The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Eighty women were raped over a period of three years at the University of Montana, and eleven sexual assaults were reported within the last eighteen months. The FBI decided the cases were handled so poorly that the feds have stepped in and are now investigating. Attorney General Eric Holder called the university’s failure to properly investigate “very disturbing.” With about 15,000 students on campus, Missoula Police Chief Mark Muir said the numbers fall at …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
I realize I should probably get out a thesaurus and find a more eloquent way to say this, but National Girlfriends Networking Day is coming up, and I am so excited I can hardly stand it.
After owning a small business, I reinvented myself in my early thirties, going back to school to become an elementary teacher. The district I worked for assigned mentors to all fresh hires, and veteran teachers graciously sought out us …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
April has been designated Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Prevention Month. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s (NSVRC) theme for 2012 is “It’s time… to talk about it!” The NSVRC’s campaign centers on having dialogues about healthy sexuality and learning to respect each other. “It’s time to… to talk about it” also has other implications.
Whether fear or shame keeps victims from coming forward, professionals estimate the statistics are much higher than …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is up for renewal and incredibly, though not unbelievably, a line is being drawn down the center of the aisle. Republicans are accusing Democrats of intentionally including some hot-button issues in order to bait Republicans into not voting for reauthorizing VAWA; Democrats are practically foaming at the mouth, accusing Republicans of misogyny disguised as racism and homophobia; and media outlets, both liberal and conservative, are clamoring for the most damning …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
When Lucy Estrada-Guzman was was six years old, her family left her birthplace, Ventura County, California, for Washington. Her dad found a job planting trees, and he would eventually go on to work in the orchards and fields Washington is known for. The family moved each year, going wherever there was work, and Lucy worked in fields alongside her parents and siblings every season. She recalled the summer she spent pulling up tulip bulbs, …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.

Considering the number of women running for office at the national level, this could be a big election year for women. Pundits are already asking if 2012 is “The Year of the Women”.  The Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) reports women currently running for office at the national level include:
Senate:

34 women are considered candidates in 23 states
7 are incumbents
14 are running for open seats
13 are challengers

House of Representatives:

68 incumbents are expected to run …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
The release of Mimi Alford’s book, Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy and Its Aftermath, has been the source of some unbelievable victim blaming and shaming within the social networking communities by people who believe they know better. Major media personalities have jumped in with their opinions, too.
The reactions I have seen have been insensitive and even vitriolic. The words “salacious” and “bodice ripper” have been used. I’ve also …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
January was National Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Month, and it was in January that the governor of Indiana, Mitch Daniels, asked legislators to pass a bill to toughen state sex trafficking laws in time for Super Bowl weekend. The Chicago Tribune reports that “The Indiana House voted 93-0 in favor of the bill Friday that cleared the state Senate in a 48-0 vote earlier this month.”  The bill will make it easier to prosecute those who …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
I think the term “hero” is used way too often and way too loosely these days. People will name somebody famous and call him (or her) a hero and, when pressed, they don’t even really know why. “I dunno. I guess because he’s cool?” Not really anything with a lot of substance.
The political season can become very contentious and, unfortunately divisive. Raised voices and blood pressures are not uncommon and, on occasion, I am …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
When I first saw the ads for ABC’s new show, Work It, about men dressing as women to get a job, my first thought was that maybe the network thinks its targeted demographic is too young to remember Bosom Buddies.  My second thought was to wonder how in the world anyone could possibly suggest that women are responsible for the high rates of unemployment among men, or that women are somehow shutting men out …