A(wo)men!

Check out this clip of Rachel Maddow from The Rachel Maddow Show.  I wish we had more mainstream television programming that featured fearless, intelligent and authentic women who are not afraid to speak their minds and make their (and advocate for other people's) voices heard! Thank you, Rachel!



From rachelmaddow.com - Rachel Maddow is the host of “The Rachel Maddow Show,” which airs Monday-Friday at 9 p.m. Eastern on MSNBC-TV, and is re-broadcast on MSNBC at 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.
TRMS is a funny, fast-paced, news-based show. Often described as “the headlines, and the politics behind the headlines,” Maddow and guests take a smart look at politics, pop culture and the top stories of the day.

TRMS features top headlines from the worlds of politics, current events, sports, science, health, crime, and the absurd - and interviews with newsmakers like Al Gore, Robert Redford, Edie Falco, John Kerry, Pat Buchanan, Jane Fonda, Seymour Hersh, Tucker Carlson, Roseanne Cash, Lili Taylor, Ben Harper, and Michael Isikoff.

Tune in every evening for interviews with journalists, analysts, politicians and newsmakers, with regular segments such as “The Interview” on the day’s hottest topics, “Ms. Information” with intriguing stories that don't make the front page, and “Just Enough” with the ever popular pop-culturist Kent Jones. And of course you just never know when Rachel will mix in a Cocktail Moment (ping!) or a Moment of Geek (ahhhh…).

Rachel has a doctorate in political science (she was a Rhodes Scholar) and a background in HIV/AIDS activism and prison reform. She shakes a mean cocktail, drives a bright red pickup, hates Coldplay, loves arguing with conservatives, spends a lot of money on AMTRAK tickets, and dresses like a first-grader.

Rachel’s work with MSNBC began in 2005 when she was a regular contributor to “The Situation with Tucker Carlson.” She was also a regular commentator and occasional guest host on “Race for the White House with David Gregory,” and a frequent guest and sometime guest host on “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” before taking the helm of her own MSNBC TV show in September of 2008. She was on the air with Air America Radio since its inception in Spring 2004 through 2010, first on “Unfiltered” with Lizz Winstead and Chuck D, and then with her own eponymous show. Before AAR she worked for WRNX in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and WRSI in Northampton, Massachusetts. There was also an early stint with a jungle-themed company called Expresso Bongo, but she doesn't want to talk about it.

Rachel is 36 years old and lives in New York City and rural Western Massachusetts with her partner, artist Susan Mikula.

Speaking Our Voices - Thank You, Kotex!

If you have not already seen the U by Kotex commercials and website, we are thanking Kotex for taking the conversation about women and our vaginal and reproductive health to a whole new level.  Not only is their ad campaign catchy with electric colors, frank language, and the hysterical use of a stuffed beaver, but it provides a space for women to be real! Thank you, Kotex, for making this dialogue public, though sadly, this was all too much for T.V. networks to handle.  As a New York Times article reports, "after being informed that it could not use the word vagina in advertising by three broadcast networks, it shot the ad...with the actress instead saying “down there,” which was rejected by two of the three networks...It’s very funny because the whole spot is about censorship... The whole category has been very euphemistic, or paternalistic even, and we’re saying, enough with the euphemisms, and get over it. Tampon is not a dirty word, and neither is vagina.” 

In order to break this cycle, I believe that we adults need to give our children and especially young girls the correct language with which to speak about their bodies. This is critical! Learning to use appropriate language empowers girls and women to have more confidence and reduce shame around their bodies and in particular their sexual selves.

Even worse than not using appropriate language is the lack of recognition of "girl parts" to begin with. Think about the ways in which little children often learn about their genitalia.  A little girl says to her mommy, pointing to her brother's penis, "Mommy, what is that?" She responds, "A penis."  Then the little girl says, "So he has a penis and I don't?"  Mommy responds, "Correct."  This is all too often a true and detrimental scenario for a number of reasons.  Perhaps most detrimental is that the young girl just learned the concept of "lack."  Her brother (boys and men) have something (seemingly special and powerful) and she does not.  Her brother then learns that he has something that his sister does not and that makes him "better than."  This concept is something that these children will then carry with them throughout their lives.  Additionally, adults do not recognize children as having a sexual self, though from birth they are, in fact, sexual creatures.  A lack of communication about what children are already experiencing is providing a disservice shrouded in mystery and shame.  There's No Place Like Home and Birds + Bees + Kids are two of the many great resources for parents about their children's sexual education. 



Help us break the cycle of discrimination and violence against girls and women by raising a new generation of children who, through language and meaning, learn to respect one another! Have thoughts? Post a comment or email us.

Happy World Social Work Day!

As a social worker, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge March 16th as World Social Work Day.  We as social workers in collaboration with the citizens of the planet have a lot of work to do to make this world a healthier, more peaceful envoronment in which to live. 

And in honor of World Social Work Day, I would like to honor (although there are many more), a pioneering social worker, feminist, educator, second female recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, founder of the U.S. Settlement House movement and prominant figure of the early 20th century Peace movement - Jane Addams. Her work and influence continues its legacy in the field of social work and among women today.   

Progressive Women's Voices - Have Yours Heard Today!

The Women’s Media Center seeks women who have something to say and are eager to dive into the media conversations on the important issues of the day. Are you the next Rachel Maddow? Do you want to become a political contributor who is called upon to serve as a strong progressive voice in the media? Apply for the WMC’s Progressive Women’s Voices program today!

Have You Felt Your Boobies Today?

When is the last time you felt your boobies?

Go ahead. Do it. Touch 'em.

The "Are you doing it?" annual campaign, is a simple reminder using unexpected and unconventional reminders - targeting women under 40 who are less likely to be concerned about breast cancer and breast health - to feel our boobies.

What exactly does unexpected mean? Well, it means you probably won’t see a “feel your boobies” brochure at the doctor’s office…but you sure as heck might pass the Boobies Bus® on the freeway, or you might be laying at the beach and see an airplane towing a banner with our logo or maybe a sticker on a light post and if you’re on Facebook, chances are you’ve seen our flair or badges floating around.

"Feel Your Boobies" may seem simply like a fun and provocative slogan, but it's really our way of asking “Are You Doing It?”® – well….are you?

For more information about the campaign, resources and founder/president/survivor, Leigh Hurst visit:

http://www.feelyourboobies.com/