Feminist Weekly JUNE 29
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!
Britney Spears asked the court to end her conservatorship
In leaked audio from the hearing, Britney revealed that she has an IUD in her body against her will. She also said she was put on lithium against her will. Many have taken notice to the sound of her voice in the audio being starkly different from the videos she has released on social media claiming to be ok over the past year. "I've told the world I'm happy and ok," she said. "I'm traumatized. I'm not happy, I can't sleep."
ICYMI
The Chauvin Verdict Is In — 22.5 years in prison.
Thirteen months after murdering George Floyd, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison. While 10 years more than the presumptive sentence, it’s less than the 30 years the prosecution requested. When seven-year-old Gianna Floyd was asked if she had a message for her father, this is what she said: “It would be I miss you and I love him.” Sourced by The RecountAt least five dead, 156 missing following partial building collapse near Miami.
On Thursday there was a partial collapse of a residential building in South Florida. Local authorities say that search and rescue efforts are ongoing at the scene, and a police investigation into the collapse is underway. Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Miami-Dade County and President Biden also approved an emergency declaration that allows the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency “to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.” At least five people have died and 156 are still unaccounted for.The S&P 500 index closed at a record high.
Wall Street notched broad gains on Friday, with the S&P 500 index closing at a record and global shares also closing at an all-time high. Investors are betting that as more begins to open and the economy continues to emerge from the pandemic, the rise in inflation will be temporary.
On the Pandemic Front…
By the GoodGoodCo
India gave over 9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in one day.
According to India's vaccine tracker, on Monday the country administered over 9 million vaccine doses — 8.2 million of them first doses, and the remaining were second doses. Tuesday, they gave 5.4 million doses total, and Wednesday 6.4 million doses — bringing its daily average up from about 3 million per day, to 7 million.
The U.S. weekly average for COVID-19 deaths continues to fall with over 321 million doses of the vaccines having been administered
The United States is now averaging 279 deaths per day from coronavirus, the lowest seven-day average since the pandemic began. 321 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have now been administered in the United States.
This week in Culture
Sha’Carri Richardson won the 100m at Olympic Trials. Sha'Carri Richardson pointed her way to victory in the 100 meter sprint at Olympic Trials. With her bright orange hair, she is currently the 6th fastest woman to ever run the event and in the semi-finals at trials she clocked an astounding 10.64 (this was wind-aided and thus not eligible for record purposes). Moments after winning, she ran to the stands to hug her grandmother, whom she was primarily raised by with her aunt. In post-race interviews, she also revealed that just days before the race, her biological mother had passed away.
Justice Department Sues Georgia—U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the Department of Justice is suing the state of Georgia for changing election laws “with the purpose of denying or abridging the right of Black Georgians to vote on account of their race or color.” Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) fired back, accusing the Biden administration of weaponizing the DOJ. WH Press Sec. Jen Psaki had a scathing response: “If you have such a fear of making it easier and more accessible for people to vote, then I would ask you what you’re so afraid of?” (via The Recount)
A student was removed from her high school cheerleading team after posting a photo with the text "f*ck school f*ck softball f*ck cheer f*ck everything" while at a local convenience store. SCOTUS ruled that this speech, was protected under the First Amendment and the district had violated her rights by punishing her for it. This decision upholds that outside of school, students retain the right to express themselves freely.
Socialist Surprises in the Empire State (Via The Recount)
It’s been quite the week for New York politics. In Buffalo’s Democratic primary, 38-year-old community activist India Walton shocked four-term incumbent Bryon Brown. Should Walton win the general election in November — a likely result in the heavily blue city — she would be the first socialist mayor of a major city since 1960. In NYC’s Democratic primary, voters appear to have taken the more centrist route. Retired police caption Eric Adams emerged as the early frontrunner, but the contest will ultimately be decided by ranked-choice voting in the coming week.
Tired Of Not Getting Credit For New Trends, Black TikTok Creators Go On Strike—Megan The Stallion released a song that was perfect to create content around the song. Black TikTok creators are refusing to post their dances. They are asking to be elevated and giving the credit they deserve. Creators are asking for accolades, recognition, and brand recognition for monetary success. “The Black creators are making content that is very viral, that is creating success for all of these other people but not for them? Their art is wanted but just with a different face.” (Via NPR)
Chris Brown was accused of hitting a woman in Los Angeles—Officers were called in the early morning to an area in Southern California where the victim said that she had been struck. Chris Brown, who recieved 5 years of probation and community service in 2009 for assaulting Rihanna and had a restraining order against him in 2017 from a former girlfriend, was not present at the scene when the police arrived.
#FeministWins
New Zealand's Laurel Hubbard became the first transgender athlete picked to compete at an Olympics: Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will become the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics. She was selected by New Zealand for the women's event at the Tokyo Games, after qualifying requirements were recently modified. She will be in the wome's 87-kg weightlifting category and said she is "grateful and humbled by the kindness and support that has been given to me by so many New Zealanders.
The state of Maine just passed a new law that will require all state funds to be divested from fossil fuel assets — becoming the first in the U.S. to do so statewide. Agencies impacted by the new law must develop a divestment plan by 2026. (Via The Good Good Good Co)
A new blood test will soon be rolled out by NHS England — it can detect 50 different types of cancer before any clinical signs or symptoms of the disease emerge in someone. “Finding cancer early, when treatment is more likely to be successful, is one of the most significant opportunities we have to reduce the burden of cancer. These data suggest that, if used alongside existing screening tests, the multi-cancer detection test could have a profound impact on how cancer is detected and, ultimately, on public health," Dr. Eric Klein, one of the authors on the research told The Guardian. Detecting cancer in its earliest stages offers the best chance for successful treatment — and this blood test could help make that possible in even more cases! (Via The Good Good Good Co)
Raiders DE Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to come out as gay: In a video posted to instagram, Carl Nassib publicly came out as gay saying, "I hope that one day videos like this and the whole coming out process are just not necessary." The post thanked his family, friends NFL, coaches and fellow players for the support and said that he has been greeted with respect and acceptance. He also used this moment to talk about the stuggles many LGBTQ+ youth face and encouraged people to support The Trevor Project, which works to provide suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ youth.
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.
