For all those badasses trying to catch up on the headlines, here are a few highlights from the past week. Sign up for our newsletter to receive #FemNews and other videos, articles, and updates from The Fem Word every Tuesday.
1. This week, Chicago celebrated a historic political victory, electing Lori Lightfoot as the city’s first black woman and openly gay mayor. The former federal prosecutor passionately promised to rid the city that raised her of political corruption, and help the low-income and working-class who’ve been “left behind and ignored” by Chicago’s political elite. The nation’s third largest city, will now become the largest to have a black woman serve as mayor. She’ll be sworn into office May 20. Hooray for ALL the W’s!
2. In a ceremony at the Library of Congress this week, the world finally honored, and officially recognized the unsung heroes of WWII: The “Code Girls”. During the 1940’s, the U.S. government launched a nationwide search across college campuses, seeking women with high math and reading scores. They recruited more than 10,000 women to work as secret code breakers (most told their parents they were secretaries) to decode enemy communications. This secret A-Team went on to crack Japanese code that gave the U.S. an advantage in the Battle of Midway. Once hidden from history, these badasses have finally claimed their rightful place, and we’re patiently waiting for the movie adaptation à la Hidden Figures.
3. As if we needed another reason to worship Queen Bey, the NAACP named Beyoncé the '2019 Entertainer of the Year' at the 50th annual NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles. The ceremony, presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, honors outstanding performances in film, television, music, and literature. Bey graciously thanked the other change-making celebs in her category, including Chadwick Boseman, LeBron James, Regina King, and Ryan Coogler, gushing, “I’m honored to be included among all of you and to be a part of a vital, thriving, beautiful community.” Hubs, Jay-Z, was also honored, receiving the President's Award for his efforts through the Shawn Carter Foundation and the REFORM Alliance, dedicating the award to his beloved grandmother.
4. Tens of thousands of activists gathered in Verona (the first Italian city to declare itself officially pro-life) to protest against the World Congress of Families, a three-day international conservative congress with an anti-choice agenda to defend the values of the “natural family.” The protests gained worldwide attention, showcasing several Italian women dressed in Handmaid’s Tale robes to make their voices heard loud and clear. The city of star-crossed lovers literally chanted: “Giulietta, don't fear, because life is too beautiful to wait alone on a balcony for an asshole,” while waving pink flags and pro-choice signs. Not quite Shakespeare, but hey, it gets the point across.
5. In an exciting close to the NCAA Women’s basketball tournament Sunday night, The Baylor Lady Bears defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a true nail-biter that makes you thank god for gel mani's. Despite Notre Dame closely trailing Baylor throughout most of the game, and the loss of Baylor’s All-American forward Lauren Cox in the third quarter due to a knee injury, Chloe Jackson hit a driving layup with 3.9 seconds on the clock, leading Baylor to an 82-81 win (she was also named Most Outstanding Player!). What’s more, triumphant coach Kim Mulkey joins Geno Auriemma and Pat Summitt as the only coaches with three or more national titles in women's Division I history. Go Lady Bears!
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