Inspired by The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink, A Woman’s Nation is partnering with LIFT and the Corporation for National and Community Service to launch a new national service program, The Shriver Corps. Over three years, twenty Shriver AmeriCorps VISTA fellows will serve full-time at LIFT sites in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, DC.  → Read More

In the MMA community Frank Shamrock isn’t just considered a former champion; he’s considered a pioneer. Many (self included) believe him to be the first prototype for what a complete mixed martial artist should be. Needless to say, I was inspired by him long before I knew about his story of struggle, of bouncing in and out of juvenile detention centers, of not feeling loved or wanted in this world even when he was a young man.  → Read More

The recent primary election brought the usual flood of campaign literature pouring through my letter slot. I had nearly tossed the pile into the recycling bin when I noticed something AMAZING. There was a large color photo of a Hispanic woman holding two tiny kids. The text began “As a mother of two children…” and was an endorsement for quality pre-K. It hit me – SHE was the candidate, and she was claiming her identity as a mother in her campaign for the state legislature.  → Read More

Since 1938, when the first minimum wage was established in the U.S. at the federal level, economists, politicians and others have argued the merits and potential pitfalls of a mandatory minimum wage. Reports full of charts and data abound and we draw them like sabers to support our case or refute the opponent’s. People approach the subject from myriad angles. For some, it’s all a matter of payroll costs versus productivity versus turnover. Others look at the imposition of a wage floor as an ethical matter.  → Read More

“Let me introduce you to the victim advocate,” offered the policeman who had arrested my husband the day before. I stopped short. That was the first time that word – victim – had ever been applied to me. I certainly felt victimized. My partner of sixteen years had just abandoned me with a text message, stolen all of my money and then committed bigamy. Yet even though I was still in the acute phase of suffering, I startled at the application of the word “victim.”  → Read More

It’s official: the quality of America’s infrastructure is devastatingly average. The American Society of Civil Engineers – which issues a report card for the systems of water, transportation, energy, and public facilities throughout the U.S. – bestowed a cumulative average of ‘D+’ upon our country last year.  → Read More

Parenthood is an utterly unique experience. I’ve been lucky enough to experience those firsts four times over and know that this awesome privilege includes a solemn responsibility: to raise healthy, conscious and compassionate children who will become the next generation of leaders, thinkers and parents themselves. But no matter how much we praise parenthood in our rhetoric, our current public policies — particularly those surrounding parental leave — haven’t kept up with the changing face of American families.  → Read More

Eleanor Roosevelt was sadly mistaken. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent,” she said. With all due respect, Mrs. Roosevelt, I never really consented to anything. At age five, I never knew that I even had a choice. There were only the taut, puppeteering strings of intimidation and coercion, and the inherent inferiority that dwells inside those who endure the silent shame and denigration of sexual abuse.  → Read More

For the past few years, we have been witness to my mother-in-law’s slow and steady memory-loss. Recently, I have decided to see this tragic turn in our family in a new light. There is some shame for me in admitting that my mother-in-law’s suffering has inspired me.  → Read More