It was recently Valentine’s Day, AKA sad day, so naturally, I was wallowing in self-pity as a single person. I’m one of the people who actually enjoys being single; I like going on dates with myself, taking walks, and enjoying my hobbies alone. The only time being single is annoying is for formal events like prom, school dances, and Valentine’s Day. Watching other people gush over each other can evoke emotions like sadness, loneliness, and even depression.  Being in a school decked out in red hearts and seeing others receive cards and flowers didn’t help. So there I was, being depressed ..read more

Why Everyone You Know Is Probably A Feminist by Cassidy Gable When we talk about “bad words” in our culture, what do we normally mean? Curse words, taboo topics, and rude or offensive names? Those all may fall under that umbrella, but there is one word I think our culture treats as a true “bad word”:  Feminism.  When you talk at lunch and feminism comes up, half the table grabs their phone to immediately leave the conversation. Bringing up gender inequality during an academic discussion has the same reaction as yelling obscenities. And calling–or even suggesting–a man is se ..read more

The Other 50% By Cassidy Gable As America gets closer to the primary elections, it’s time to ask about the women gunning for the presidency. On November 5, 2024, a race between two people will ensue that has been brewing for several months already. We don’t know yet who the contenders will be, but we know what the winner will need and what the coveted prize is. The winner will need 270 electoral college votes, and the prize is the highest office in America: the president’s. For the past several months, different politicians, entrepreneurs, and academia have announced their campaign for the 202 ..read more

by Crystal Fan I used to care what people think—but I’m realizing that assumptions are more often false than true, and expectations are often unreasonable. At a young age, I noticed and questioned gender targeted standards, expectations, and roles based solely on gender, unspoken stereotypes such as the stereotype that girls are less athletic than boys. From being the fastest girl to run the mile in elementary school to being the only girl to train with the boys during track practice, I advocate for breaking norms to transcend stereotypes.  When did we learn that pink is the color for gi ..read more

Tita Likes to Say by Helena Donato-Sapp You are probably wondering what a Black girl has to say at an Asian Pacific American Heritage Month event.  Long story short, I am Filipina through adoption — my Papa is Filipino and my Dad is white.  My birthparents are Haitian immigrants.   My first word was “gatas” — the Tagalog word for “milk.”  Our extended Filipino families live close to us.  Since Dad’s family is far away in West Virginia that means I have spent holidays with my Filipino family, and also birthdays and christenings and funerals ..read more

by Hannah Gorospe Earth month takes place during the month of April which focuses on the appreciation of our environment. With it being Earth month and Earth Day just around the corner, I believe that a greater awareness of the environment must also include a greater commitment towards environmental justice.  At its core, environmental justice fights for environmental rights in low-income communities and communities of color. The movement aims to dismantle environmental racism and injustice. These communities have been neglected by the government, and their members have little say in poli ..read more

by Maureen Zhang Women in Ukraine fleeing Irpin March 5, 2022. (AG for HIAS) The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine was a significant escalation in the Russo-Ukrainian War that began in 2014, with horrific repercussions for the rights of Ukrainian women. The Executive Director of the United Nations gender agency warned the Security Council that the mounting reports of sexual violence in Ukraine are raising “all the red flags” about a potential protection crisis. As of early June, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 124 accounts of sexual atrocities f ..read more

by Helena Donato-Sapp Youth scholar, activist, poet, and speaker Helena Donato-Sapp supports the #humanswhofeedus project by Justice for Migrant Women www.justice4women.org. Watch this profile of activist Monica Ramirez with a special shout-out to GLI ..read more

by Helena Donato-Sapp There are many celebrations happening in the Winter months.  Among them are Hanukkah, Winter Solstice/Yule/Christmastide, Los Posadas, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Soyal, and many others.  My family is non-religious but we celebrate Christmas with presents, hot chocolate, Santa and his elves, and of course, the trimming of the Christmas tree. One of the traditions we celebrate is exchanging ornaments.  My Dad says, “A Christmas tree tells the story of your life.”  This is certainly true in our home!  The ornaments on our tree go back three generations now ..read more

by Helena Donato-Sapp Issues and concerns about women and girls in STEM have been hot topics for quite a while now.  As recently as one month ago (September 19, 2022) Ms. Magazine’s Camille Steward and Lauren Zabierek wrote about Tennisha Martin, the founder of BlackGirlsHack, a nonprofit focused on getting more women of color into the field of cybersecurity. But as early as 1976, Ms. Magazine was also writing about “math anxiety” and the tendency of women to avoid mathematics. As long as we have been fighting for our rights as women, issues about equity in regard to science, technology ..read more