Category: Women empowering women

It’s been a very crazy week in politics. There have been some huge wins and losses all around, but in the midst of it all was a monumental moment for black women. 

History was made in Missouri this past week as Cori Bush was elected to the state’s 1st Congressional District, which covers the St. Louis area. Bush, who is a democrat, will be Missouri’s first Black Congresswoman.

Bush is a registered nurse who got into politics after the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. She has been a huge supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, not just over the past few months, but for the past several years. If you’re interested in seeing her rise to congress, then you should watch Knock Down The House on Netflix.

Bush gave a moving victory speech on election night where she promised St. Louis that things were going to change.

“St Louis: my city, my home, my community. We have been surviving and grinding and just scraping by for so long, and now this is our moment to finally, finally start living and growing and thriving,” Bush said in her speech. “So, as the first Black woman, nurse, and single mother to have the honor to represent Missouri in the United States Congress, let me just say this. To the Black women. The Black girls. The nurses. The single mothers. The essential workers. This. Is. OUR. Moment.”

Bush ended her speech with a call to everyone to come together and work toward a better community.

“This moment is brought to us by us – by our movement for social, racial, and economic justice. Now, our movement is going to Congress,” Bush said. “And we will meet the challenges of this moment as a movement: side by side, arm in arm, and with our fists in the air – ready to serve each other until every single one of us is free.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was also featured in Knock Down The House, was re-elected to New York’s 14th Congressional District. She and three other women make up what is known as “the squad.” The group of women- AOC, Ilan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib- were elected to the House of Representatives in 2018. The group of Democratic women strives to represent the demographic diversity of a younger generation in politics, as well as advocate for a number of progressive policies. 

It now looks as though these women might be adding a new member to their “squad.”

Author: Ashli Ellerman

The year of 2020 was a year full of tragedy, triumphs and change across the world. It’s easy to only look at the many losses we’ve faced this past year but even with such tragedies there was great change. In 2020 we saw positive changes when it comes to women’s rights and gender, we also saw progressive laws put in place to protect women as well as women in power making major power moves. Here are the 5 2020 highlights for women. 

• United States elects first woman vice-president

The United States breaks down barriers by electing Kamala Harris as the next vice president of the U.S. Harris will not only be the first Black and indian American to be a major party’s vice presidential candidate but she will be the first woman to be elected as the vice president of the U.S.  The U.S. will also have its first all women senior communications team.  

• Kuwaiti places a new law for protection against domestic violence

Following years of activism from women’s rights activist groups a new law of protection from domestic violence was put in place in order to protect and help the women of Kuwaiti. The new law will provide shelters, counseling, legal assistance for survivors, a hotline for domestic violence complaints as well as emergency protection orders so abusers won’t have access to their victims.  

• Scotland makes menstrual products free

In November Scotland became the first country to provide free access to menstrual products in public buildings which include public schools and universities. The Scottish parliament issued the period products bill in order to relieve women of the cost and taxing of menstrual products and ensure women are able to effectively manage their periods.

• New Zealand appoints first woman as Foregin minister  

Back in November New Zealand appointed its first indigenous woman as Foreign Minister. Nanaia Mahuta is Maori which means she is an indigenous Polynesian from the mainland of New Zealand. Mahuta is also the first woman who is a member of parliament to wear a moko kauae, a traditional tattoo on her chin.

•  The nation’s first openly transgender United State senator

Sarah McBride becomes the nation’s first openly transgender woman on the state senate. McBride won the seat in a two-person democratic primary. During McBrides’ campaign she focused on healthcare, infrastructure and schools. 

Author: Khala Clarke 

Hey there! Allow us to introduce ourselves, we’re Mariposa Sisters! Whether you’ve been keeping up with the posts on our social media, or this is the first time you’re meeting us, welcome! We understand there’s been some questions about who we are and what we do. We thought it would be fun if we listed some facts about us. We hope that this helps to answer your questions!

Who is Mariposa Sisters?

We are an online community of women who aim to uplift and empower one another. Our goal is to provide a safe space for women to come together and share their stories. We are a team of women, with interests in health and wellness, who want to bring awareness to and encourage conversations about topics that deeply affect women everywhere. 

What do we do?

Our mission is to empower women’s wellness internationally through film and visual storytelling. We do this by travelling around the world and having transformative conversations with women. We start by experiencing their day-to-day routines and environments to help us see life through their lens. To help foster the growing relationship, we engage in conversations about the complexities of being a woman in their respective communities. We also try to understand the roles each of these women play within their communities. Ways we give women an opportunity to release is through mind-body exercises, meditation and breathwork, nutritional education, and self defense. Our goal is to build a relationship with the women in various communities and create a safe space for them to share their stories with us. Once they do, we share those stories through film with the world in hopes of inspiring women all around the globe.

Is there a film out already?

There isn’t a film out quite yet! Making a film takes a village, and is a very long process. In September this year, we went down to Puerto Penasco, Sorona, Mexico to record and experience the lives and stories of the women in those local communities. Unfortunately, domestic violence, sexual abuse and rape are very common in Puerto Penasco. There isn’t much being done to help the victims. In the film, we hope to highlight the strength of these women who shared their stories with us. In addition, we’re bringing awareness not only to the lack of aid, but to the situation in its entirety. This film emphasizes the tremendous healing power in owning your story. We do have an update about the film! While we finished filming back in September, we finished all of the rough edits on the film and even had a small screening! We still have a little ways to go until the film is completely ready. Right now, we are having all the final edits done. This means adding things like animation, music, sound effects, and fillers. We’re working hard to bring this movie to you all in 2021. In the meantime, our goal is to create an online community that explores and welcomes all conversation celebrating and supporting women. So keep an eye out for our updates about the film!

What have we been up to?

While the film is being made, we have been really active on social media. We’ve been writing blogs, raising awareness for events such as Hispanic Heritage Month, sharing resources, promoting women owned businesses, and much more! We also brought on a bunch of new interns at the end of September! We are working on releasing a newsletter so that readers will have all our news in one spot. 

We hope this helps you get to know us and answer your questions! If you have any other questions or comments, fly on over to our website (https://mariposasisters.com/) and send us an email. We look forward to connecting with you!

Author: Alaina Newman