A FORCE to End Rape Culture

If you haven’t heard of the group FORCE, you are about to hear a lot more about them. In December 2012 they gained notice for their ingeniously timed mock Victoria’s Secret ‘Pink Loves Consent’ campaign during the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, which raised awareness about the importance of consensual sex. As a result, the [...]

Overcoming the Prison Epidemic

Prison Bar(code)

Baltimore City detention center has made headlines after a scandal revealed the inmates were running the show and had been employing guards to smuggle in cell phones, food and drugs. Mother Jones recently produced a list of the top 10 worst prisons and the horrors that occur within their walls. In Louisiana, one [...]

Kids with Guns

Guns don’t kill people. People kill people. Or so the story goes. So what happens when it’s a 4-year old doing the killing? In two incidents last week two different 4-year olds were able to access a loaded gun and accidently discharge it, killing a 6 year old playmate and a sheriff’s deputy’s wife. [...]

How to Celebrate Women for National Women’s Month

Women’s History Month

Did you know March is National Women’s Month? I didn’t, until this article was brought to my attention. Unfortunately the draw of the article was not that it was National Women’s Month, but yet another embarrassing example of how women are marginalized in the media. A local news organization in [...]

Before Violence Starts

Last week I was watching the 11 o’clock news – as uncommon as it may be – it’s still the way I consume what’s happening (or rather making news) in Baltimore. It was an all too frequent night with a “late breaking news” report of a double shooting. Admittedly, I held my breath – [...]

Crowdmapping for Social Change

Cross-posted from ResourcesNow.org

In 1854, John Snow plotted cholera deaths on a map of London’s Soho district to determine the cause of a deadly epidemic sweeping the community. By mapping the geography of the outbreak,Snow was able to successfully pinpoint the cause;argue for public action to disengage the [...]

Join the Feminist Tsunami!

One in three women will be raped or beaten in their life time. This statistic is depressing but also inspiring, especially if you are Eve Ensler. One Billion Rising is a movement created by Ms. Ensler, the author of the Vagina Monologues, to change this statistic and end violence against women.

One Billion Rising [...]

This MLK Day, Let’s Make Service a Habit

English: Dr. Martin Luther King giving his “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington in Washington, D.C., on 28 August 1963. Español: Dr. Martin Luther King dando su discurso “Yo tengo un sueño” durante la Marcha sobre Washington por el trabajo y la libertad en Washington, D.C., 28 de agosto [...]

Carry On the Legacy of Roe vs. Wade

Women’s health advocates are celebrating the fortieth birthday of Roe vs. Wade, the landmark court case that legalized abortion in America. This decision had led to increased well-being among American women, as abortion is now safer and occurs earlier in pregnancy.

Although there is cause to celebrate this milestone, the 92 abortion-restricting provisions [...]

Top Stories of 2012

It wouldn’t be New Year’s Eve without some reflection. While reading through last year’s blog posts, the Eyes Wide Open team compiled a short list of what we think the top stories in 2012 were. Without further ado and in no particular order:

• Watershed Moments for LGBT Rights. Citizens in Maine, Maryland and [...]