Isn’t rape just so romantic?
[TW for sexual assault and racism]
When I started reading this article on the “yellow rose of Texas,” I thought the first line (“Her name was Emily Morgan, and she was the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew”) was intentionally over-wrought to segue into sarcasm and criticism. But nope! Did you know that once upon a time there was a beautiful young indentured servant named Emily Morgan, and her beauty was so overwhelming that Gen. Santa Ana was “smitten” with her and, according to the Texas Monthly, “Whether the attraction was mutual we do not know, but the mulatto girl quickly became one of the spoils of Santa Anna’s campaign”? Did you know that she was a true Texan, and “certainly appears to have done her part in keeping her abductor occupied” so that “While the concupiscent commander and the fetching servant girl occupied themselves within the tent, the Texans charged across the plain and set upon the idle Mexican camp with the force of a crushing wave”? And that while this Yellow Rose saved Texas, “We lose track of Emily Morgan shortly after her services to Texas were rendered. She never surfaced again, except of course in song.” How wonderful that her “services” were so helpful! How lovely that her beauty made her just irresistible to Santa Ana, so that he couldn’t help but rape her.
Oops, did I say “rape” and ruin the romance of this article?
...read moreThere’s no script for this.
The wonderful Chloe Angyal has a piece at Jezebel about what a civilian can say to a wounded soldier (answer: not a lot). I would recommend avoiding the comments, unless you want to read a ridiculous parody of liberalism-gone-heartless.
...read moreRecommended reading
E.J. Graff’s series on Slate about children who were “adopted” (quotes wholly deliberate for reasons which will be immediately clear from the article) from Sierra Leone is gut wrenching. Definitely worth reading.
...read moreNorway and terrorism as a daily event.
In the West, we seem to have at least a double standard when it comes to violence and mayhem. When violence and mayhem involves People Who Look Like Us (“us” in this case generally translating to: ethnically European/white, not-poor, citizens of a Western-style democracy) — we experience society-wide woe. When it involves People Who Don’t [...]
...read moreTake Action Today To End Sexual Violence in Conflict
This is a guest post by Jaclyn Friedman.
Today is the international day of action against sexual violence in conflict. And it only take a few minutes to urge your elected officials, wherever you are, to make ending sexual violence in conflict a top national priority.
Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict: Addressing Women’s Needs and Rights on the Frontlines
Well. This has been the most inspiring, frustrating, overwhelming, depressing and hopeful few days. I hope to collect my thoughts for you on it next week. For now, the third (and last) plenary at the Nobel Women’s Initiative conference on Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict starts at 10:00AM ET (give or take a few minutes) [...]
...read moreEnding Sexual Violence in Conflict: Justice and Accountability
Whew. What an overwhelming first day. Second plenary at the Nobel Women’s Initiative conference on Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict starts at 3:00PM ET today, and I’ll be liveblogging it right here. Hoping to get some of your questions in live! Here’s the description of our charge for the afternoon: This panel aims to give [...]
...read moreEnding Sexual Violence in Conflict: Prevention and Protection
OK, folks, it’s time to dig in. First plenary at the Nobel Women’s Initiative conference on Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict starts at 11:00AM ET today, and I’ll be liveblogging it right here. Hoping to get some of your questions in live! Here’s the description of our charge for the AM: Where are we now [...]
...read moreEnding Sexual Violence in Conflict: Liveblogging the NWI Conference
Greetings, Feministe-rs! Jaclyn Friedman here. I’m beyond honored to be attending the Nobel Women’s Initiative’s conference on Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict, at which over 100 women from around the world – activists, academics, security experts, corporate leaders, and Nobel Peace Laureates Jody Williams, Shirin Ebdai and Mairead Maguire – are coming together next week [...]
...read moreblack girls like us
look. i am not abusive to my kid. not even close. and neither is her father. she is a happy, healthy three year old. she speaks three languages, loves to dance middle eastern style, and explains to strangers that ‘mama is from america’ but she is from bumblebee (the name of her preschool). but, us [...]
...read morebeing a mother isnt always a choice, not yet.
so, when i was in the west bank back in the summer of 2006, israel was bombing lebanon, and i realized i might be pregnant. my partner was in the states at the time, so i had to rely on a couple of friends to help me procure a home pregnancy test in israel since [...]
...read morea force more powerful
“We may not currently have the might of the Israeli army and the power of traditions confine us in certain roles, however, we know that one woman standing behind another in a line of solidarity is a force more powerful than both.” –kefah, speaking in at-tuwani village, west bank, palestine i am going to start [...]
...read more
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