English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton once stated, “the pen is mightier than the sword”. An act as simple as writing has the power to influence people, sway opinions, and forever change the course of history. This centuries-old adage has shown itself to be true time and time again. Sometimes it is referring to something as powerful …
Tag: Leadership
Jun 05
Don’t Give Up Hope: Women’s Groups Do Make a Difference
When I started writing my blog last week about the battle surrounding women’s health in Texas I was struck by what a powerful group Don’t Mess with Texas Women had become in just one year. But I was still a little skeptical that they or other groups could impact the system enough to protect their …
Jun 04
Women & Water: Why is water such a burden in the lives of so many women?
It hit me recently that I am one lucky person when it comes to water. This may sound odd to you, but it’s true and a lot of us, particularly women, take this for granted. The most it takes for me to get clean water, is the effort to turn on a faucet or maybe …
May 31
Gender & Media: Behind the Weight Loss Craze
“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” ~ Kate Moss, 2009 Or at least that’s Kate Moss’ take on things. In 2009, Kate Moss was highly criticized for publicizing such a dangerous, and detrimental motto. Mainstream media and bloggers alike slammed her for setting such a poor example when it came to the body image …
May 31
What Happens When the Islands Sink?
Islands around the world are starting to disappear, or “sink”, and the lack of attention to this issue is disturbing. Islands in the South Pacific, Indian Ocean and even the United States are starting to witness continuous rising water levels and stronger storm and tidal surges that threaten to extinct islands and have devastating effects …
May 30
Defending Women’s Health in Texas
Think about Planned Parenthood. What are the first things that come to mind? Women’s health? Pro-choice activism? Legal cases? Abortion? All these words apply to the Planned Parenthood organization, but they don’t capture the entire scope of what it does. The organization has existed for more than 90 years but there are still lots of …
May 29
The People Left Behind
As prison reform becomes a bigger issue in politics and social movements, people have started contributing more and more resources towards enacting change. This is wonderful for the beneficiaries of this progress, the prisoners and parolees, but it leaves out a large group of people who are equally as affected by the prison system: the …
May 23
What about the Women? -The Issue of Female Prisoners
When most people think about incarceration, they typically imagine a place filled with men in orange jumpsuits. Though this does represent a large portion of the prison population, it ignores the fastest growing population: women, which has increased by 757% since 1977. With statistics like this you would think that women in the penal system …
May 22
Problems with Alabama’s New Immigration Law
Immigration has been a hot button issue throughout the Southern United States for years now. With an undocumented population of approximately 11.5 million, state and federal governments have proposed a multitude of ideas on how best to manage the situation. The most extreme responses have come from Arizona and Alabama with the Support our Law …