The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
I have mentioned before in other blogs that I am a life-long Republican.  Something that I haven’t mentioned is that I am also a cradle Episcopalian.  My faith in God is an extremely important part of my life.  I have only belonged to two Churches my entire life, one in Massachusetts, and one here in western, NY.  The church where I grew up in Massachusetts was the only Episcopal church in the town …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
When I heard about the extraordinary exhibit of 250 artifacts from prepatriarchal “Old Europe” (c. 6500-3500 BCE) that will be shown at 15 East 84th St, NYC—the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW)—until April 25, I wanted people to know about it. For those of us who are familiar with Old Europe and its monumental implications for women, it becomes a matter of: when can I get to NY? But for anyone …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
I have been blessed with six beautiful grandchildren with another one on the way in March. I have four soon to be five granddaughters as I hold my youngest one in my arms this holiday season.
I have several wishes for all my granddaughters.  My first wish is for them to be judged as individuals and not as girls.  I hope they can walk into a Science or Math class and feel …

This excerpt of an editorial originally published in the July 12, 2009, edition of The Observer, was reproduced on the website of The Carter Center.  It is under the “op-eds and speeches” section of the “news” tab.
I have been a practising Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world.
So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six …

Archbishop Robert Duncan
The Anglican Church of North America convened for the first time in Texas last week, electing as their Archbishop Robert Duncan, whose qualifications for the post include the fact that he has a penis. Duncan is leading a group of what claims to be 100,000 parishioners and 50 bishops in breaking away from the 2-million member Episcopal Church USA, headed by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who has no penis.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
The schism roots reach back to the first Episcopal ordination of women thirty-three years ago …

Nomani outside of her hometown mosque
Former Wall Street Journal and Salon reporter Asra Nomani experienced a transformation when she made the pilgrimage to Mecca called the Hajj.  Born in India, Nomani moved with her family to Morgantown, West Virginia as a four-year old and grew up attending the mosque her father helped to found.  In that mosque, women entered through a separate door and sat in a balcony, facing the wall.  However, Nomani found radically different practices in the mosque in Mecca.  As she told New America Now Radio,
It’s amazing. I mean, men …

The Chicago Tribune says that domestic violence calls to the Indianapolis police department are up 13% this year over last. The Honolulu Advertiser says that Hawaii’s Domestic Violence Action Center is fielding a third more calls this year than last. Rates are up in Arizona and Texas, too. The economy is down; stress and violence are up. Here are some thoughts on places women turn for help:  law enforcement, spiritual advisors, and crisis hotlines.
A new Department of Justice study on Domestic Violence & Law Enforcement contains sobering statistics about reports …

This essay originally was published on The Vyne, a blog created by the author and her partner, Keesha Boyd, to celebrate upwardly mobile Black women. The opinions they express are their own, not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
photo credit: Gary Landers, Cincinnati Enquirer
“I am foremost a rabbi who happens to be African-American, not The African-American Rabbi” – Rabbi Alysa Stanton.
On June 6 in Cincinnati, Alysa Stanton became the first black woman in the United States ever ordained to the Jewish religion’s sacred post. This compassionate and tenacious spiritual leader …

This article was originally published on the Muslim Gateway at Patheos. Copyright of this article is held exclusively by Patheos. Contact Patheos directly to acquire permission for republication. Author Asma T. Uddin is Editor-in-Chief of AltMuslimah.com, an online portal that explores gender relations among Muslims from the male and female perspectives, and puts the spotlight on strong, successful Muslim women.
Photo by Chris Schuepp
Growing up Muslim and female in America was, and remains, a tumultous process. While Islam generally is under tremendous scrutiny, there is probably no issue in greater contention …