Gender Wage Inequality in America

 In the USA, the wage gap between men and women has been an ongoing issue. 50 years ago, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay act that sought to end gender discrimination within the work place. However, wage gaps were still present. 

 President Obama signed an extension of Kennedy's act called the Paycheck Fairness Act and declared one of his primary objectives would be to close these wage gaps. But still, men are payed more than women. It is estimated that women earn 77 cents compared to a dollar earned by a man. An NPR article deeply explores this issue: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125998232

Jackie Robison's Mission Complete

 I am a huge fan of baseball but before my time, the sport was regarded as "a white man's game." African Americans were forced into their own Negro Leaque and were not accepted into the MLB. This discrimination was ended when first basemen Jackie Robison was made part of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He faced trials but was known as a great player, winning the rookie of the year in 1947 and National League MVP in 1949. Robison paved the way for non-white professional baseball players.

 Jackie Robison's mission of allowing everyone the chance to play in the MLB was completed. Today, many of the greatest names in baseball are minorities or from other countries; from the Cardinals' Carlos Beltron to the Yankees' legendary closing pitcher Mariano Rivera. Discrimination in the sport of baseball has been banished thanks to number 42, the great Jackie Robison.

Stuck on Lay-Off

 The recent government shutdown has finally ended, or at least funded. However, during the shutdown, many government workers were laid off for the duration of the shutdown. In addition, they were not given the chance to seek employment in other work places. This violated the workers rights to earn an income and support their families. Understandably, this issue and other issues surrounding the government shutdown has outraged many American citizens. Fortunately for the laid off workers, the income lost was paid when the decision to end the shutdown was made. However, how and why could anyone deny a person the opportunity to be employed during a lay-off?

DOMA Ruled Unconstitutional, Finally

 Today, 14 states in the USA allow same-sex marriage. However, same-sex married couples were denied the rights and benefits granted to straight married couples due to the Deffence of Marrige Act or DOMA. This law was made in 1996 to protect "the institution of traditional marriage." Now that same-sex marriage is legal in some states, the law negatively affected people who were married in an "untraditional" way. This year, on June 26, DOMA was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Finally, same-sex couples have access to the federal benefits of straight couples. Another step has been made towards equlaity. The following link leads to an article on Huffington Post that explains DOMA and the battle to repeal it. The article was posted in May of 2012, over a year before it was repealed. http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1559031

The article states argrruments both for and against the repeal of DOMA.

Taught Equal Treatment of All

 I am from a small town in Missouri that had little diversity. Thus, many people where not exposed to different cultures and types is people. So, racism and homophobia were common. However, my parents taught me to treat everyone (regardless of race, sex, or sexual orientation) equally. Being taught this from a young age made me passionate about human rights and equality. 

 Exposure to different people also contributed to my interest in this issue. My uncle, as well as a former classmate of mine, wittinessed  discrimination because they were gay. This made me want to help reduce and stand against homophobia. 

Fighting for Education- Malala Yousafzai

 Last week I was introduced to the incredible bravery of a teenage woman from Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai. The 16 year old girl was determined to gain an education, inspired by her father who is a teacher and woman's rights supporter. However, the Taliban's presence was felt when Yousafzai was shot by members of the infamous group because she was being educated. Unfortunately, this often occurs when young women seek education in nations where the Taliban holds power. Yousafzai  survived the attack and dedicated herself to becoming a spokesperson for children across the world attempting to gain an education. Her bravery made her a candidate for the nobel peace price, making the young woman's story gain even more international attention. More about Malala and her father's inspiration can be read at this NPR article:http://www.npr.org/2013/10/15/234730460/malala-yousafzai-a-normal-yet-powerful-girl  The video below is an interview Malala did with Jon Stwart on "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central.

Striving for Equality

 One of my "top 10" figures mentioned in my "Top 10 Difference Makers" post is Susan B. Anthony. She was pivotal in the Wonan's suffrage movement during the mid and late 1800's. Here is one of
Anthony's many inspirational quotes stating her goal of complete equality: 

"There will never be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and select lawmakers."

Image credit: 

http://www.vintageviews.org/vv-tl/Photos/pix/susan_b.JPG

Made in America

 An unfortunate truth about many industries is that their products are made in sweat shops by people making little to no money. This is done to reduce labor costs. So, many consumers try to avoid buying products made in China or other countries who use sweat shops and child labor. However, just because the label says "made in America" doesn't mean the company avoided using sweat shops.  A New York Times article explains that many American idustries use immigrant workers who are paid far below the nation's minimum wage. The article is listed here: http://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/18/world/made-usa-hard-labor-pacific-island-special-report-saipan-sweatshops-are-no.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

 The activist rock band Rise Against mentions the mistreatment of immigrant workers in their single "The Prayer of The Refugee." The video makes their statement clear: http://youtu.be/9-SQGOYOjxs

 So, if you are attempting to avoid purchasing products made by workers in sweat shops, take a deep look into the company's track record and research other countries who stick to labor laws.

Propaganda Law in Russia

 In America, the people have a right to demonstrate peaceful protests in exercise of freedom of speech. Examples include Occupy Wall Street and many gay-rights protests. Russia, however, criminalizes such activities. The most recent example is the anti-gay law proposed by the Russian President Vladimir Putin. This law gives law enforcement permission to arrest gay-rights activists or anyone who is spreading the "gay agenda." This law was passed because Russia lacks separation of church and state, making religious obligations and government collide. The law is affecting many Russian citizens, both straight and gay. More can be learned about the "Gay Propaganda Law" at Amnesty International.   The law also provoked the International Olympic Committee to look into the human rights situation in Russia. (The 2014 Winter Olympic Games takes place in Moscow). However, the committee decided to overlook the issue, stating, "We are not a human rights organization." An article explaining the IOC's stance can be found at this link:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/26/ioc-sochi-olympics-russia-anti-gay-law_n_3994761.html.

Courage of an Athlete

The four mainstream American professional sports are: baseball, basketball, football, and Hockey. Due to the masculine nature of these sports, particularly football, controversy is generated when an openly gay athlete comes into the spotlight. The argument against gay football players is that it may cause conflicts in team chemistry. However, such claims is not stopping former Middle Tennessee State kicker, Alan Gendreau, from planning on becoming an NFL player. The openly gay athlete leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring and is attempting to gain a spot on a team in the most popular spots organization in America, the NFL. More information about Alan Gendreau can be found in the New York Times article at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/sports/ncaafootball/nfl-hopeful-announces-he-is-gay.html?_r=0 

Nobody is Born Racist

 I usually ignore most Facebook posts that are shared to convey an opinion. In my experience, those posts almost always display content that aimlessly attacks America's president. However, I recently found a photo that had text that said "Nobody is born racist." This is true, so many behaviors are learned by children who observe their enviornmemt. A non-racist parent or role model will teach the child how to treat everyone equally. The photo is posted below:

Top 10 Difference Makers

 I made a top 10 list of inspirational figures who took (or are taking) a stand for human equality. My list features famous historical figures as well as people and groups who are currently promoting equality.

1. Martin Luther King Jr.

2. Rosa Parks

3. Abraham Lincoln

4. Eleanor Roosevelt

5. Susan B. Anthony

6. Nelson Mandela

7. Fawzia Koofi

8. Alan Gendreau

9. Tim McIlrath (Rise Against)

10. Anti- Flag