MadameNoire
Source: Erik McGregor / Getty
We don’t need to go into the specifics of the injustices many women face around the world. You know what they are. Maybe you live them. It can be difficult for both men and women to sometimes believe that women are at some sort of disadvantage, especially in a first-world country like America. We have our first female vice president right now. There was the emergence of the #MeToo movement in recent years. It’s not like women are oppressed here the way they are in some places where they aren’t allowed to drive or leave their homes without a male chaperone, right? Well, hold it right there. In order to progress, we need to compare our current situation to what we want to be. It’s just our first female vice president. The first ever. And the #MeToo movement didn’t come up until women, too many to count, suffered harassment, silently, for centuries. What about the exposure of the gender pay gap? It’s been discussed, but not necessarily fixed.
We still have quite a ways to go before we, even America, can call ourselves a place where women aren’t oppressed. Maybe women don’t face as much as other groups, but we still face a lot of mistreatment. Being late to rights like voting and property ownership, women still fight an uphill battle towards goals that live on a smoother playing ground for men. So if you’re going to let your money support your values this Women’s History Month, give it to these nonprofits benefiting women here and around the world. Let’s even the playing ground.
Source: Sebastian Condrea / Getty
Figure Skating In Harlem
This is a unique organization that grew into much more than what was originally intended and is making a tremendous impact on the lives of young Black girls in Harlem. The idea behind the organization is to teach leadership skills and discipline through the lens of figure skating. In addition to receiving figure skating training, the pupils also receive lessons in nutrition, health, and fitness, and engage in education programs with mentors, tutors, and teachers, all meant to improve study, literacy, and communication skills. The program aspires to see each student go to a four-year college, and as such, has recently instituted its College Access Program, which educates parents and kids on how to be ready for college.
