Women in Politics magazine SEPT 2020
Reopening to the New Normal
A Word from the writing leader ANNA CERNICH
Political activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Nelson Mandela famously noted, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Here at Women in Politics, this quote rings ever true; the very soul of our organization is upheld by exceptional young women using their gifts and talents to spark activism and inspire others. The articles you will flip through in this month’s publication are the work of a team of passionate individuals whose education enables them to have a platform and make their
Happy reading! Anna Cernich (Writing Leader) and the rest of the WIP team
voices heard.
As teens like us prepare to return to school in these unprecedented times, we are reminded of the value of our education, especially for those on the margins of society. When reading about international dilemmas, profiles of powerful women, and changes to school during a pandemic, keep in mind that this issue- although written by us- is not just about us. Our work is a testament to the sacrifices of devoted teachers dedicating their lives to develop their students’ minds, friends and classmates who challenge each other, and parents or mentors who support students along the way. Reflecting on the gift of education, we must acknowledge those who guide us, those who teach us to use our powerful weapon of education, and those who inspire us so that we can (and will) change the world.
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Women’s Education: The Fight for Freedom Is America 12 Opinion: Losing Its Democratic
Sara Keegan
04
How China is Chipping Away at Hong Kong's Autonomy
Values?
Ella Stillion Southard
Anna Pabst
07
Online School and International Students
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Kamala Harris: The Epitome of The American Dream
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Stella Kleinman
Chinese Muslim Camps: Why the World Needs to Take Action Andrea Montenegro
Anna Cernich
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Opinion: The Legality of Free Birth Control in the U.S. Gabrielle Scott
Second in Line: How Nancy Pelosi Became the Most Powerful Woman in America Mary Corey
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Challenge Accepted: The Fight to End Turkish Femicide Lily Veits
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The Childcare Crisis Caused by Coronavirus and its Disproportionate Impact on Women Manya Kodali
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Surviving Coronavirus: Small Business Edition Andrea Chow
Women’s Education: The Fight for Freedom By Sara Keegan
Determination. Power. Strength. These three words describe each and every woman who fought for proper education since the 1800s. Since early colonization, Americans have made sure that the children of the nation were becoming educated, either through the bible orÂ
academia. However, they did not ensure that the young girls of the Americas were fully educated, believing that they must be taught life lessons from inside the home, such as learning how to nurture and take care of the household. Although many girls still learned to read and write, they were prohibited from pursuing any form of higher education. Many female Americans despised this sense of inequality, and began to protest and counteract the limits made by male authorities. In Colonial America, elementary education was widespread, as new residents believed it was important for new generations to be able to
read. After elementary, it was extremely rare for girls to continue education; this was when they began to help their mother at home and pursue more
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domestic work. Society at the time believed that men were to handle worldly affairs, while women only needed to read religious materials. One of the first women to go against societal norms was Emma Willard. Pushed by her father,
Willard had begun her journey with education and schooling at a young age, even attempting to pursue higher education. In 1802, Willard enrolled into an academy in Berlin, Connecticut. This academy is where she realized that sex should not matter in the hands of education, and began to advocate for women’s education in the United States. Shockingly, by 1804, Willard was teaching at the academy.
This is where she found her love for teaching, and knew that was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. In 1814, Willard opened the Middlebury Female Seminary, where she proved that women could teach and that girls were more than capable of learning the “classical” and scientific subjects that were typically taught to men. Her success with the seminary prompted her to compose “An Address to the Public; Particularly to the Members of the Legislature of NewYork, Proposing a Plan for Improving
Female Education” in 1819. Although ridiculed by many male legislators, New York Governor DeWitt Clinton felt inspired by the writings, and invited Willard to open a school in the state of New York. Once in New York, Willard opened the Troy Female Seminary in 1821, which soon became named one of the most influential schools in the nation. The Seminary provided young girls with teachings in fields of science, math, and social studies something that was normally only
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taught to men. Families from across the nation sent their girls to this esteemed school. It became a safe haven for females to pursue what they wanted, no matter the field of study. Thousands of young ladies graduated with a wealth of knowledge behind them, inspired to now fight for their place in higher education. Willard’s actions opened a gate to women’s education, fueling the fire for others to now take a stand. Although a small group of women were able to attend universities and colleges, it was highly looked down upon by most of the nation, who primarily saw women as nurturers who were suited to do domestic work. American women did not want to limit higher education to only a select few, and consistently fought for universities to allow all women, no matter their upbringing or societal status, to attend schools and seek new careers that could have never been dreamt of before. This stand for higher education availability soon became accomplished.
On July 6, 1840, Catherine Brewer graduated from Georgia’s Wesleyan College, becoming the first U.S. woman with a bachelor's degree. After this Georgian College became co-ed, providing women with the ability to earn a bachelor’s degree, other colleges and universities followed. Year after year, more high education facilities opened their doors to women. With the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s, women began to work in careers never offered to them before, and the education gap between men and women dropped significantly.The fight for women’s education was yet another example of their determination to become equal to the men around them, attempting to reach a level of freedom they had never felt before. Their determination is what led them to be able to pursue higher education, earning bachelors, masters, and P.H.D.’s. As Emma Willard spoke about the determinism of women; "Any woman has a right to
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open a school in any place; and no one, either from law or custom, can prevent her."
How China is Chipping Away at Hong Kong's Autonomy By Anna Pabst
The Hong Kong protests have been hot in the media since they broke out on March 15th, 2019. Since then, tens of thousands of people (although protest organizers claim hundreds of thousands) have taken to the streets to protest their government’s actions. Protests in Hong Kong are hardly a historical rarity, however. In 2003, half a million Hong Kongers protested and succeeded in blocking a bill that would have outlawed speaking out against the Chinese government. In 2014, protests were held for weeks to protest China's influence over Hong Kong’s government. In March of 2019, the inciting incident was the proposal of a new extradition bill,
which would allow suspects to be extracted from Hong Kong to Taiwan and mainland China. The people of Hong Kong have fought back against this bill, citing their belief that China’s court system is unjust as their reason for dissent. Many Hong Kong residents believe that if this extradition bill were to pass, it would mean the beginning of the end for Hong Kong’s autonomy. Hong Kong is considered a “special administrative region” of China. This autonomy level was granted to Hong Kong people by an agreement between the English and Chinese governments. Hong Kong was once an English colony, but in 1997, England and China began to transfer Hong Kong back into China’s control.
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This transfer ended in a deal now famous as the “one country, two systems” agreement. The agreement allows Hong Kong to retain a high level of autonomy until the year 2047.
Hong Kong’s culture developed very differently than that of mainland China. While China was undergoing a communist revolution, Hong Kong was still under English rule. England’s presence in Hong Kong has strongly influenced the political and economic makeup of Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s economy is a freemarket economy, with low taxation on wealth and imports. The free market economy is in stark contrast to China’s state-controlled economy.
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Hong Kong is a highly democratic
The people of Hong Kong have more
region, as shown by the people's
potential freedom to grow their own
willingness to exercise their freedom of
personal capital, but it comes at the
speech. However, the legislative body
working class’s expense. With low
of Hong Kong, the Legislative Council, is
taxation rates, Hong Kong has one of
made up of majority pro-Beijing
the highest poverty rates in the
politicians, even though in every
world. However, the divide between
election pro-democracy candidates
China and Hong Kong is more than
win the majority of the votes. The
just political and economic
Legislative Council is comprised of 70
differences. Hong Kong uses a
seats, only 40 of which are voted upon
different currency than mainland
by the general public. The other 30 are
China, and Hong Kongers speak a
voted on by the various business
different language than mainland
sectors of Hong Kong. China’s powerful
Chinese people. Cantonese is spoken
hand in the business world provides the
by the majority of Hong Kong’s
incentive for business leaders and
citizens. More recently, however, the
corporations to vote in favor of pro-
regional tongue has been undergoing
Beijing candidates. This unique
a process called “mainlandisation.”
legislative makeup guarantees that a
Mainlandization is the process of
bill like the extradition bill, bills that
influencing Hong Kong with mainland
benefit mainland China, would pass.
culture. In 2018, the Education Bureau of Hong Kong pronounced Cantonese as a dialect, promoting Mandarian as the regional
which a person can be convicted and serve up to life in prison. The crimes outlined by the law are vague, including “subversion,” “secession,” and “collusion with foreign forces.” Numerous politicians, activists,
language. Legislative Council candidates must pass China’s scrutiny to run in the General Election for Hong Kong’s legislature. Part of the requirements is that all candidates must uphold the Basic Law, which does not allow politicians to promote ideas of independence from China. Candidates may still be pro-democracy, but the suggestion of independence is the disqualifying factor. This criterion has effectively barred 12 pro-democracy candidates from running for office in 2020. Many Hong Kong residents are upset by this criterion, as it has caused candidates with high votes in the primary election to be barred from the general election. Joshua Wong, the leading candidate in the primaries, was disqualified for this reason. A new security law has recently been adopted in Hong Kong. This law details new crimes for
and celebrities have already been charged with “collusion with foreign forces'' under this new law. Those arrested are not guaranteed a fair trial. Article 41 states that trials can be held in secret, and Article 44 allows for Judges to be handpicked by Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, who belongs to a pro-Beijing party. On top of that, Article 46 permits trials to be held without a jury. Experts in law and government have stated that this law will change Hong Kong’s political climate forever. With time running out on the one country two systems agreement, the future of Hong Kong is in the air. Other
The influence of China on Hong Kong’s legal system and culture is effectively bridging the divide, whether the citizens of Hong Kong want it to or not. The undeniable power that China’s interests hold within Hong Kong’s government is setting the regions up to become one in 2047. This looming end to Hong Kong’s autonomy has been weighing on the people, and they have been pushing back. We do not know if the conflict between China and Hong Kong will end, but with new laws allowing China more and more power, Hong Kong’s autonomy and democracy might be facing its end.
countries have started acknowledging the divide between the two systems growing smaller and smaller, with the United States lifting trade exemptions for Hong Kong’s exports.
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Online School and International Students By Stella Kleinman
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The Covid-19 pandemic has
These young adults undertake
thrown a wrench in millions of
the arduous journey to America
American college students’ fall
in search of quality education,
plans. To combat the risk of
research capabilities, and career
large groups, universities are
opportunities. While the United
pursuing a myriad of approaches
States university system is
to socially distanced learning.
renowned, many other countries
Many institutions have stated
also offer extraordinary
that they will only allow 40 to 60
education and career
percent of their students to live
opportunities. In fact,
on campus and many of their
approximately 11% of American
classes will be taught online.
undergraduate students study
Colleges have already suffered
abroad in another country. Even
major financial losses from the
still, according to the US
pandemic and hundreds of
Department of Commerce,
smaller liberal arts schools have
international college students
been forced to close
contributed an ample $45 billion
permanently.  International
to the US economy in 2018, as
students constitute
they typically pay higher tuition
approximately 5.5% of the total
than domestic students. There
US college student body.
are three primary student visa
types: F, J, and M. The standard F-1 student visa allows students to attend an accredited college, university, or English language institute. The J-1 visa is applicable for exchange programs, and the M-1 visa serves foreigners engaged in non-academic or vocational training in the US. On July 6, a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that it would not permit international students on F-1 visas to take a full online course load during their fall semester in the United States. ICE claimed that new visas would not be issued to students who transfer to partially in-person schools to stay in the US and the punishments would even apply if an outbreak forced students to shift to online classes mid-semester. In short, if a college abdicates in-person study, its international students must return to their home country or risk deportation.
Two days later, Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology jointly filed suit against ICE and the US Department of Homeland Security in the federal court in Massachusetts. The universities claimed that ICE issued the policy without offering any jurisdiction and failed to allow the public to respond. The lawsuit also argued that ICE’s policy would be tremendously problematic for students from countries like “Syria, where civil war and an ongoing humanitarian crisis make Internet access and study all but impossible.” The Massachusetts schools asked the court to declare the new policy unlawful and prevent ICE and DHS from enforcing it. According to MIT’s president, Leo Rafael Reif, “welcoming the world’s brightest, most talented and motivated students is an essential American strength.” By July 13th, more than 200 colleges filed briefs supporting the lawsuit in an attempt to protect their combined total of 213,000 international students from removal.
After a critical hearing the next day, US officials agreed to rescind ICE’s new policy in a settlement with Harvard and MIT. The Wall Street Journal reported that US District Judge Allison Burroughs asserted that the Trump administration would “rescind the policy, withdraw an FAQ detailing the rule and return to the status quo of guidance issued in the spring.” While international students may still struggle with the transition to online learning, many passionate college leaders have successfully protected their right to remain in the United States.
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Kamala Harris: The Epitome of The American Dream BY ANNA CERNICH With coronavirus raging through the United
Kamala Harris’s origin as the product of
States, the Postal Service suddenly
immigrant parents, crucial encounters
becoming an essential part of democracy,
with many different faiths, and cultural
and schools anxiously preparing to reopen,
platform as a woman of color gives her
an overwhelming amount of Americans
common ground with minorities and
question what lies ahead for the soul of the
marginalized groups across the country; a
nation. Many are in dire need of reassurance
walking embodiment of the ideals of the
that their voice is valid and important,
American dream. Unlike most big-name
regardless of ethnicity, faith, sexuality, or
politicians or elitists on Capitol Hill, Harris
other polarizing aspects of their identity.
was not born into a position of money and
Now more than ever is the time to make the
wealth. Her mother, eventually making her
voices of every American heard, and with
rise as a well-known breast cancer
the 2020 Presidential Election right around
researcher, immigrated to the U.S. from
the corner, individuals have the opportunity
Chennai, India to get her Ph.D. from the
to do just that. It comes down to a simple,
University of California- Berkeley. There
yet widely controversial choice: which major
she met Kamala’s father Donald Harris, a
party’s ticket evidences the same perception
Jamaican who immigrated to America for
of- and vision for- America as the majority
a graduate degree and would later
of the nation. Democratic presidential
become a professor of economics at
candidate Joe Biden recently selected
Stanford University. While reflecting on
Senator Kamala Harris of California as his
her trips to India to visit her grandmother
running mate. Aware of the pressure of the
and grandfather (a women’s rights activist
White House from his first-hand experience
and Indian diplomat, respectively),
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as former Vice President to Barack Obama, Joe Biden’s decision is much more than picking a name out of a hat.
“I’d join my grandfather and his buddies on their morning walk along the beach as they would talk about the importance of fighting for democracy and civil rights. Those walks made me who I am today.” Kamala wrote “I’d join my grandfather and his
Harris now considers herself a Black
buddies on their morning walk along the
Baptist.” Kamala’s Baptist faith, combined
beach as they would talk about the
with presidential candidate Joe Biden’s
importance of fighting for democracy and
Catholic roots, seals the Christian voice
civil rights. Those walks made me who I am
their partnership presents. As if Hinduism
today.” In the wake of the murder of George
and Christianity together didn’t fulfill the
Floyd and a revival of the Civil Rights
range of faiths that Harris represents, she is
Movement through protests and marches, a
also married to Jewish lawyer Douglas
candidate born fighting for the American
Emhoff, and included traditional Jewish
ideals of political justice and social equality is
celebrations in their wedding. America, a
an invaluable appeal to American voters.
nation founded on the basis of religious
Kamala is the manifestation of America as a
liberty, strives to accept and appreciate the
“melting pot” of different cultures and
many different individual religious
ethnicities, making her the result of a nation
backgrounds, and Kamala Harris expresses
of immigrants.
her valuation of this liberty through her own
Another, arguably most important, character
personal life.
trait that Kamala brings to the table is her encounter with faith and religion. Her name
Harris is the first African-American vice-
alone is a testament to her Hindu roots;
presidential candidate for a major party.
“Kamala” is the Sanskrit word for “lotus” and
"My parents marched and shouted in the
another name for the Hindu goddess who
Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. It’s
fittingly represents aims and goals. Harris was
because of them and the folks who also
not raised Hindu, however. The Salt Lake
took to the streets to fight for justice that I
Tribune reported that “Her downstairs
am where I am.
neighbor, Regina Shelton, often took Kamala and her sister, Maya, to Oakland’s 23rd Avenue Church of God in Oakland.
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They laid the path for me, as only the second Black woman ever elected to the United States Senate." These values of change and improvement have driven the success of America throughout its 244-year history, coining the phrase “American progress.” As the nation continues this fight for justice, Kamala is living recognition of the strength and importance of the African-American community in America. In an Instagram caption, Harris noted "My mother was very intentional about raising my sister, Maya, and me as strong, Black women." The power of this statement, as well as the respect she demands as an example d.
a “strong, black woman” in today’s political climate, cannot be underestimated. In the face of a dangerous pandemic, systemic flaws, and nationwide division, Kamala Harris stands as a reminder of all the good parts of America As a daughter of two immigrants in search of higher education, a woman of faith who accepts and values all the different beliefs that distinguish America, and the first vice presidential candidate of color, Harris has her foot in every camp She appeals to minorities and the marginalized, whose voices will presumably be heard louder than ever in the upcoming election
Regardless of political ideology, her cultural, ethnic, and religious background undeniably represents one of the most beautiful features of the United States: the rigorous, resilient, and ultimately rewarding, pursuit of the American Dream.
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Opinion: Is America Losing its Democratic Values? BY ELLA STILLON SOUTHARD
Back in February, one of my classes read a few chapters out of a book titled On Tyranny, which outlined twenty lessons from the twentieth century about tyrannical states and how democracies can avoid descending to such horror. At the time, I did enjoy learning about it, however, I certainly didn’t fully grasp its importance. Fast forward six months later, I am now writing an article about this administration's steps towards a more controlling state.
I have now read the entirety of On Tyranny and can tell you with full confidence, it’s time to pay attention to the warnings. I know the word “fascism” or “fascist” is quite alarming because, well, most of us have studied Nazi Germany. However, there is no shame in pointing out some alarming signs occurring right in front of America’s eyes. In no way am I making the claim that the United States is already a fascist state, but our democracy is becoming more and more fragile.
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Let’s start with the obvious: the secret police in Portland. Black Lives Matter protests have persisted since the murder of George Floyd in late May. Though the protests were held to take action against police brutality, more police brutality continued to take place at the actual protests themselves. The presence of police at protests is not new information. What is unfamiliar however, is the federal agents with no badge numbers or identification, deployed by the Secretary of Homeland Security himself, kidnapping protesters in unmarked vans. First of all, it should be known that the Cabinet of Secretaries at the Federal level are not supposed to serve the President, but instead, the American people.
Unfortunately, it’s a common theme of the Trump Administration to have individual secretaries executing the President’s policy agendas. Besides the legality of the situation, the country in no way should ever think that abusing protesters is justified, let alone arresting them and taking them to unknown places. The Washington Post reported many accounts of protesters who were arrested (without being read their rights), one of which said that several unidentified men had jumped out of a van and that he wasn’t sure if they were extremists or a police force.
Once the protester was arrested, he was taken to the local jail and was released soon after. The protestor was never told why he was taken and still doesn’t know who took him. Many other stories like that protesters’ are far too common in the Portland area. The CBP has made many statements inciting that the agents made arrests because people were suspected to have broken Federal law. To compare, in Italy during the 1930s and 1940s, the OVRA (secret police) would make arrests out of suspicion that the citizens were going to break the laws and become anarchists. Mussolini used it as a tool to
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suppress resistance groups going against his fascist party. Does any of this sound familiar?
The very foundation of Democracy is the people’s power. How can the people wrangle this power? Voting! Voting is unarguably the most important act of democracy a resident of the United States could do. The Coronavirus pandemic will limit inperson voting this year, so mail-in voting will most definitely increase. Because the President is realizing there is a high chance he will lose the Presidential race, he is attempting to take control over the United States Postal Service in order to suppress the vote for Biden. In May, the President appointed Louis Dejoy to be the new
The idea of tipping an election in favor of one party has occurred several times in history. The obvious is the U.S’s 2016 election when Russia was proven to have helped Trump get elected, as well as most of Putin’s own elections, the 1936 referendum in Germany, the Czechs’ Communist election in 1946, and many more. All of these are examples of the state attempting and succeeding at minimizing the peoples’ voices. Now in
Postmaster General for the United
2020, the leader may not be a dictator,
States. Dejoy just so happens to be a
but he is trying to accomplish the same
significant Trump donor and his wife
goal - oppress the people’s voices. All of
serves on the President’s Commission
this news is very alarming to me, and
on White House Fellowships. Dejoy has
hopefully to you too. But I do have hope.
already relocated or removed over 20
The United States was founded on the
of the top USPS officials and gotten
idea of freedom (for white land-owning
rid of overtime working, which will
men). Nonetheless, this country has not
hinder the time that mail is delivered.
waivered in these democratic ideals. I
This is said to be to save money and promote efficiency, however, these decisions are conveniently lined up with the President’s remarks on how corrupt mail-in voting is (even though in 2018 there was a .0025% possible fraud rate).
whole-heartedly believe that one President will not erase this nation’s determination and integrity. The only way to prevent Trump and other powerful members of his party from consolidating power is to vote like no other. Even if he’s trying to take it away from you, don’t let him! If you are a young and healthy individual, consider voting in person. However, if you choose to vote by
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absentee due to the pandemic, request as early as possible or at an election location. Don’t sit this one out. Our democracy depends on it.
CHINESE MUSLIM CAMPS: Why the World Needs to Take Action BY: ANDREA MONTENEGRO In the sprawling land of the isolated Xinjiang region of China, there is an ominous secret. Since 2017, the Chinese government has incarcerated millions of Uyghur and other Muslim minority groups in modern “concentration camps” to enact a massive cultural genocide. This “genocide” is not mass murder, rather, it is intended to be a complete destruction of a culture through restrictions of Muslim traditions and beliefs, separation of families, the imprisonment of community leaders, and violence in the form of torture, abuse, and extrajudicial killings. This is a fact which has only been revealed to the public in recent months, though many nations have known as early as 2019. The question is:
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING AND WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT?
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In recent years, ethnic tensions have grown between the Uyghur people and Han Chinese, primarily due to development in the Xinjiang region. Rapid urban growth has attracted many outsiders (predominantly Han Chinese) from other provinces, who receive high-paying job positions and achieve financial success. The Uyghurs feel that this is blatant discrimantion against their people, who are not given as many opportunities.
Outside of the professional setting, this minority group has faced massive cultural restrictions, which worsened after the Uyghur protests in 2009. These protests “highlighted the deep-seated frustrations felt by some ethnic minorities” over Communist China’s policies, which elicited frustration over the tight restrictions on Islam (limited mosques and religious schools.) Many died in the riots, and the government labeled the Uyghur as “dangerous”. Police presence in the region increased, many Uyghurs were detained, and resentment between the two groups grew.
A few years later, after multiple attacks on the public by Uyghur extremists, China decided that they had to do something about their Uyghur “problem.” After passing more cultural restrictions in 2014, such as banning Muslim servants from fasting during Ramadan, the Chinese government began to outline their plan for “re-education camps” to help aid in the “struggle against terrorism”. In these camps, the Chinese government claimed to be teaching detainees “vocational skills,” a fact we now know to be false after the exposure of Chinese documents outlining the workings of the camps.
WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING: EXTENSIVE MONITORING, PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE, TORTURE, FORCED LABOR, AND DEATH.
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The recently leaked report, now called
The means to which Chinese officials
“The Xinjiang Papers,” is a 400 page
will go to find “candidates” for the
document exposing how the Chinese
camps are also a cause for concern.
government has managed these
In Xinjiang, Uyghurs are heavily
“schools.” For one, the “crimes” which
tracked. There are cameras every few
an Uyghur, or any other minority
meters, roadblocks every couple of
Muslim group, could commit before
streets, and police officers at every
being detained are: frequently
corner. Even in homes, officials are
worshipping at a mosque, expressing
assigned as “adopted” members of
interest in going on a pilgrimage,
Muslim families (presumablyto survey
being close to someone labeled
them) and electronic activity is
“suspicious,” having a beard,
monitored. This, China claims, is all an
attending a funeral, obtaining a
attempt to fight Islamic extremism.
passport, and having more than one child. These seemingly normal
Conditions within the camps are much
activities are considered “extremist
worse. Released detainees report
activity” and cause enough for being
being physically abused and
detained. Moreover, the camps work
undergoing psychological torture.
completely outside of the legal system
Gulzira, a Khasak Muslim woman, was
of China, with prisoners not receiving
detained for 17 months, and reports
a traditional trial.
being made to sit in a chair for 24 hours. She said, “If you exceed two minutes in the toilet, they hit our heads with an electric prod.” Gulzira’s account is one of many which point to serious problems within the camps, including torture through sleep deprivation and forcably injecting inmates. It is rumored that detainees are also forced to renounce Islam, praise communism, and learn Mandarin. Some women say they were sexually abused, with multiple reports
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of forced abortions and the mandatory implantation of contraceptive devices.
Even worse, the families of those detained know very little about their kin. Recently, the husband of a likely detained Muslim woman has spoken out in a CNN interview. His wife, who went on a short trip to Xinjiang, disappeared with their two daughters two years ago. It is rumored that his wife was sent to a camp and their daughters sent to live with a distant relative. Unable to travel to China to find his family for fear of imprisonment, the distraught husband and father can do nothing to search for his family.
There has been an international response to this violation of human rights, with some saying it is not enough. In late 2019, the UK wanted China to give the UN unrestricted access to the detention camps. The result of this was a joint request by 22 countries in the UN for China to get rid of the camps and protect human rights. This amounted to nothing, with things seemingly remaining unchanged, and Chinese officials denying all allegations, stating, “Uyghurs live harmoniously with other ethnic groups.” The U.S has imposed sanctions on China, but knowingly delayed such actions due to trade deal negotiations in January. Further, Muslim states, like Iran, have yet to do or say anything opposing these camps. It seems that the Muslim internment camps in China will remain an issue without a unified Global response. China’s response to the allegations has been constant denial, with government representatives saying the camps are a function of security, meant to protect their country from “extremist terrorists.” But, now with the leak of the Xinjian Papers, there will be no denying or hiding the truth; the world is watching.
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Opinion: The Legality of Free Birth Control in the U.S. BY: GABRIELLE SCOTT
Since the court case Griswold v. Connecticut in the 1960s, birth control has become widely available to both married couples and single women. However, many people have challenged the moral ideology behind
The Supreme Court upheld a
“the Pill” and continue to argue
regulation that allows employers to
against its legality even today (Pandia
limit access to the Pill due to moral
Health).
and religious reasons, and will result in around
Under the Obama administration, the “contraception mandate,” or the Affordable Care Act, made it so
126,000
employers and insurance companies were required to supply women with birth control if they so desired. However, more recently this contraceptive debate came to a
women losing access to their
head with the Trump administration’s
contraceptive coverage (New York
attack on the Affordable Care Act.
Times).
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While birth control is a hot topic harboring both religious and moral opposition, many need to remember that what a woman does with her body is of her own accord. One’s religious beliefs should not be pressed onto another when she is trying to practice safe sex. However, sexism is deep-rooted in our society and makes out any women who practice sex, even safely, to be “asking for it.” One may ask, does this opposition lie more in the moral compass or age-old misogyny?
In addition, many women use birth control for other purposes. Some of these include acne reduction, suppressing the ovaries to help curb endometriosis, reduce heavy periods and painful cramping, lessen the effects of PCOS, and more. Millions of women use birth control every day and nearly 68% of which cite other reasons for using the Pill (NPR). Birth control also helps prevent women from having unwanted pregnancies they are not prepared for. The current state of the adoption and foster care systems in the United States is horrid, and keeps young, innocent children from being pushed into a system that doesn’t want to see them succeed, yielding high crime rates that make up for 20% of young prison inmates (Adoption in Child Time).
All in all, your boss should not decide if you have access to contraceptives or not. Your boss should not decide if you have to pay high fees to curb your endometriosis or PCOS out of pocket. And finally, your boss should not determine whether or not you are forced to carry your unwanted pregnancy to term.
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SECOND IN LINE: How Nancy Pelosi Became the Most Powerful Woman in America
Ever since the founding of this
BY: MARY COREY
country, women have been purposely excluded from our government. From deliberately being left out of our founding documents to not being allowed to vote until 1920, being involved in politics as an American woman has always been an uphill battle. But even so, powerful women throughout history have fought to make a place for themselves in the “boys club” that is the US government. One of these remarkable women is Nancy Pelosi, who is the highest-ranking woman in the line of succession in history as Speaker of the House.
Nancy Pelosi was born in Baltimore, Maryland into a family full of politics. Her father served in congress and was the mayor of Baltimore, as would be her brother. She went on to graduate from Trinity College in DC where she met her husband, Paul Pelosi. The Pelosis would move to San Francisco to start a family and had a total of 5 children. Pelosi’s entrance to the world of politics was slow, starting as a volunteer for the Democratic Party and gradually moving up in the ranks. As she became a more prominent figure in her party, she entered Congress in 1987. This was the start of a decade’s long career as a dedicated public servant. Her first big break was in
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2001 when she was selected as House Democratic whip, giving her the number 2 job in the party.
Shortly after, in 2002, Pelosi became the first woman to ever lead a party in congress as the house minority leader. After helping her party regain the House majority in 2006, she became the first female speaker of the house. When Democrats lost control of the House in 2010, Pelosi handed off her role to her successor, Republican John Boehner. Following this, she returned to her post as House minority leader and helped lead congress through the 2013 government shut down. Pelosi would go on to regain her position as speaker of the house only 8 years after losing it, and she holds that position to this day.
She has worked tirelessly throughout her time in congress and has facilitated numerous changes. Even so, Pelosi and her beliefs are often criticized by those with rightist views. At the beginning of her time in Congress, Pelosi spoke up in support of LGBT rights and pushed for decisive action in response to the AIDS crisis, both of which were greatly unpopular topics throughout the country at that time. She was also very influential in the 1994 assault-weapons ban, which was a pivotal and drastic gun control measure. Pelosi helped pass the Troubled Asset Relief Program as a final effort to stop the 2008 financial collapse, and she convinced Obama to continue to fight for healthcare reform, even when hope seemed lost.
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She became a harsh Trump critic, working to stop efforts to shut down the DACA program for immigrants. She also has clashed with him over the border wall, saying that Democrats will not support its funding. After urgent calls from within her party, Pelosi eventually opened a formal impeachment inquiry against President Trump. Throughout his term, she has held her ground against the president and other Republicans most recently when it came to Coronavirus aid.
Having Nancy Pelosi in such a powerful position is an important step for women everywhere. She inspires women and girls every day and provides representation for a group that historically has been underrepresented in American government. More and more women are beginning to rise to positions of power and although we have yet to have a female president, with the road paved by women such as Nancy Pelosi, it's only a matter of time.
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Challenge Accepted: The Fight to End Turkish Femicide BY: LILY VEITS
Turkish women have taken to the streets after yet another senseless, targeted femicide. A perceived complicit and ineffective government has, for years, turned a blind eye. Istanbul lawyer Ozlem Ozkan sees firsthand how her clients are treated; “Women who have been beaten go to the police and are told, don't file a complaint, it will just make your husband angry.”
When covering the situation in Turkey, most media outlets use the term femicide. In order to analyze the problem, what exactly femicide needs to be clearly defined. To that end, it is used to describe the killing of a woman, by a man, and on account of her gender. Instead of improving, the problem seems to be growing worse; 474 cases of femicide were documented in 2019 alone. This year’s figures
The bottom line is this: women
are expected to be even higher.
are pushing for their rights; rights to divorce, work, and have an equally valued voice in society.
SAGE publications released a startling study in 2009, offering the following conclusion-that over 40% of Turkish women over the age of 15 had suffered some physical or sexual violence by their husbands or partners.
over 40% of Turkish women over the age of 15 had suffered some physical or sexual violence by their husbands or partners.
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Turkey was the first country to adopt and ratify a 2011 convention on gender-based violence; at the time, a truly groundbreaking achievement.
We now refer to this piece of legislation as the Istanbul Convention. It has been praised by Turkish activists as an extraordinarily powerful tool to begin ensuring a more egalitarian society, despite criticisms of lax enforcement. Some groups of women, including those who are divorced or unmarried, are point-blank excluded from legal protections. The hyper-conservative AKP Turkish political party has been systematically trying to dismantle protections written into law under the Istanbul Convention, saying that “Families are falling apart because of the Istanbul Convention. Our young are not marrying and married couples are lining up to divorce.” More recently, an AKP deputy chair stated that the Istanbul convention was “very wrong.” Appealing to traditional familial values seems to be the main tactic for those in favor of withdrawing from the convention.
Religious fundamentalism is certainly not inherently bad, but all too often, it’s used to further a violently misogynistic agenda. Many thought that the country’s adoption of the Istanbul Convention signaled a shift in the right direction and an acknowledgment of the pervasive issue of domestic and gender-based violence. And despite the existence of Turkish laws in place intended to protect women from gender-based harassment, offenders can often justify violence towards women in court by claiming to be ultra-religious, or simply saying they acted on ‘impulse.’ Attorney Selin Nakipoglu comments that “They [offenders] show up in court wearing suits and ties, saying they're sorry but 'honor' made them do it, and
25
the judges let [them] get away with it.”
Despite Turkey’s apparent previous willingness to take legal action to prevent gender-based violence, the number of murdered women has doubled since 2012the same year the Turkish government adopted a law meant to prevent violence against women. According to activist group We Will Stop Femicides (whose board of directors is composed mostly of the victim's relatives), most victims were killed by current or former partners, or on account of dating rejection. We Will Stop Femicide began tracking gender-related deaths in 2009-when the Turkish authorities stopped tracking just that.
Turkish social media has been overflowing with grief in the summer months of 2020-so much so that an Instagram challenge has spilled over to American users. #ChallengeAccepted began as an outlet for Turkish women to express their frustration with a government that does not value them; they post a black-and-white photo of themselves on social media, emulating the black-and-white photos in Turkish news of women murdered. Ideally, flooding follower’s feeds with posts that relate to gender-based violence should be a cause for celebration.
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Performative activism is not a new term.
Neither is virtue-signaling. We’re all familiar with the gut-punch of a movement being stripped as it is co-opted in a simple challenge or hashtag on social media .Unfortunately, the massive amount of challenge participation backfired; what was once intended to reflect on the heart wrenching black-and-white photos of women murdered in Turkey has turned into yet another easy way to garner likes. The silver lining is activists online using their platforms to educate about the meaning behind #ChallengeAccepted. While we post photos online, women in Turkey continue to protest their government’s attitude towards violence prevention (or, in this case, lack thereof). Women in Turkey seem to be advocating for a relatively black-and-white solution. Fidan Ataselim, secretary for We Will Stop Femicides, directed a powerful statement at Turkish government officials during an Istanbul rally.
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"The solution is clear. Open and read the Istanbul Convention.�
The Childcare Crisis Caused by Coronavirus and its Disproportionate Impact on Women BY: MANYA KODALI
A
s the pandemic continues to rage across the world, ripping families
and economies apart, countries are beginning to reopen, bringing a
myriad of new fears into people’s lives. Grappling with their careers,
the mental health and education of children, the safety of meeting in groups, and health concerns - parents are faced with impossible decisions. Pressure from the federal government to reopen our economy looms over every decision made by county school districts, colleges, and employers, further limiting parents’ choices for their families’ futures.
Amongst contradictory calls for greater safety measures and faster reopenings, along with protests continuing to rage across the country, childcare is an issue often overlooked. In previous years, children would be at school for the majority of the workday, and parents would typically only need to secure childcare after school, if at all. At the peak of the pandemic, 55.1 million students in K-12 schools were affected along with 5 million children in preschool and/or daycare according to Education Week, an independent news organization. Bringing back trustworthy and steady childcare is a critical part of successful economic reopening. Parents need their children, especially young kids and those with special needs, cared for before they can return to work.
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However, financial ruin, child care deserts, limited space, and safety concerns are harming the childcare industry and limiting families’ options. Affordable childcare has long been a barrier difficult to overcome;
the Center for American Progress found that 83% of parents with children under five struggled to find affordable childcare in their area. This issue has only been exacerbated by country-wide shutdowns. A recent survey by the Bipartisan Policy Center has found that 60% of licensed providers have closed since March and those that remain open have reduced space or hours. Jobless claims continue to rise, and the beginning of August is the 20th consecutive week with over a million Americans filing for unemployment, leaving many families without the ability to pay for “luxuries� like childcare.
The childcare industry as a whole has been struggling due to the pandemic. Childcare centers already survive on very small profit margins with no cushion for owners or workers in extenuating circumstances like these. Many owners have struggled to access federal aid and now face extremely costly safety precautions. Increasing costs combined with center shutdowns implies that parents will face fewer available slots and higher tuition rates. All these issues combined create a dire situation for
29
the country and can be combined into somewhat of a circular issue -
unemployed parents cannot afford childcare costs without bankrupting themselves, but they cannot return to work with young ones at home.
With fluctuating control over the pandemic, safety concerns continue to plague parents. Various polls have shown mistrust of the safety measures in place, and many parents want to keep their kids home; this means they must either find alternative childcare, which is already scarce, or sacrifice their jobs to stay home and take care of childcare at no cost. Other concerns include the necessity of quarantining; as school districts open, kids are likely to come into contact with others who test positive and will be forced to quarantine for two weeks, leaving parents with no option but to stay home and put their livelihoods to the side. This added layer of complications places further stress on parents and trims down their already limited options.
This worsening lack of availability and constant health concerns leaves a huge burden on families, which ultimately falls on women, leaving them disadvantaged in both the workforce and in home life. Childcare has long been predominantly a woman’s role; it is an expectation that has been around for centuries, even as women began to enter the workforce. A Princeton University-trained economist So Kubota, has found that
women’s declining workforce participation rates over the past 20 years have been tied to the rising cost of child care. With the costs continuing to increase, and availability becoming competitive, this trend will become glaringly obvious and have lasting impacts on women in the workforce.
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More often than not, women are expected to leave their jobs to care for children; the Center for American Progress found a 12% drop in maternal workforce participation in families unable to find child care, with no corresponding effect on fathers. Not only is this unfair on women, but the economic security of many families will also be put in jeopardy. Another study by the Center for American Progress found that 41% of families have mothers as the sole or primary breadwinner, meaning that when women are forced to return to the role of homemaker, families may lose their main source of income. Results from the Early Childhood Program Participation survey supports this as well, finding that a mother’s employment is closely tied to her ability to access affordable childcare.
When comparing our nation with 22 other countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, research by Dr. Francine Blau and the Hamilton Project has found that
the United States’ failure to enact policies that support working mothers, such as paid family leave and child care, explains ⅓ of the decrease in women’s participation in the labor force.
Ultimately, women are going to suffer when childcare is not readily available. They will be forced to leave their jobs for indeterminate times to care for their children; this will have lasting effects because it is far harder for women to
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reenter the workforce at the same pay and level they left at. Many families may see drops in income due to the main breadwinner staying home.
The pandemic has been fair to no one, but as time goes on and the United States continues to open up its economy, working mothers will experience new adversity. Childcare is at all-time high demand but an all-time low availability due to closures and safety precautions. This fall, many schools will be online full or part-time, and students are expected to be pulled out of class for weeks at a time when and if they are exposed to COVID positive people.
In lieu of childcare and schooling, parents will be forced to stay home with their children, with women making up the
Women will lose their jobs, financial security, and this will harm their ability to reenter the workforce at the same level in the event they are able to return. It’s imperative majority of those who will take on this role.
lawmakers implement policies that sustain child care centers and give mothers the option to continue their careers and provide for their families.
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Surviving Coronavirus: Small Business Edition BY: ANDREA CHOW As the people of this country continue with another month of staying safe at home whenever possible, there is another victim independent of those fighting corona in hospitals -- small business owners and employees. Countless Americans count on their restaurants, hair salons, boutiques, and more as a key source of income. When they lose customers, they also lose their means of survival. The federal and state governments’ attempts to alleviate the economic suffering for small business have been a noble attempt. However, there have been many pragmatic missteps that ultimately leave small businesses struggling for air six months into this pandemic.
Many small businesses have been forced to close down due to health concerns. Of course, business owners have good reason to be concerned equally about the health of their customers as they are about the health of their employees. Many businesses, large and small alike, have taken steps to increase the safety of their businesses including but not limited to: outdoor dining, requiring masks inside stores, and asking customers to wait six feet apart in checkout lines. All this is generally required by state or even local governments, depending on adherence to CDC regulations. Additionally, businesses have found more creative ways to stay afloat, such as renting a seat at another hair salon to
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retain customers, creating websites where customers can preorder their food, or shipping products by mail. These changes, however creative, have not gone without some resistance.
In Newbury Park, a small suburban
To aid small businesses that are suffering
neighborhood in Southern California,
financially, state and federal governments
Godspeak Calvary Church (while not
have offered aid in various forms.
technically a small business) has refused
Initiatives such as rent relief and loans
to hold church services in their vast
have been largely spearheaded by
parking lot, instead electing to hold
Democratic political leaders including
services indoors without requiring masks
Governor Gavin Newson, Mayor Bill
or social distancing from their
DeBlasio, and Representative Alexandria
parishioners. This has led to an intense
Ocasio-Cortez. The relief fund is intended
clash with the Ventura County law
to help those most impacted -- the
enforcement, who have since threatened
businesses that serve local communities
them with a restraining order and other
but could not necessarily survive a major
legal action against the church leaders.
economic depression without having to close. However, a few high-profile instances showed the American public that the implementation of this relief
Other businesses have followed suit, refusing to mandate masks due to concerns about freedom and physical autonomy -- even going so far as to run the risk of arrest for defying court orders. This “anti-mask” movement sparked a sharp political backlash, predominantly against GOP lawmakers and community
program had some major issues. Shake Shack, a major burger chain with locations across the country, received approximately $10 million in federal aid. Harvard University, an educational institution with an endowment worth $40.9 billion, received almost $9 million in federal aid.
leaders. Many Americans rally around cries such as “my body, my choice” or questioning why government leaders continue to open their wineries but not other crowded and high-demand spaces. Ultimately, this battle between lawmakers, customers, and small business owners is not new, it simply manifested itself in the new context of the coronavirus pandemic.
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While both institutions ultimately
Essential workers are faced with a near-
returned all funds, this does raise some
impossible decision: either quit working
questions. Few actual small business
to shelter at home, but face
owners are being shorted while large
homelessness and hunger by sacrificing
corporations get bailed out. There’s no
financial resources, or continue to work,
reason for this even happen in the first
but risk death by a deadly disease. This
place. Maria Vera, a hairstylist and salon
predicament is multiplied exponentially
owner in Montebello, East Los Angeles,
for small business owners because the
explains that she lost her salon because
risk of losing a business looms heavily
her business location was determined
over them regardless of what path they
ineligible for rent relief from the
choose. There is no easy answer. Either
government. If her small neighborhood
path could end up as a death sentence
salon is not considered a small business,
-- whether at the hands of the
but one of the richest universities in the
coronavirus or a financial disaster.
world is, then what even is a “small business� anyways?
The pandemic has had an impact on more than just owners -- it also affects the employees that work face-to-face with customers every day. These employees are the ones most likely to catch the coronavirus because of their increased exposure. While employees with wealth reserved can quit their jobs or work from
Either path could end up as a death sentence -- whether at the hands of the coronavirus or a financial disaster.
home without serious concerns, lowincome employees are forced to continue working, oftentimes without hazard pay,
Small businesses are victims of the
such as in Amazon warehouses.
coronavirus in their own right. In addition
Predominantly Black, Hispanic, and low-
to the typical obstacles of creating and
income communities (which are most
maintaining a business, owners and
impacted by lack of generational wealth)
employees must now survive a deadly
are the ones most likely to suffer from high
pandemic, fierce political polarization,
infection and death rates of the
and a historical economic recession.
coronavirus, because of increased
Whether a small business survives the
exposure to unsafe environments and
fires will require sustained cooperation
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decreased likelihood of access to
and innovation on the parts of owners,
comprehensive medical care.
customers, and government officials.
SROTAERC EHT TEEM
WOMEN IN POLITICS MAGAZINE Founder and Co-Exec. Director
Rebecca Joseph
Walnut Creek, CA | 14 years old
My name is Rebecca Joseph and I am a highschool sophomore from the Bay Area. I got interested in politics during my first year of high school where I joined the Speech and Debate team. From there I fell in love with the
world
of
politics,
but
soon
became
aware
of
the
lack
of
representation women were getting in the field. I wanted to be part of a community of teens who want to support each other and the younger generation to pursue a career in politics; however, I was unable to find anything, so I started Women In Politics. Now, four months later I have been blessed with an amazing team and I cannot wait for all we are going to accomplish.
Co-Exec. Director Katherine Bronov
Philadelphia, PA | 17 years old
My name is Katherine Bronov and I am an online high school senior from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. I have been interested in politics since the start of high school and I have searched for organizations and clubs that interest me but found nothing until Women In Politics (WIP) caught my eye. WIP is a very special organization and quite interestingly the first of its kind. I am so grateful to be a part of this organization and work alongside girls that are just as passionate about politics as I am, who recognize the shortage of women in this important field. Please enjoy this issue!
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Kansas City, MI | 16 years old
Andrea Montenegro-Polanco | Mary Corey | Anna Pabst | Andrea Chow | Lily Veits | Manya Kodali | Gabby Scott | Stella Kleinman | Sara Keegan |
Editor Leader
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Long Island, NY | 16 years old
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