Sadie Nash

I attended this amazing program during the summer called Sadie Nash Summer Institute and it inspired me and encouraged me to be more BOLDER in stating my opinions.. It was all girls and before you say Oh... like really,all girls? I want you to know those girls became my family after just 6 short weeks. They were motivating, trustworthy and will forever hold a place in my heart, and I miss them so much. I wish we had our own little high school, because if we did I would be excited to attend high school everyday. Those magnificent ladies and mentors unlocked a talent that i never knew i had, which is poetry, and I will forever be grateful to them. Below are summaries of and links to videos created by my fellow Nashers. Leave comments, but remember, only warm and fuzzies , no cold and pricklies  ( learned that from Sadie Nash).

“There are two ways of spreading light ...To be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it.”
~ Edith Wharton ~

Our Forgotten Voices: From History to Herstory
Revealing Womyn's Stories Under A Police State
Growing media attention and activist work have been dedicated to the criminalization of men of color by the justice system and the NYPD’s policy of Stop and Frisk… We acknowledge and validate these experiences but would like to shed light on women’s perspectives because womyn are diversely affected by the culture of policing and surveillance by the NYPD, which has grown increasingly sexist, racist, classist, homophobic, and transphobic through the Stop and Frisk policy and abuse of power. We do not feel safe. Through this film we are calling allies and survivors of all identities to work together to enact change, not only in our cities but our justice system as a whole.
http://www.connecther.org/gitw/galleryview/id/52
Changing Politics: Women's Edition
This film explores the power of women to make change in our political system and the barriers we face to that leadership. I propose a 5-step solution for what girls can do RIGHT NOW to change the face of leadership in their communities
http://www.connecther.org/gitw/galleryview/id/60

What is Feminism?

Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. Intelligent women, do you consider yourselves feminists?Do you want to be seen as equal to men? Yes,of course we all do want to be equal to men in the workplace or in politics, but sometimes we are not.

There are three forms of feminism. The first form of feminism is liberal feminism, where women fight for both men and women to be treated equally both legally and politically. Radical feminists believe their is a sexist hierarchy is to blame for the way women are treated in society.

Social feminists believe women are being held back in the workplace. They believe men devalue women through marriage, prostitution and other things. Their main focus is changing society on the whole and not targeting one gender or institutions.

You didn’t know there were different forms of feminism ? Well, guess what, there are still more. So what kind of feminist are you? Or are you not a feminist? Leave your comments below and we’ll learn more about feminism in another post. I also found this website which talks about different types of feminism, so check it out. http://suite101.com/article/types-of-feminism-a51502

Abortion

Abortion, a topic greatly debated in the world of women and politics. Should it be allowed or not? Is it ethical? Are you really taking a human life? It all started with the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade. A pregnant  woman challenged  a state law  forbidding the artificial termination of a pregnancy, saying that she “ had a fundamental right to privacy.” The court supported a woman’s right to choose, noting that the state’s “important and legitimate interest in protecting the potentiality of a human”, became compelling at the end of the first trimester, but that before then “the attending physician in consultation with his patient’s is free to determine , without regulation by the state, that the patients pregnancy should be terminated.”

I personally agree with the Supreme Court decision, but I have a few stipulations. I only agree with abortion in the first two weeks of pregnancy because a baby’s hear starts beating 22 days after conception.  Abortion is something one wishes to not be shunned for, but some people because of their religion, family, or walking to the abortion clinic and having signs shoved in their face saying your a murderer. Nobody wants to go through that and we have no right to judge. But who has abortions? Fifty percent of U.S. women obtaining abortion are younger than: twenty-five. Women aged 20-24 obtain 33% of all abortions, and teenagers obtain 17%.Thirty seven percent of abortions occur with black women, 34% with non-Hispanic white women, 22% to Hispanic women and 8% to women of other races, according to Womens Center.com. One third of all pregnancies worldwide are unplanned,One woman dies every 7 minutes around the world due to an unsafe illegal abortion.

Women who undergo illegal abortions are those who are very poor, and do not have access to family planning facilities for education and prevention of unwanted pregnancies. Fifty-four percent  of women having abortions had used a contraceptive method (usually the condom or the pill) during the month they became pregnant. Among those women, 76% of pill users and 49% of condom users report having used their method inconsistently, while 13% of pill users and 14% of condom users report correct use. There is no contraceptive method that can prevent pregnancy 100% of the time also according to Womens Center.com. Abortion is a very difficult topic to discuss without being judgmental. You also have to look at the person’s reason for getting an abortion and not if you feel that it’s right. Leave your comments on abortion below.

Im Stressed

 

 

This week I feel so depressed and ambushed with deadlines galore. I’m happy and sad one second and the next I’m angry and volatile. I wake up, get ready for school, walk to the train station, take the train for 50 minutes, walk up the stairs at school, sit in class for 45 minutes for nine periods in a row, walk up the stairs to get to these classes. Then, I take the train home for another 50 minutes, get home, do homework, study.  Squeezing all of these things into one day is just stressful and annoying. I’m not going to just write from a perspective that this only happens to me, it doesn’t,  but all this in one day is just ridiculous. I swear I’m bipolar or something but I just needed an outlet to write down  my grievances and  say thanks to my amazing followers for       listening to me  Leave your own grievances  in the comment section;I know I’m not the only one who needs to vent once in awhile. Below is a  poem that reflects my bipolar mood.

Stress

By- Jody Mark

Stress is eating at me every minute and second of the day, how do I cope with the horrible effects and make it go away?

I feel so tired and run down and I don't sleep, I lie in bed at night and wonder why it runs so deep.

Everyone asks why do you look so sad, do I tell them that my stress is eating me up and that I feel really bad?

Does everyone notice how I walk around in a daze, and that I have deep black bags under my eyes nowadays?

I wake up every morning feeling so hopeless, like nothing ever goes right and wondering why my life has to be such a mess.

Stress is my one worst enemy, it’s taken over my mind and my whole life in every single degree.