Posts Tagged Barack Obama

By Courtney Baxter • 10 years ago

Weekly Feminist Reader

In the [Susan] Sontag archives.

Dylan Farrow speaks out: “There were experts willing to attack my credibility. There were doctors willing to gaslight an abused child.”

Our formidable Samhita Mukhopadhyay on Her: “Is it so far-fetched to believe that this ability to be who you want to be, together with the very real connections we make online, could make for a successful romantic future?”

“Surprise”: White men represented the largest proportion of solo interviews this year on Sunday morning talk shows.

Girls Court brings an all-hands-on-deck approach to the lives of vulnerable girls, especially those forced into prostitution.

“White supremacy isn’t a meeting of individuals in white hoods somewhere in the deep ...

In the [Susan] Sontag archives.

Dylan Farrow speaks out: “There were experts willing to attack my credibility. There were doctors willing to gaslight an abused child.”

Our formidable Samhita Mukhopadhyay on Her: “Is it ...
By Mychal Denzel Smith • 10 years ago

Seriously, Let Michelle Obama (and black women in general) live

President Obama was caught smiling at the memorial service for Nelson Mandela. Apparently, this is cause for outrage. Impeach him! But wait, there’s more. First Lady Michelle Obama was *so* mad at him for… smiling. I think. I’m not entirely sure what the fuss is about. I guess people really don’t like the idea of taking selfies at a funeral, and projected their dismay onto the face of the First Lady. Otherwise, there really wasn’t much to see here.

President Obama was caught smiling at the memorial service for Nelson Mandela. Apparently, this is cause for outrage. Impeach him! But wait, there’s more. First Lady Michelle Obama was *so* mad at him for… smiling. I think. ...
By zerlina • 10 years ago

A sternly worded letter to the ‘Kamikaze Caucus’ that caused this shutdown

Dear House Republicans,

As we begin day three of the government shutdown, you and your colleagues, the “Kamikaze Caucus,” continue to hold America hostage. You are ideologues who have no desire to actually govern the country.

Even fellow Republicans are calling your latest stunts “reckless and unnecessary” and millions of Americans are signing up for Obamacare, finally able to afford health insurance for themselves and their families. I am currently uninsured and will be signing up for Obamacare as soon the traffic on the New York exchange lightens up. You see, because of all this unnecessary drama your fantasy land idea that you could somehow “defund” Obamacare backfired and made millions of Americans aware that they could start ...

Dear House Republicans,

As we begin day three of the government shutdown, you and your colleagues, the “Kamikaze Caucus,” continue to hold America hostage. You are ideologues who have no desire to actually govern the country.

Even ...
By Lori Adelman • 10 years ago

Barack Obama to address nation from the Lincoln Memorial fifty years after King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech

When I first heard that Barack Obama would address the nation today, on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech, in the same spot on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where Dr King addressed 250,000 people gathered there so many years ago, at the exact same time (2:45pmEST), I had mixed feelings.

This isn’t the first time the President has invoked King’s legacy: he used a restored Bible which once belonged to King during his inauguration ceremonies, drawing sharp criticism from Cornel West (“You don’t play with Martin Luther King, Jr. and you don’t play with his people”).

And in many ways, the comparison is apt. Many would say that Obama represents a manifestation of King’s ...

When I first heard that Barack Obama would address the nation today, on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech, in the same spot on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial ...
By Katie Halper • 10 years ago

RIP Helen Thomas, a trailblazing pioneer for women in journalism

Reporter Helen Thomas died at home in her Washington DC apartment, surrounded by her loved ones. She was 92 and had been ill for years, according to a friend.  Covering every president from JFK to Barack Obama, Thomas was an excellent reporter, in her own right, whose no-nonsense, probing questions made George Bush uncomfortable. But on top of these achievements, Thomas was a pioneer for women journalists and was a first in many things. For instance, Thomas

is considered the first woman to write about things not considered the “women’s beat,” which the AP defines as “the soft stories about presidents’ kids, wives, their teas and their hairdos.” was the first female White House bureau chief for a wire service (for ...

Reporter Helen Thomas died at home in her Washington DC apartment, surrounded by her loved ones. She was 92 and had been ill for years, according to a friend.  Covering every president from JFK to Barack Obama, ...
By Katie Halper • 10 years ago

Yasiin Bey (AKA Mos Def) undergoes force-feeding procedure to protest GTMO

Major trigger warning.  The hip-hop artist and actor formerly known as Mos Def and currently going by Yasiin Bey underwent the force-feeding procedure administered to some of Guantanamo Bay inmates on hunger strike. Over 100 prisoners are on a hunger strike, which started in February and 44 of them are being fed against their will. Bey made the video with the Human Rights organization Reprieve “to rally support for Guantanamo Bay prisoners who are on hunger-strike in protest against their detention without charge or trial” and to urge the Obama Administration to halt the force-feeding during the month-long day-time fast of Ramadan observed by Muslims. The video was released on Monday, to coincide with the start of Ramadan. ...

Major trigger warning.  The hip-hop artist and actor formerly known as Mos Def and currently going by Yasiin Bey underwent the force-feeding procedure administered to some of Guantanamo Bay inmates on hunger strike. Over 100 prisoners ...

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