When Justine Uvuza returned to Rwanda after the 1994 genocide, she was shocked by the state of her country. At the time, the little remaining infrastructure and shattered political systems that resulted from the Rwandan genocide comprised the leading narrative of the country. But when she returned, what stood out most to Uvuza was […]
Tag: feminism
Medication Abortion at Tang: the Power of Student Activism
The women of SURJ at UC Berkeley In a matter of weeks, the University of California, Berkeley, may become the first university in the country to provide medication abortion at an on-campus health center, once again putting the school at the forefront of progressive activism. A student-run campaign to bring medication abortion access through the […]
Bride Kidnapping: Can the West Make a Difference?
TW: Kidnapping, Sexual Assault, Physical/Emotional Abuse In 1997, Aberash Bekele of southern Ethiopia was walking home from school with several friends. A girl of 14, Aberash was abducted by men on horses wielding whips and lassos. One of her captors, who intended to marry her, spent that afternoon beating and raping her. The following morning, […]
The Silent Plea of America’s New Mothers
In the U.S., the fight for women’s rights in the workplace has come a long way. In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act, protecting women’s rights to be paid equal wages as men. In 1978, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was passed, banning workplace discrimination based on pregnancy. In 2015, King v. Burwell upheld the […]
Feminism’s Glass Ceiling
Women: they’re everywhere! Mothers, actresses, professors, Presidents – you name it, and a woman will be it. This development, however, is recent. It is only in the last 100 years that society has recognized that women are also human beings, with the capacity to deserve human rights. It is for this reason that today, society […]
In Defense of Beauty Pageants
The bright beams of the stage lights focus on my face as I strut into the glare with a smile, grinning at my opponents and staring into the eyes of my judges with resolute confidence. I accept the microphone and speak with grace and emphasis. I speak of my goals: to attend U.C. Berkeley, to […]
The Hyde Amendment: Disproportionately Affecting Minority Women Since 1976
In 1976, just three years after the Supreme Court’s groundbreaking decision in Roe v. Wade, Republican congressman Henry Hyde attached a little-known amendment to a Health and Human Services appropriations bill that would shift the course of reproductive justice in the United States for decades to come. The Hyde Amendment banned the use of federal […]
Dress Codes: Foundations of Rape Culture
Recently in Illinois, a middle school banned girls from wearing yoga pants or leggings because they were deemed “too distracting.” While this move was met significant protests from students and parents alike, Illinois is not an isolated incident. Across the nation, schools are banning all types of dresses, shirts, and pants that girls can wear. […]