ProgressWomen

Just admit it, this is pretty cool.

Emily Nemen has depicted the gender imbalance of women serving in the U.S. Senate by paintings pictures of  women  Senators and how the Senate actually looks. Isn’t that a neat way to show the gender gap?

Courtesy to Jezebel

(I will admit, I follow Emily on Tumblr and completely started squealing when I saw all of these pictures. How awesome is she?)

Read more on Jezebel: http://jezebel.com/artist-emily-nemens-depiction-of-the-u-s-senates-gende-506675261

Follow Emily on Tumblr: http://womenofthe112th.tumblr.com/

Courtesy to Google Images

New favorite feminist documentary, anyone? This 3 minute excerpt from the documentary Tidal Wave Girls, that shows young women and men discussing the women who inspire them and the future of feminism, focusing on the new world we’re all creating for ourselves.

One clip has kids (and young teenagers) discuss the women they admire. The excerpt mainly has all the kids discussing their appreciation for their mothers and how their mothers balance work and home life.

Not only that, but the documentary asks a young woman, who looks to be remotely 14 or 15, what she wants to be when she’s older. What does she respond with? Science.

Yes, you read that right. SCIENCE.

Plus, the documentary hits the viewers with interesting statistics, such as women are scoring higher on IQ tests and 39 out of the 50 states, women in their 20′s are earning more than men their age.

How does it feel to be amazing, ladies?

Watch more here: http://jezebel.com/your-evening-inspiration-kids-talk-about-the-women-the-503896578

Courtesy to Google Images

 I remember staring at the television in my living room. My parents would turn on the news and I would be fascinated with the world. I would watch President George W. Bush address the country and answer questions from the press. I would be impressed at how much work people who lead the country did and how they did it. After seeing how much one could change the world, I was determined to make a difference in this country and run for President someday. I was 4 years old.

Today, I’m 15 and a freshman in high school. I earn good grades and I’m diligent about my work. I’m in band and I play the French Horn. I participate in my school’s speech team and I do extemporaneous speaking. I’m President of my school’s GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance). I run a website with my lovely co-director, State Rep. Stacey Newman and write about progressive values, ideals and feminism. And today, I’m an aspiring Congresswoman.

I have made it so far from that tiny 4 year old with big dreams to become President someday. From memorizing all of the United States Presidents (in order, may I add) and being a history buff, from figuring out which political party I am and changing my stances on many different issues and to learning how politics truly works, I’ve learned many valuable lessons along this 11 year journey. I still have so much more to learn. The great thing about it is that I already have a head start.

There are a variety of different organizations across the country trying to reach out to women, especially young women, encouraging us to run for office. From national organizations like EMILY’s List and Emerge America and to organizations that are formed state-by-state, like Annie’s List, Sally’s List, Ignite CA and the newly formed Close the Gap CA, these organizations push women who are willing to run for office to get out there and embrace their true talent.

All of these organizations do fabulous work for women, but, let’s put the spotlight on EMILY’s List for a moment. The highly successful women’s organization that was formed in 1986 that endorses pro-choice women for office has just launched a campaign called “Madam President”, which is aimed at getting a woman in the White House. Do you need me to be more specific? A Democratic, pro-choice woman.

Yesssssss.

Along with the launch, EMILY’s List has released a video to promote the national campaign. The video (below) features young girls sharing why they want a woman President and the benefits of having a woman in the White House.

Click to watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Y2-zpi-RWhQ

May we just take a moment to thank EMILY’s List and appreciate what they are doing? No, not just trying to get a woman in the White House, but featuring a few young girls talking about wanting to be President and what it would mean to them to have a woman be President in their life time. Young girls like the ones in the video are the future and already have a head start in political knowledge.

Instead of making fun of young girls who want a woman to represent the country and telling them that their dream is unrealistic, like I have been told over the years, EMILY’s List encourages young girls to reach for their dreams and make them possible. Finally, it looks as if there is hope for young girls to be interested in history when they are little, want to be in Congress when they’re a teenager or for Hillary Clinton to be their role model without being looked at funny or judged.

So, thanks EMILY’s List. You rock.

Courtesy to Google Images

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

We are teenagers. We like to hang out with friends and have sleepovers. We go to parties. We try new things and meet new people. While we are focused on keeping our grades up, having a social life and finding our place in the world, there is one thing missing: Most of us could care less about our country’s future. Most of us do not know what Congress is, do not know what each political party stand for and have never heard of influential women like Kirsten Gillibrand or Nancy Pelosi. The basic knowledge of a teenager extends to who the President is and a few simple duties a President holds. Not only do we lack interest in the world around us, but we lack ambition. We do not strive to change the country politically. Why? We are not motivated.

Us young women will see successful women politicians in the media, such as Hillary Clinton, and notice how much work they are doing for this country. Rarely do young women think to themselves, “I will do what she does when I’m an adult”. Most of us will either see the work that these accomplished women do and appreciate it, or ignore it as a whole, rather than telling ourselves that we can follow in their footsteps and make major changes, like they have, in our country.

The majority of young women in the United States seem to act as if change will happen by a person who is motivated and assume change will occur automatically with no effort put in to it. Young women have to start realizing that change happens by everyday people that want to help this country and make it a better place to reside in. Anyone can make change, but it only happens if one sets their mind to the possibilities.

In the world of politics, many aspects need to be fixed, especially when dealing with issues pertaining to women. The attacks on women’s health needs to diminish. Sexism needs to stop occurring. More Democratic women need to be elected to move this country forward. Little girls and young women need role models to look up to and so we strive to start setting goals for ourselves. We have so much to work on as a country. But, where do we start? How do we motivate young women to notice how much needs to be changed in this country? It is not going to be a simple, step-by-step process, but it is possible.

To start with, we have to be aware of the alarming statistics about women in politics in the United States. Our gender is not represented equally in political offices, including the number of women that are Governors, Congress members, Cabinet members, etc. To be even more specific, Democratic women are not represented equally in these offices. As the Democratic Party is in the majority nationwide, women are still in the minority regarding these offices. Women currently make up nineteen percent of Congress as a whole, and in the Senate, there are only twenty women Senators, fifteen of which are Democrats. Regarding how many women are Governors, there are four. Out of the four, there is only one Democratic Governor, Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire.

To change the current statistics of women and our involvement in politics, we have to show women of current generations and the next generations to come how important it is to change the world and to make change that is possible for each individual. For women that want to change the world, they find it easiest to do so by running for office. According to CAWP Rutgers (http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/research/reports/PoisedtoRun.pdf), about one-third of women say that someone tried to discourage them from running, most often an officeholder or political party official. When women from my generation have the chance to run for office, it is important that we are not discouraged to run, because we have so much to offer. We bring diversity to the table, we have new voices that need to be heard and we understand what our generations is at stake for. If we want to make change politically, we have to get involved, specifically in the Democratic Party. The party represents our best interests, including making decisions about our own body and health, advocating for equality when dealing with the LGBTQ community, caring about our environment and creating effective plans for our economy. As many young people, including young women, that participate in the political process are Democrats, not enough young women are involved to make an impacting difference on our country through the party. Seeing a Senator make a difference is wonderful, but following in her footsteps is even better. We have to aspire to make change, but not necessarily be an exact replica of the one’s who inspire us. We have to make our own lives for ourselves and our own changes that are possible for us personally.

Not only will showing young women how important it is to get motivated and to change the current statistics of women in politics, but treating women equally in the media makes more women comfortable of being in the spotlight. Often times when women run for office, the media will focus on aspects of the woman that is irrelevant to her credentials. A perfect example is when Hillary Clinton ran for President in 2008 for the Democratic nomination. From her hair to her colorful pant suits, it seems all the media cared about was her appearance rather than what she had to say. This arouse the topic of what is appropriate to talk about when discussing politicians and candidates when they are running for office or in office. Even in 2013, the media still focuses on appearance, but we are making progress. Thanks to social media, Americans can call out sexism so much easier than before, simply with just a tweet or Facebook status. When the media focuses strictly on someone’s appearance rather than the issues, media sources are called out for focusing on something very irrelevant to the discussion and can influence the certain media sources to talk about more appropriate aspects of the politician or candidate. We still have much work to do, but we’re getting closer to diminishing this type of demeaning sexism.

Finally, to get more young women motivated and showing them the benefits of the political process when wanting to make change, the women from older generations need to value my generation’s opinions and our stances. As many older women openly support my generation and our involvement, some do not have faith in us. They rather think of us as a “failed generation”, who rejected the idea of continuing the equality movements, that we are the women do not appreciate their hard work they endured, and that we are all okay with an average lifestyle. While many young women are very uneducated on the older generation’s work and all they did to assist us, once we motivate and educate young women, more of my generation will be proud and appreciate the difficult work that these older women did. An uneducated generation can make no progress. Education is vital in motivation and when a generation wants to be valued.

From programs like Running Start and movements like Off the Sidelines, to women like Hillary Clinton, Kirsten Gillibrand and Nancy Pelosi, motivation, equality and the value of young voices is vital to having more young women involved in the political process and making a difference in our country. More Democratic women need to get elected to stand up for important issues, especially issues dealing with women’s health, the economy, the environment, civil rights, etc. Starting the process of involvement is not simple and will take a while at the rate we are at in the United States, but it is certainly possible. Although one cannot force young women to get involved, inspiring, motivating and showing my generation how vital it is to make change in this country, will send the message across to all of us. We have to know that change is not automatic and is made by everyday people. From professions like teachers, actresses, politicians and business owners, people do make political change often, whether it is election time or it is just simple as endorsing a piece of legislation. The time to get involved is NOW.

So, what are you waiting for? There is a country out there that needs your help, and you’re living in that country.

Courtesy to Google Images

Thousands of women in flowery tank tops and sun glasses too large for their face surrounded and marched on the narrow streets in big cities. Black women and white women alike linked arms to show that the diverse group stood together as one. Men even joined in, all chanting for equality. Street by street was filled, homemade posters demanding abortion rights and birth control waved in the wind and the sound of change was in the air. The 1970’s was an impacting era for women’s rights to be promoted and implemented across the United States. From Gloria Steinem, to Audre Lorde, to Betty Friedan, women lead effective demonstrations throughout the country to show their opposition to patriarchy and their support for women making their own choices about marriage, their body, to have a job, etc. Today’s feminists have a different look, though. Feminists take to social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, to take a stand on issues, such as slut shaming, equality in the workforce, sexual violence and promoting inspiring models for young women. One can look at a feminist leader, like Gloria Steinem and see how much she impacted the feminist movement. She lead large rallies, contributed to a magazine and wrote her own books. Women in the 1960’s, 1970’s, before and beyond that era, showed young women that society didn’t have to hold them back from all of the opportunities in life.  In today’s society, there is no clear leader for the feminist movement. Feminists are scattered online, on the streets protesting and in the workforce, and all share different ideas on what feminism really is. As there are many inspiring role models for young women, they aren’t embraced as women who maybe aren’t as inspiring are. There no need to worry about the movement dying down, because history goes to show that the movement dying down has happened in previous years. In the late 1800’s, women fought for the right to vote for nearly 40 years. After women got the right to vote, feminists weren’t heard from for another 40 years, up until the 1960’s. Many movements occurred in the 1960’s, including anti-war protests, demonstrations for women’s rights and rallies for racial equality. History tends to repeat itself, so if the feminist movement died down in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, to follow previous historical patterns, then the feminist movement wouldn’t start up again until the mid-2030’s. As one knows the 2030’s are far away, we have to recognize the flaws in today’s society and how they need to be changed. TODAY is the perfect time to start re-evaluating and re-assessing the feminist movement and where we’re going with our causes. Let’s start considering the options.

 Leadership within the Movement

To start with, we have to start looking at leaders for the movement. The movement has so many issues to be focusing on. The original 1960’s and 1970’s leaders have either passed away or are aging and as we appreciate older feminist leaders and what they did for us, they have lead the movement and the issues were different back then from today’s issues. We have to shift our focus as a movement with a brand new voice. As there are women like Sheryl Sandberg and Kirsten Gillibrand willing to lead us, there is one problem: Not all feminists may be wanting to rally around one leader, which can, and has before in the past, cause split ups in the movement. But, if women like Sandberg and Gillibrand aren’t up to fulfilling the arduous task, who will lead us? Will it be someone from possibly Sandberg or Gillibrand’s generation or someone from another generation, such as my own? Do we want a young person leading the movement? At a young age, seeing the flaws in society is important, but can a young person lead such a diverse and large movement? A recent article written by Sally Quinn on the Washington Post’s website proposed the idea of just “moving on with our lives” and not having a movement or a leader. Is the movement ready for a different path, like the one Sally Quinn proposed? Will history later on determine who the leader was or do we continue on and look for leaders, but need multiple to lead on different causes? All of these points should be taken into consideration while revamping a movement just like the feminist movement.

 Issues to Focus On

From voting rights, to the right to an abortion and birth control methods, the feminist movement has dealt with many issues over the years. As a young woman, I see all the issues that society currently deals with, including education, fair pay, violence against women, sexual violence, rape culture, electing more women to office, slut shaming, body shaming, accepting the LGBTQUIA community in the movement, sexual education, promoting inspiring role models for young women, assisting women internationally, etc. Even abortion and birth control are on the forefront, because many politicians in various states feel the need to bring us all back to the olden days. But, I only mentioned a few issues being discussed in today’s world. There’s a variety of issues that feminists believe in and take a stand on. For example, some feminists believe prostitution and revealing one’s body should be accepted and should be legal, as it is a part of a “sexual revolution”. Others find it demeaning, unsafe and is a part of sexualizing women. Just by this example alone, one can realize that the movement can be torn on a few issues and can separate us all on what really matters: equality.

How We Conduct Demonstrations

Demonstrations have been popular for taking a stand for many movements. From racial acceptance, to LGBTQUIA issues, to economic equality, to feminism, protests are effective if used correctly. For decades, feminists have used their freedom of speech by protesting serious flaws in society. Homemade signs are made, loud voices are prepared and appropriate walking shoes are in handy for those who have protested for years within the feminist movement. From what history has to show, the majority of the feminist demonstrations have been successful and effective. But, are protests still needed in today’s society and can they be considered effective? In a recent online article written by Judy Rebick on Rabble, she mentions when she partook in demonstrations, that she “took on qualities of patriarchy” and “learned to be assertive, sure of herself, never doubting”. Judy also mentioned how she also participated in a round dance and felt that round dancing was more inclusive and it was less confrontational. Do feminists need to show their opposition to society’s flaws indifferent ways, such as round dancing? Or do we keep participating in the traditional way of protesting and demonstrating? Do we need demonstrations and are they still necessary in today’s society when we have online social media, such as Twitter and Facebook? Protesting is an important part of taking a stand, but how feminists demonstrate is a factor to put into consideration for the future.

Getting the Youth Involved

Being a young teenager myself, I know for a fact that the majority of teenagers in this country don’t know what a feminist is and don’t identify as one. Not only do many teenagers in this country not care about feminism, but my generation is more in tune to their favorite television show rather than what is happening in the world. For years, I’ve noticed the lack of youth involved in politics, so I decided to take to Facebook, as I often do, for opinions of others that I value. I asked my fellow peers to “like” my status if they ever heard of the people or terms I mentioned in one of my statuses. The status included some names of well-known feminists, such as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan, and terms like, rape culture, victim blaming and patriarchy. Of the current 58 “likes”, 51 of them are teenagers. While the status wasn’t the most accurate “poll”, one can see how many teenagers know who these women are and what these terms mean, as the majority of my Facebook friends are teenagers. I wasn’t expecting a huge number of people to “like” my status, only because politics, policy and the news are deemed “boring” among my peers. Although one can’t simple make politics “fun” or even entertaining, what the world’s youth really needs are voices within the movement. To make more diverse groups, especially the youth, involved in the movement is for adults value our opinion and ideas. After all, we are the future, and possibly even current, leaders of this country.

 As one can see, the feminist movement needs a shake-up. We need to re-evaluate and re-assess what we stand for, how we will take a stand, how to include the youth, and most importantly, who is going to take the next step up and lead us, if someone will at all. Nobody said changing the world was easy or fun, but it certainly HAS to be done. Today’s society has a lot of room to improve and many people need to get their hands dirty and get the job done.

In 2011, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) launched a program called Off the Sidelines, which was aimed at getting more women “off the sidelines” and more involved in politics and their communities. In the feminist and progressive world, Off the Sidelines has been a big hit, especially among the youth. Not only does the program encourage women to get out in the world and make a difference, but it also hosts a book club. Recently, the Senator has sent out tweets, Facebook statuses and emails about signing up for the book that everyone will have the chance to read. The book is a one-woman play now on Broadway starring Holland Taylor as the former Governor of Texas, Ann Richards. Gillibrand felt that this play portrays Ann Richards accurately and wanted to share Ann’s story with other women. To sign up for the meeting, RSVP here and Off the Sidelines will email you later about the details of what the meeting is. Remember ladies: get involved!