Hidden Figures is a fantastic film telling an important story about three black women, a group of people whose contributions are shamefully ignored or preface or relegated to the sidelines in the story of men. Hidden Figures tells the story of three black women who are, first and foremost, STEM professionals in a field (mathematics), and at…
Oppression takes many forms and can come from places both expected and not. These are times that call on us all to actively put forth our best selves, holding both ourselves and each other accountable. Solidarity, after all, is a verb. It is our collective responsibility to speak out against hate, against oppression, against the…
Despite the title of the article, the list highlights books that would be a great reading for children of all genders. It is not only little girls who would benefit from literature–and movies, TV shows, etc.–featuring strong, independent, and resourceful women and girl protagonists. Learning that men are not exclusively the main character in life’s…
Sexism and gender-based violence is normalized in a number of ways in Western culture; one of the most accepted and unseen way is our language itself. For example, it has become widely acceptable to refer to a mixed-gender group of people–or even all women–as “guys.” It may seem harmless, but we must consider the potential…
I would argue that fostering empathy might be the single most important task in undoing a rape culture and replacing destructive entitlement that is at the heart of toxic masculinity. In the United States, where competition, winner-takes-all, survival of the fittest mentalities are seen as the epitome of being “American,” creating a culture that is…
Sex Ed in the United States is often mediocre at best, and in the instance of abstinence-only education, harmful at worst. Children must be provided with accurate, honest, and upfront information about sexual activities, their bodies, consent, dialogue, pleasure, sexual and reproductive justice, and yes, even human rights, in an environment that is safe and…
Restorative justice models of reconciliation seek to provide alternatives to punitive punishment styles of justice. At its core, restorative justice aims to achieve individual healing, relationship reconciliation, and community building. In the Oakland public school system, where many students are from communities of color, restorative justice serves to disrupt the school-to-prison-pipeline which utilizes punitive punishments…
Men’s violence against women has become such an ingrained dynamic of our culture, we often fail to see the ways in which it has become normalized and invisiblized. Everything from pop culture to the way language is constructed about domestic violence and sexual assault serves to hide men as perpetrators, placing the onus of responsibility…