Quick Hit: Post-Inauguration Reflections
I love this forum of the staff at the National Council for Research on Women reflecting on their experiences of the inauguration. An excerpt from Shyama Venkateswar, Director of Research and Programs:
As a woman and an immigrant, I felt that Obama's inauguration was finally an invitation to an equal partnership in creating a vision, for this society and beyond, that was based on fundamental principles of equality, justice, sharing, and rights for all. And if these core values did not actually exist among classes of people who have been historically marginalized or left behind in participating or having a voice in decision-making, either here or abroad, then there was hope that it might actually be realized through a spirit of idealism and commitment to change. I felt a part of his warm embrace of diversity when he stated that the "patchwork heritage" that defines America included Christians, Jews, Muslims and Hindus and nonbelievers.
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Hello,
First post here, long time lurker. Saw this on another site and wanted to share it with this community. It's a joy to behold.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/women/
The second is close to my heart as I work in a dv shelter.
Reproductive Choice
Supports a Woman's Right to Choose: President Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority in his Adminstration. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.
Preventing Unintended Pregnancy: President Obama was an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information, and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims.
Preventing Violence Against Women
Reducing Domestic Violence: One in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. Family violence accounted for 11 percent of all violence between 1998 and 2002. As a member of the Senate, President Obama introduced legislation to combat domestic violence by providing $25 million a year for partnerships between domestic violence prevention organizations and Fatherhood or Marriage programs to train staff in domestic violence services, provide services to families affected by domestic violence, and to develop best practices in domestic violence prevention.
Strengthening Domestic Violence Laws: Approximately 1,400 women a year -- four every day -- die in the United States as a result of domestic violence. And 132,000 women report that they have been victims of a rape or attempted rape, and it is estimated that an even greater number have been raped but do not report it. In the Senate, President Obama co-sponsored and helped reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, legislation initially written and pushed through Congress by Vice President Biden. The law funds and helps communities, nonprofit organizations, and police combat domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The reauthorized legislation establishes a sexual assault services program and provides education grants to prevent domestic violence.
Fighting Gender Violence Abroad: The genocide in Darfur has had particularly devastating consequences for women. Tens of thousands of women have been killed, raped, and displaced since the conflict began in 2003. President Obama has been a leading voice in Washington urging the end of genocide in Sudan. He worked with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) on the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, a version of which was signed into law. The President has traveled to the United Nations to meet with Sudanese officials and visited refugee camps on the Chad-Sudan border to raise international awareness of the ongoing humanitarian disaster there. He also worked with Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) to secure $20 million for the African Union peacekeeping mission.
Have a great day!
I was so happy that Obama included "nonbelievers" in his depiction of Americans. Even though we have separation of church and state, in today's political arena it often seems like you are required to be affiliated with at least some religion for people to care about your existence as a worthwhile human being and/or to care about and find any validity your views. As someone from an atheist and agnostic background I really appreciated that.
I'm sorry, but "nonbelievers"? I actually think this is a derogatory term to describe atheists, and is a word that religious people use to look down on us. Why he couldn't have just said "atheists and agnostics" is beyond me.
He could have. I haven't necessarily thought of "nonbeliever" as derogatory, but now that you mention it, I think a lot of people you are talking about might use it that way. But considering how worked up Conservative Christians have gotten toward him for including Muslims, Hindus, nonbelievers (basically anyone not Christian) in his speech, I think it was a bold step for him to make (even if he could have said atheist/agnostic) and it's definitely a step America should be going in.
Yeah, the whole "when white embraces right" comment in the benediction was very unifying...snort.