Posts Categorized: Civic Engagement
Real Education for Healthy Youth Act Fights for Comprehensive Sex Education
We all remember the famous “don’t have sex or you will get pregnant and die, ” scene from Mean Girls. When a gym teacher in a health class gives a horrible sex education lesson that is not effective at all. When Mean Girls was written, that scene was probably meant to show a hyperbolized way sex ed is so poorly taught in school. Sadly, lessons like that are too real and happen too often across the nation. Sex education is suffering, and as a result young people are dealing with unwanted pregnancies without access to abortions, and a rise in sexually transmitted infections. In fact, people under the age of 25 are more than half the STI rate in the country. Abstinence education is not going to do anything… Read more »
Steps to Becoming an Effective RJ Leader
It’s that time of the school year again when campus organizations choose their new leadership. Becoming a campus leader is exciting and slightly intimidating. It’s draining and rewarding. Here are some things I have learned over two years as a campus leader that I think will be extremely helpful for the next wave of reproductive justice leaders. Realize that a failure doesn’t actually exist. Students aren’t the only ones making the most of and learning from previous mistakes. Right now, I’m interning for a large women’s issues-centered organization, and on my first day my boss told me that everything they do is made up on the spot. It’s a hard concept to come to terms with. I definitely still struggle with accepting it, but failures are merely a chance to… Read more »
Alabama Anti-Marriage Equality Bill Also Hurts Victims of Domestic Abuse
In an example of post-judicial infantilism, the state of Alabama is doing everything it possibly can to discourage same-sex marriage. Early last month, the Alabama Supreme Court ignored the stamping of feet from certain special interest groups in the state by affirming the fact that they would (reluctantly) follow federal law to the letter by offering marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Despite this, the Alabama Supreme Court refused to recognize same-sex adoptions if they occurred out-of-state, a decision overturned by a per curium opinion handed down by the Supreme Court itself later that same month. Now, the Alabama legislature is attempting to change the way marriage works in the state altogether. Senate Bill 143, introduced by Sen. Greg Albritton this February, would effectively end the distribution of all marriage licenses in the state. What… Read more »
#BlackLivesMatter at Texas State
On Monday, #BlackLivesMatter co-founder, Opal Tometi, spoke to students at Texas State University. Tometi, a keynote speaker for a series of talks Texas State University is hosting about diversity, spoke about her experience as a social justice advocate and activist. The event took place in the LBJ Ballroom on campus. The ballroom was filled with students and the event certainly yielded a good turn out. Tometi spoke about the systemic hurdles that our society, and countless others, have put in place, making it more difficult to attain true equality. She addressed institutionalized racism and global capitalism, two of the biggest factors keeping us from becoming a more just and equal society. Tometi then began her call to action. She stressed the importance of acting when we see racial and social injustices. We… Read more »
How to Prevent the Great #OHBrainDrain
Ohio has not always been home. Four years ago, when I received my admissions packet from Otterbein University (of Westerville), I was still calling a little white brick house in Southern Kentucky— the house that back-dropped my entire childhood – my home. Today, I was approved for graduation. In four years, my understanding of home has grown, multiplied, and demonstrated a profound capacity for transplantation. I didn’t just put down roots in Columbus. I didn’t just cultivate social and political values. I didn’t just learn how to effect change. I learned that I could enact change. Here, I was certified by the Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio. I marched through the sheets of rain during Columbus Pride, and most recently I stood on the steps of the Ohio… Read more »
Fighting the Lazy Millennial Myth
Being a politically involved and concerned millennial is hard when older generations do nothing but criticize your generation for being lazy, having a short attention span, being addicted to technology, or being non-committal. Constantly hearing that your generation falls short of the mark adds a whole new challenge for progressive millennials in conservative areas who are trying to make long-lasting change. The best way to fight the feeling of disenfranchisement is to connect and build teams with other millennials who are committed to making a difference. I got that refreshing feeling yesterday at URGE’s Kansas Advocacy Day. Not only did we get the chance to work with other college students, we also worked with and got support from older, concerned community members. Unfortunately, not everyone can make the time to… Read more »
10 Things Progressives in Texas Understand
Being a progressive in the south can be hard, especially in Texas. I know that it’s rough feeling like you’re always met with opposition, but we can get through it all AND affect change if we stick together. So I’ve compiled a little list, with the help of some fellow progressives, of the stresses, trials, and joys that we can all understand. You are, more often than not, one of the few (if not the only) members of your family that have progressive views. And we all have that one family member…you know who I’m talking about. We get called names…a lot. Ranging in intensity & creativity. Some of my faves are “dirty hippie,” “damn liberal,” & often some variation on the word “communist.” Wendy Davis is a queen for her famous… Read more »
It’s a TRAP!
Every year, hundreds of abortion restrictions are proposed in the United States. The most popular forms of laws include mandatory counseling at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours before the abortion, banning the use of telemedicine for medication abortion, requiring providers to perform an ultrasound, and limiting public funding for the procedure. Personhood laws are also being introduced at alarming rates, as state legislators attempt to undo the progress Roe v. Wade. There are other laws, far more sneaky, that slip through frequently because they are disguised as laws that protect women’s medical safety. These are known as TRAP laws: Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers. According to an article in the LA Times, “Unlike personhood initiatives, TRAP laws are designed to fly under the radar, by mimicking ordinary health regulations.” These laws are… Read more »
5 Victories of 2015
2015 has been a turbulent year to say the least. Activists continue to work fearlessly through media attacks and very real violent attacks. There is still work to do, but I want to take a moment here to reflect on some of 2015’s social justice victories for women’s rights, the LGBTQcommunity, and #BlackLivesMatter movement. Transgender Homecoming Queen In a surge of moving supporting of the trans girl they voted in as homecoming queen, high school students in the Kansas City area staged a successful counter protest to the Westboro Baptist Church. Mizzou Mixed results came out the student movement at the University of Missouri. Student activists, joined by some faculty members, were able to oust their racist president, Tim Wolfe. Their success was met by strong opposition from white supremacists,… Read more »
We See People, UC Profit
Today, I was among hundreds of students and activists who shook off our campus’ reputation for political apathy and marched toward Geisel library, UC San Diego’s central library. We were one of over 150 protests around the country to demand economic and social justice, starting with our campus communities. Together, we called for tuition free public universities, forgiveness of all student debt, an end to anti-black violence, and a fifteen dollar minimum wage for all campus and student workers. Our demands were broad because our vision for an equitable future was equally expansive. We recognize that for education to truly be a right, all students should be able to attend a college that affirms their identities and doesn’t profit off of their learning. We joined our voices with activists across… Read more »