Friday, May 3

Tag: women

Why Aren’t There More Black Women in Fiction?
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SOCIAL JUSTICE

Why Aren’t There More Black Women in Fiction?

Growing up, I read like crazy. My book lust was so overwhelming that I actually wanted to be the protagonists. And since I never saw myself reflected in these heroines, I'd picture myself as the black version of my favorite characters. In my head, I was a black Ramona in Beverly Cleary's classic children's books (with a cuter hairdo). I was a sexy, ruthless Lucky Santangelo (yes, I hid Jackie Collins novels under my mattress). I was a black Scarlett O'Hara, breaking Civil War–era hearts in Gone With the Wind (several layers of problematic, but I was 11!). It was weird. I was surrounded by fascinating black girls in real life. But reading most of American fiction, you'd think we were invisible. Source: Why Aren't There More Black Women in Fiction?
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WATCH: What Happens When 1 Million Black Women Start Walking?
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SOCIAL JUSTICE

WATCH: What Happens When 1 Million Black Women Start Walking?

Read the stats about the health of American black womenand things look bleak, but look at people, not just numbers, and another picture emerges — specifically the women at GirlTrek, which is trying to change health outcomes with a simple intervention: walking. The three-year-old nonprofit with chapters in cities including Detroit, Atlanta, St. Louis and Washington, D.C., encourages black women to improve their health starting with weekly group walks and moving to 30 minutes of walking per day, five days a week. Over 50,000 women have signed the pledge; GirlTrek is aiming for 1 million by 2018. GirlTrek wants to find out. Source: WATCH: What Happens When 1 Million Black Women Start Walking?
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Black women vow to be a powerful voting force again this year
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SOCIAL JUSTICE

Black women vow to be a powerful voting force again this year

Jamia Wilson is supremely proud of this fact: In 2008 and 2012, black women voted at a higher rate than any other group. Four years ago, 74 percent of eligible black women went to the polls — and 96 percent voted for President Obama. Some pollsters and pundits are betting against a three-peat of that level of turnout in this year’s election because Obama, whose historic campaign and presidency electrified black voters like never before, will not be on the ballot. Wilson and other black women active in politics are determined to prove them wrong. But they aren’t looking to the political candidates for inspiration. In interviews, they said the motivation to head to the ballot box will come from the energy generated by efforts to confront racism and other forms of economic and social inequa...
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