The Pamphlet

the water warriors fighting for access to clean water for all

the teenagers imprisoned for fighting back against oppressive regimes 

those fighting for access to education for all

for the future of the planet 

for gender equality 

for safety and protection from gun violence

for governmental representation and engagement for youths 

for the rights of immigrants 

for syria and the rights of refugees 

for literacy and the representation of WOC in books

for trans and queer rights 

for protection of girls against forced marriage and child slavery

i hope that one day we live in a world where children are allowed to just be children, where they dont have to fight tooth and nail for their rights and their futures, but i could not be prouder of this generation 

Michelle Williams Brings Busy Philipps To Tears In Emmys Speech On Gender Equality ☝️ 

Michelle Williams took home the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie for her role in “Fosse/Verdon,” bringing her friend Busy Philipps to tears and the audience to their feet with an impassioned acceptance speech about gender equality. 

The 39-year-old thanked the studio for paying her equally and implored those creating content to empower women, particularly women of color. “They understood that when you put value into a person, it empowers that person to get in touch with their own inherent value, and then where do they put that value? They put it into their work,” said Williams. The actor dedicated the award to her daughter, Matilda, and received a standing ovation from the crowd. 

“Greta Thunberg at #UNGA: “This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you come to us young people for hope. How dare you. You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.” Via ABC”

Why This ‘Grace And Frankie’ Star Says She’ll Probably Run For Office

In the last 18 months ― in addition to acting in a Hollywood film with Charlize Theron (“Long Shot”) and filming seasons 5 and 6 of her Netflix show ― June Diane Raphael co-founded The Jane Club, a women’s space in Los Angeles designed specifically for working parents, and wrote a book, ”Represent: The Woman’s Guide to Running for Office & Changing the World,” with former EMILY’s List activist Kate Black to inspire women to run for office. The latter has been something of a self-described “obsession.”

“I had become, after Trump’s election, kind of obsessed with the idea of how this man won and also how public service and civic engagement is sometimes left or seen as left best for others to do,” Raphael told me on HuffPost’s “Between You & Me.” “At the core of our country, I really believe in the idea of ‘We the people’ and people representing themselves. And I think if you really look at the way our government works, it is not representative of the vast majority of people who live here, and that’s a problem.”

So it was perhaps not surprising that when I asked Raphael if she plans to run for office one day, she was unequivocal.

“Absolutely,” she said, before launching into an impassioned dialogue about the LA public school system and wanting to understand more explicitly how it functions and where the roadblocks are.

She’s also been driven by the need to restore order amid the chaos of the Trump presidency, she said. “It was a sense of our democracy is crumbling before my very eyes. And if this motherfucker can do it, why can’t I?”

Political office isn’t yet in danger of eclipsing Raphael’s day job. “Grace and Frankie” will be filming a just announced seventh and final season. And she is set to star alongside Tracee Ellis Ross in the upcoming film “Covers,” directed by Nisha Ganatra (“Late Night,” “Transparent”).

But she makes it clear with her book that just because some people might dismiss her as another Hollywood actor talking about activism, that doesn’t mean she’s going to sit back and watch as many of the values she holds dear, particularly reproductive rights, are eroded.

“With the announcement of a new She-Hulk series on the new Disney+ streaming service, several people with no sense of history began making noise on the internet that She-Hulk is a new creation and some kind of attempt to feminize the Hulk for the “MeToo Era”.

Not only is that talk utter nonsense, but She-Hulk has a long and varied history that has touched all corners of the Marvel Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Sal Buscema in her own comic in 1980, Jennifer Walters has been part of numerous teams, had several relationships, and has spoken to readers from the pages of many comics.

Read the full piece here

“National Geographic called me and asked me to write the feminist facts about how The Lion King gets lion pride dynamics all wrong. I happily complied. Lions are matrilineal!! 

When I contacted Craig Packer, one of the world’s leading lion researchers, to talk  about this story he was IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE. He Skyped me almost instantly from a camp in Kenya and said he’s been waiting for someone to ask him this question since the original film came out.

Anyway, if The Lion King were real, Nala would be the star, Sarabi would be holding her up saying everything the light touches is our kingdom, Simba would have left and never come back, and when Nala got old enough Sarabi would have carved out a territory for her to rule.”

- Erin Biba‏ 

In real life, Simba’s mom would be running the pride

“Reasons men gave for lecturing me on lion pride social structure and telling me one of the world’s leading lion researchers is wrong (I am not kidding these are real): -Watched The Lion King DVD extras -Read a textbook 25 years ago -Has been to the zoo -Everyone just knows 

If you ever wondered what it’s like to be a woman that communicates science, this is what it’s like. Any expertise you or your sources may have gained over decades of hard work are null and void because someone watched a DVD extra 25 years ago.”

“In the 1930s, many people living in isolated communities had very little access to jobs, let alone a good education for their children. In Kentucky, they had isolated mountain communities which could only get their books and reading material from one source… librarians on horseback.

President Franklin Roosevelt was trying to figure out a way to resolve the Great Depression of the 1930s. His Works Progress Administration created the Pack Horse Library Initiative to help Americans become more literate so that they’d have a better chance of finding employment. 

These librarians would adventure through muddy creeks and snowy hills just to deliver books to the people of these isolated areas.

The horseback librarians were mostly made up of women. They were paid salaries by the Works Progress Administration. The rule was that libraries had to exist in the counties where books would be delivered. Many of the local schools contributed to this effort by donating literature, such as newspapers, magazines, and books.

Read the full piece and view the slideshow here 

“USWNT defender Ali Krieger issued a strong rebuke to President Donald Trump after he tweeted about teammate Megan Rapinoe on Wednesday.

“In regards to the ‘President’s’ tweet today, I know women who you cannot control or grope anger you, but I stand by (Rapinoe) & will sit this one out as well,” Krieger wrote.

“I don’t support this administration nor their fight against LGBTQ+ citizens, immigrants & our most vulnerable.”

On Wednesday morning, Trump sent several critical tweets about Rapinoe, who had previously said she wouldn’t visit the White House if the U.S. won the World Cup. Trump wrote, in part: “Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team. Be proud of the Flag that you wear.”

Read the full piece here

“In regards to the “President’s” tweet today, I know women who you cannot control or grope anger you, but I stand by @mPinoe & will sit this one out as well. I don’t support this administration nor their fight against LGBTQ+ citizens, immigrants & our most vulnerable”

-  Ali Krieger 

GODDAMN THESE WOMEN ARE AMAZING.  

Megan Rapinoe: “I’m not going to the fucking White House.”

US lesbian soccer star refuses to sing national anthem to protest Trump

“At just 8 years old, Xóchitl has designed and constructed a solar-powered device to heat water, using only recycled materials, Cultura Colectiva reports.

For many, this device may seem totally unnecessary.  But, in Xóchitl’s community, where resources are scarce, “people don’t have the money to buy heaters, so they chop down trees to get firewood [to heat the water],” says Xóchitl.

Her device not only functions to provide hot water to low-income families in her community, it also saves trees!

Xóchitl’s family helped her set the device up on their roof and have been using it to heat water to bathe.  Xóchitl says she always bathes quickly though, “so [the hot water] will last for my little brother.”

Read the full piece here

BLESS. THIS. CHILD.

“In many ways, it has already been a historic year for black women in Hollywood.

Ruth Carter, the 30-plus-year veteran of film costume design, received her first Oscar win and third nomination for her work on 2018’s “Black Panther.” Hannah Beachler, who also worked on the film, is the first African American to win an Oscar for production design.

In non-acting categories, black women have amassed only three wins in the Academy Awards’ 91-year history.

The number of awards for black women behind the camera in television is not much better. In its 77-year history, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has nominated fewer than 75 black women for Emmys in non-acting categories.

These awards aren’t the baro­meter for black women’s success, but acknowledgment from these academies opens doors for black women working behind the camera.

Last year, Ava DuVernay became the first woman of color to direct a live-action film with a budget over $100 million with her vibrant, black-girl-centered “A Wrinkle in Time.” Shonda Rhimes continues to be one of most powerful forces in Hollywood and inked a nine-figure deal with Netflix to develop new content. Janet Mock became the first black, transgender woman to write and direct an episode of television, Pose’s “Love Is the Message.”