Tag: social empowerment

Women’s Equality Day

“I call upon the people of the United States to celebrate the achievements of women and recommit ourselves to the goal of gender equality in this country.” –          President Barack Obama Today has officially been declared Women’s Equality Day in the United States—yet it is widely unheard of by most Americans.  On August 26, 1920, …

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Preventing Abu Ghraib

Last spring, I took an ethics class called Policy Choice as Value Conflict. Throughout the semester, we students debated the merits of riveting topics, ranging from pros and cons of moral philosophies such as utilitarianism and deontology to the legality of controversial issues such as capital punishment, euthanasia, prostitution, gay marriage, and even bestiality. Our …

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Freedom of Speech or Insensitive Gibberish?

I am all for freedom of speech but not when it becomes abusive and offensive.  On Wednesday, the New York Post released their daily newspaper displaying a controversial image and relaying what many are calling a highly absurd and unreasonable message to the public.  The Post, in their attempt to metaphorically compare the recent highs …

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Using Canines to Fight Human Trafficking

Are dogs really man’s best friend?  As a dog owner of two, I would say so.  The unconditional love and excitement they share is hard to find elsewhere.  Every time I walk into my house from a bad day, I can always rely on their wagging tails and slobbery kisses to put a smile on …

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Heroic ‘Fin

Last Monday, after 3 months of labor disputes, the NFL lockout finally ended. Football nuts around the country (myself included) rejoiced. The threat of losing our favorite, most highly rated sport for an entire season was finally gone. We still have our best excuse to be unproductive on Sundays. Football is back, baby. I am …

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Women in War and Peace

“For it isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” –Eleanor Roosevelt It is more dangerous in most conflict-stricken areas to be a woman than to be a soldier.  Yet, women’s experiences during times of war are often ignored …

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Make It Last Forever

Many of us working for social change have used the analogy of trying to teach a man to fish rather than giving him a fish, to explain the work that we are doing. We know and understand that creating long term impact rather than a band-aid solution is the ideal model. So in our efforts …

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Giving Hope

In a few of my prior posts, I have discussed people who were unable to overcome mental illnesses such as depression or drug addiction. In today’s post, I’d like to share a more optimistic story. I will tell you about Dr. Marsha Linehan, an inspirational woman who overcame borderline personality disorder (BPD) and eventually developed …

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Facebook’s New System

In 1964, journalist Martin Gansberg published an article in the New York Times that revealed some less-than-flattering human traits and sparked a revolution in social psychology. According to the article, Kitty Genovese, a 29 year-old woman from Queens, was stabbed to death outside over a 35-minute period, after which just 1 of the 38 spectators called …

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Violence against Women with Disabilities II

In my previous post, I raised the issue of violence against women with disabilities. Research and statistics have helped to raise awareness in our society about domestic and gender-based violence. However, as I discussed previously, the link between violence and disability is still very under-researched, and the consequence is that many women with disabilities are …

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