy Start Act that was signed into law,” said Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in a release. "This is what happens when you center the voices of women at the decision-making table. Minnesota is the better for it." Read about the film 'Tutwiler' documenting experiences of Pregnant women in prison.
A 94-year-old Alabama woman graduated and got her high school diploma: Grace Lee McClure Smith proved that its never too late to receive your high school diploma, when she graduated nearly 80 years after she left Hazel Green High School so her husband could fight in World War II. She received her diploma surrounded by her loved ones, including her 26 great-grandchildren, and said, “I am so grateful. Thank you so much. It’s better late than never, isn’t it.”
Nickelodeon cast its first openly trans teen in an upcoming episode of their popular live-action show Danger Force: 13-year-old Sasha A. Cohen will appear on the upcoming June 19 episode of the network’s popular superhero comedy show Danger Force. Cohen recently participated in the Trans Youth Acting Challenge, which is an initiative aimed to help trans and nonbinary youth break into Hollywood. In a statment to Variety, Cohen explained the importance of trans roles for "so many kids out there who need to see someone like them" and Nickolodeon's EVP of Programming and Conent Strategy said, “It has long been Nickelodeon’s mission to be a home for all kids, and to authentically represent them in their full diversity."
Annie Wu Henry is a journalist, social media expert and politics + pop culture junkie. On the cusp of being a gen-z and millennial she understands the power and privilege that social media holds and chooses to use her platform to utilize these tools for good. Through sharing news in digestible, entertaining and easy to understand content, Annie seeks to promote the message that anyone can be an activist and make an impact. She believes people are important and thrives on building meaningful connections with others through sharing our stories and perspectives. As a proud adopted Asian-American, her work focuses on equality, mental health, intersectionality and education.
