At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape and Resistance–a New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power
Danielle L. McGuire,
Alfred A. Knopf, New York
Rosa Parks is often referred to as the Mother of the modern civil rights movement. Historically she has been depicted as a prim, virtuous, diminutive lady who was merely too tired after a long day at work to move from her seat. Had she been Catholic she surely would have been canonized by now; St. Rosa, the patron saint of bus riders. Forty-two years old at the time of the bus boycott, she was described by Martin Luther King Jr, as “. . the victim–emphasis mine–of both the forces of history and the forces of destiny. She had been tracked down by the Zeitgeist–the spirit of the times.”

“We love you!”
“Stay Out!”
Yesterday, Americans sent two very important and very different communications to our friend Dr. Wee Teck Young, a Singaporean physician and activist who lives and works in Kabul, Afghanistan. The “We love you!” was a press release announcing that the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) had awarded him their “International Pfeffer Peace Prize” in recognition of his contributions to peace working with dedicated young Afghans in Kabul. The “Stay out!” was from the American government, refusing him a visa to enter the United States with these young people, in the furtherance of this work. It seems all too likely that the actions and choices which have earned him his well-deserved award are the same factors that persuaded U.S. consular officials to deny him entry to the United States. The question is whether we can be a voice to affirm that his work, and the work of the young Afghans working with him, has value in the United States, where awareness of the costs of war, and of the lives of ordinary Afghans, is desperately needed.

June 28th marked an important day in history for women’s health. The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act enables millions of women, who previously were ineligible or did not have the economical means, to have access to quality and affordable healthcare. This includes full coverage of birth control and other preventative services, such as cancer screenings. The ACA also ensures that healthcare premiums for women, which have been significantly higher than men in the past, will be much lower and affordable. Given the recent outpour of conservative political dogma against women’s healthcare and rights in general, the passing of this act is a huge step forward for women and other groups that have neglected by the government in the past. Access to affordable healthcare is a vital basic human right and I am proud that the U.S. is taking steps to offer medical justice for all citizens.

A U.N. Committee has formally requested the United States government to provide information on the use of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) as a recruiting device in the nation's high schools.

In a report issued July 3rd, The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child has asked for additional information related to the Second Periodic Report of the United States to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, (OPAC). The Committee calls into question a range of laws and programs that allow the U.S. military to actively recruit children under 18. At issue is a range of recruitment policies and practices in the high schools that undermine the safeguards contained in Article 3.3 of OPAC regarding the voluntary nature of underage recruitment, the right to privacy of children and the requirement of prior consent of parents (or legal guardians).

The Committee specifically mentions the recruiting provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, the ASVAB, and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) programs operating in the nation's schools.