Cross posted with permission from Marcia G. Yerman  Dr. Mae C. Jemison is a dynamo with a great sense of humor and a long list of creds, including first African-American female astronaut to travel in space. Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Jemison entered Stanford University at the age of 16. She has [...]

Cross-posted with permission from Marcia G. Yerman Most Americans would be astonished to learn that of the approximately 12,500 individual chemical ingredients in personal care products, the overwhelming majority has never been reviewed for safety by any governmental or “publicly accountable body.” It is estimated by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics that Americans generally use ten [...]

By Marcia G. Yerman; posted with permission from mgyerman.com The Hilton Hotel in New York City was packed on August 6th and 7th with 2400 attendees who had come for the 6th Annual BlogHer Conference.  The last time I had been in the Grand Ballroom was to see Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama onstage, for [...]

June through August, HBO has presented a line up of documentaries, which serves as an alternative to the lightweight fare prevalent during the summer months.  Out of seven films, five take on socially relevant themes including the hazards of domestic natural gas ("Gasland"), the story of Iranian symbol Neda Agha-Soltan ("For Neda"), the evolution of [...]

Most American women might presume that the dangers of maternal mortality are a concern and problem only in developing nations. They’re wrong.  A March 2010 report put out by Amnesty International entitled, Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA, highlights eye-opening findings. The data is based on research carried out during 2008 [...]

In mid-June, the “No to Violence Against Women” annual conference was held in New York City.  It was presented by the National Council for Research on Women and the U.S. National Committee for Unifem. Over 300 people were in attendance, hailing from the fields of government, non-profit, policy, activism, and the media.  On the agenda [...]

A number of years ago, I had a part-time gig at an elementary school where I taught afterschool classes in art and film classics.  One warm June day, it was decided that the kids could spend thirty minutes in the playground.  As I watched a scene that was a combination of raw energy and mayhem, [...]

Cross-posted with permission from Marcia G. Yerman. This article is dated May 30, 2010. May 30th is Military Sexual Trauma Awareness Day.  The issue is starting to get more traction in terms of visibility, Congressional hearings, and acknowledgement from agencies that span a full range of alphabet soup. On Thursday, May 20th, a morning hearing [...]

When the story broke, the tabloid headlines screamed that Hall of Fame football star, Lawrence Taylor, had been arrested on Thursday, May 6th, for having sex with a 16-year-old-prostitute.  One publication referred to her as a “teen hooker.” As the information started to come in, the public learned that Taylor was being charged with third-degree [...]

*Take Action Day occurred Jan. 13, 2010. For a round-up of what happened, please go to the Not Under the Bus website. Women (and men) who believe that women’s health care should be "safe, fair, and covered," have the opportunity to make their voices heard today by joining in a chorus demanding that women’s bodies [...]