Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Australian Muslim Activist, Denied Entry to US
Yassmin Abdel-Magied, a prominent Australian Muslim woman activist, was stopped from entering the US, according to The New York Times. Originally scheduled to speak at the Pen World Voices Festival in New York, border agents said she had the wrong kind of visa, and forced her to fly back to Europe. Abdel-Magied has been very vocal about her lived experiences as a Muslim woman in Australia and that country’s immigration policies. You can read what she has to say about the incident on Twitter.
ACLU Sues Kentucky After State Bans Common Abortion Procedure
The governor of Kentucky signed into law a ban on the abortion procedure dilation and evacuation (D&E), an incredibly common method for performing abortions. Talcott Camp, deputy director of the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project, told The Hill, “We’re suing Kentucky yet again — this time to stop state politicians from banning a safe abortion method… This law disregards a woman’s health and decisions in favor of a narrow ideological agenda.”
Black Women and Babies Are Dying in America’s Delivery Rooms
It’s no secret that America has maternal and infant mortality problems, and black women and their families are hurting the most. More than twice as many black babies die as white babies in a racial disparity gap worse now than it was in 1850. Linda Villarosa wrote an amazing piece for The New York Times Magazine about why this is.
Trump Wants SNAP Recipients To Be Tested For Drugs
The Trump administration is working on a proposed plan to require drug testing of SNAP recipients. The plan will target able-bodied folks without dependents who are applying for specialized jobs, about 5% of current SNAP recipients. Read more at The Los Angeles Times.
New Study Says Many Adults Don’t Have Basic Holocaust Knowledge
On Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah ends this evening), a study commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany revealed that many adults don’t know the basics of the Holocaust, although 93% of study respondents said it should be taught in schools. Read more in The New York Times. If you want to know more about the Holocaust and how it affected women, go to your local library or visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s website. Anne Frank’s The Diary of A Young Girl is a great place to start.
Homeless Girl Scout Troop Is Selling Cookies in NYC
If you are in the area, go to Union Square and buy some cookies from New York’s first homeless Girl Scout troop, Troop 6000. They’ll be there today and tomorrow from 4-6 pm. AM New York reports that the troop is made up of hundreds of girls from shelters around the city.
Sex Workers on How Taking Down Backpage.com Affects Them
The Department of Justice took down the website after charging staff members with money laundering and violating the part of the Travel Act that concerns prostitution. Read what sex workers have to say about how it will affect them and the differences it will make on The Cut.
Missouri Governor Accused of Rape
Eric Greitens was arrested Friday for taking nonconsensual photos during an extramarital affair. A House investigation into the matter resulted in a graphic, 25-page report of his alleged violence against the woman, who says Greitens sexuall assaulted her, according to BuzzFeed. Members from both parties are calling for his resignation.
Cynthia Nixon Makes Legalizing Marijuana Campaign Priority
The actress running to be New York’s governor announced Wednesday that she wants to focus on legalizing marijuana to rectify the institutionalized racism of the so-called war on drugs. In a video posted to Twitter, she said 80% of the people arrested in connection to marijuana were people of color, despite the fact that people of color and whites use marijuana at about the same rate. Read more at The New York Times.
Beverly Cleary Turns 102 Today, Proves Legends Never Die
The creator of wonderful wild child Ramona Quimby celebrates her 102nd birthday today. The prodigious children’s author wrote real stories about real kids for real kids. Read an appreciation of her on Vox.
This post was published April 12, 2018
Top photo by Kristoffer Paulsen via Instagram/@yasmin_a
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