Women In Politics Magazine: Reopening to the New Normal

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

09

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

21

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.

28

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

33

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

35

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!

SRETIRW

Please enjoy this issue!

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

Lily Sun

San Ramon, CA | 16 years old

Justine Simons | Sophia Laraki | Kalani Seymore | Kaylyn Allingham | Sanjana Patel | Sophia Escobar | Cedar Roach Magazine Design Leader

Isabella Pang

Long Island, NY | 16 years old

Kashish Singh | Sara Keegan | Grace McPadden | Sydney Stewart

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Ella Stillion Southard

SROTIDE

Writing Leader

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WOMEN IN POLITICS MAGAZINE

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