There is no right or wrong when it comes to abortion. What’s best for someone should never be questioned. What a woman wants to do with her body is fully up to her and no one else. Women get abortion for plenty of reasons, from watching The Abortion Divide documentry one of the main reason women get an abortion is because they arent financially stable enough to support a child. One woman mentioned how “I don’t want to bring another child into the world, and I’m not financially stable. I’m already struggling with the four that I have. So I’m not sure what my other option would be. But if this wasn’t an option, then I know I would be struggling.” (FRONTLINE PBS). To me this is very valid reason to have an abortion. Some would say it’s selfish but the truth is many people have brought a child into this world that they can’t support and this only makes the child’s life harder. Many are homeless, in the foster system or living with someone abusive. Someone wanting an abortion for financial reasons proobaly want to prevent their child from having to go through this. Everyone wants to give their child the best life possible. Knowing you can’t give your child that life and wanting to prevent them from living a life with struggles and pain is not a bad thing. Lyn snapshot was only a few words but it honestly said it all “IF IT’S NOT YOUR BODY IT’S NOT YOUR DECISION.” For someone to tell you what to do with your body, especially a man who will never understand what you’re going through is the absolute worst. A woman never gets a say in anything to do with a man, so why does a man get to tell a woman what’s best for her? Abortion is so wrong until a man tells a women they arent ready for a child and she should get one. Then it’s okay because he’s being honest and letting her know in advance he’s not ready. That way if the woman decides to carry out the pregnancy it’s not his responsibility because he told her before?? But it’s wrong for a woman to decide that she’s not ready. A man should not get to decide what’s best for a woman because if roles were reversed a woman would have no say in what a man should do with his body. 

In the video Hobby Lobby: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver an important question was asked “Do corporations have religious rights or just individuals?” and this shouldn’t even be a question. I believe It’s a business and should not be viewed as an individual, therefore these  corporations should not have religious rights. John Oliver actually agrees with this and began to list some of his reasons in this video. One was that they don’t get to pick and choose what they want to be seen as based on their beliefs and I couldn’t agree more. 

Alicia Garza made a lot of interesting points in The power of identity politics. However the one i found to be the most interesting was how much power plays a big part when it comes to identity. It’s sad that those who have power will do anything to keep it to themselves including mistreating others in the process. She stated how “If we dont acknowledge that power works to the benefit of white, Christian, heterosexual, cisgender men, we will continue to blame those who are subjugated by that power for being subjugated, rather than working together to uproot the legacy of unevenly distributed power.” (Garza, 191-192). I couldn’t agree more with this because a big part of the problem is that people with power do not realize or accept how much power they actually have. How can you fix a problem when people can’t even own up to the role they play in it? It’s no secret that white people are already at an advantage over everyone for simply being white but majority of the time they are also the ones with the power to call the shots. Part of bringing about change is seeing and admitting there is a problem to begin with. This need for power only ends up resulting in people of color being affected, especially Black women. Forcing them to continue to suffer in silence for the benefit of others  and to continue being defined by these standards set for them is wrong. Like Alicia mentioned you cannot expect Black women to forget all that they’ve been through, for example “Under slavery they were forced to nurse white children while neglecting their own? Should Black women forget the ire they faced from white women who’s husbands lusted after Black women in subjugated positions?” (Garza, 189). This list doesn’t even stop here because until this day Black women are still fighting to be heard and respected. 

In Mario’s snapshot someone is holding up a sign that says “I am not a color” and this statement holds a lot of power. The color of one’s skin does not define them as a person and neither should it affect their ability to do certain things. People are being treated and placed in these categories based on something they have no control over, race. By people who think they are better because they are more privileged and able do things without their race playing a part. Instead of using this power to help others who are not that fortunate it is used to tear them down instead. In Too Latina To Be Black, Too Black To Be Latina Aleichia Williams talks about how hard it was to be both Black and Latina especially in school. Her story was touching and showed me how stereotypes can affect how one starts to view themselves. Feeling like they have to abide by society’s expectations. After trying to sit with the Hispanic girls at her school and not being accepted Aleichia mentioned “That was the first time I could remember being aware of my skin color and the overwhelming implications it held. This was also my first ‘race crisis’.” (Williams). This idea that you’re supposed to look and act a certain way for someone who is Black or Latina is false. Expectations don’t have to be your reality. 

Being black is already hard enough and comes with a lot of struggle and day to day fight but to be a black woman is much worse. Not only are you looked down on for your race but your gender as well. Having to constantly fight to prove you’re worthy and deserve to be treated equally is hard for women of color. I find it sad that black women are oppressed by their kind, black men. People who know how hard it is to already be black, the very ones who are supposed to be with them and not against them. It has been said in THE COMBAHEE RIVER COLLECTIVE STATEMENT that “The reaction of Black men to feminism has been notoriously negative. They are, of course, even more threatened than Black women by the possibility that Black feminists might organize around our own needs. They realize that they might not only lose valuable and hardworking allies in their struggles but that they might also be forced to change their habitually sexist ways of interacting with and oppressing Black women.” (Combahee River Collective). Women being treated the same as men shouldn’t be threatening at all. Women finally being seen as an equal is a major accomplishment from years of sacrifices and hardwork from feminist before our time. The fact that it’s seen in such a negative light by men shows how comfortable they are oppressing women which is even more sad. Looking back on the history of black feminist and what they fought for and comparing it to right now to see that not much has changed is aggravating. Black women are facing the same problems and in a constant fight to be equal to men which shouldn’t be something they should be fighting for to begin with. Mario snapshot stating “I am no longer accepting the things i cannot change, i am changing the things i cannot accept” explains perfectly what black femenist are doing. Taking matters in their own hands and fighting for change.

In the video Paris is Burning African-American, Latino, gay, and transgender people talk about their gender/ sexuality and some experiences they had. I gained a lot of knowledge from watching this film and it showed me how much the LGBTQ community goes through. At the ball they are able to dress up as whatever they want and do whatever without having to worry about how they are seen. While watching this I realized straight people can openly be themselves anywhere without having to worry about being judged because of how “normal” being straight is seen. But people in the LGBTQ community dont all have a safe space where they can freely be themselves. The ball is that space for them where they can express themselves in whatever way they see fit, whether that’s through their clothes or makeup. While watching them dance I can see how comfortable everyone is and how well supported they are. Not having many places where you can openly be yourself can start to affect how you view yourself.

When I think of a housewife I think about a stay at home mom who is responsible for taking care of the house and doing chores. Whether that’s cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, making sure that the house has everything it needs and taking care of the kids throughout the day. However, it didn’t occur to me that some of these women gave up on their careers and things they wanted to do in life to be this person that their husband and kids need. Many lose themselves while trying to be this perfect mother and wife. After reading The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, society’s role in this was clear. It was stated how “For over fifteen years there was no word of this yearning in the millions of words written about women, for women, in all the columns, books and articles by experts telling women their role was to seek fulfillment as wives and mothers…. Experts told them how to catch a man and keep him,  how to breastfeed children and handle their toilet training, how to cope with sibling rivalry and adolescent rebellion;” (Friedan). The word “yearning” was used to describe how there has been no word of women longing for something else. The fact that this whole thing was based on experts educating women on how to keep a man and being a mom shows how much they think that’s all that should be important to a woman. What about her goals? Her mental health? And her life outside of the house? Women have been told all their life how they should carry themselves, what they need to learn how to do and what they can’t do. With no room left for what they want. Their voice and dreams matter just as much as a man. It’s sad that it’s years later and women are still having these same problems.

Marams’ snapshot stood out to me because it showed how much a housewife actually has to do around the house by themselves. Which showed me that it actually is a full time job, I never saw it in this way because they aren’t getting paid to do it but it takes a lot of time and energy. Not only that but it showed what it would look like if men helped out with the load, such as helping clean, organize the house and much more which I thought was interesting. Seeing how gender roles were eliminated showed a different perspective which I believe to be good. Pat Mainardi talked more on this in The Politics of Housework and gave examples of how men would respond to this and what they really meant. One response would be “Housework is too trivial to even talk about.” MEANING: It’s even more trivial to do. Housework is beneath my status. My purpose in life is to deal with matters of significance. Yours is to deal with matters of insignificance. You should do the housework.” (Mainardi, 3). Housework is seen as unimportant to men which is why they believe women should do it. Implying that women cannot handle important and much more valuable tasks. Which just shows how little men think of women even when they are doing the most. This idea that housework isnt important shows how unappreciative some men are, especially those with wives as they continue to belittle women and underestimate them.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was a devastating time for a lot of families after losing their loved ones due to a fire that broke out in the factory where they worked. This should have never been the case at all for this couldve been prevented if the exits did not only open inward, sprinklers were put in factories and all elevators worked. While some were lucky enough to find another way to leave others burned in the fire. Some even dived out the window so their families could have their bodies and they could be recognized. It’s sad enough that these were young women who lost their lives but seeing the conditions in which they were working under was terrible. They were overworked and underpaid while the clothing they were making was selled at a very high price. Workers made 14cents an hour while working up to 13 hrs a day. The triangle shirtwaist fire should’ve been a learning experience to all factory owners so the same thing won’t happen again. However it saddens me to say the same exact thing happened in Bangladesh at the humming factory. A fire broke out in the building which killed 29 workers and injured over 100. Workers stated how “Often management locked them exit gates during a fire so that the garments can’t be stolen.” (Triangle Returns). This showed how to them the clothes were more important than the lives of their workers which is very creul. Jasmine’s snapshot showed a worker holding up a sign saying “I don’t want to die for fashion.” It’s sad that they even have to protest this, that a human life is being put in danger all for clothes. The very ones who are working nonstop with little pay to make these clothes. 

The Equal Rights Amendment being talked about in “Virginia Just Became the 38th State to Pass the Equal Rights Amendment” promotes the equality of all regardless of gender. The fight for equal rights has been a long one which still hasn’t been fully fulfilled. However it is not easy to be fulfilled because it has a “Requirement that three-quarters of the states must approve an Amendment in order to add it to the U.S. Constitution.” (Law,1). Although plenty wanted it to be approved others like Phyllis Schlafly were against everything it stands for. She strongly believed “That the ERA would do away with much of the special status granted to women, including the right to be supported by their husbands, and would damage the traditional American family.” Not to mention “Lead to a future of gender-neutral bathrooms and women being drafted into the military, she successfully made many people think twice about what Constitutionally mandated equality of the sexes would mean.” (Law, 4). Although I fully understand her concerns I feel as if the ERA brings about more positive change than negative. We cannot pick and choose when we want things to be equal. Women want to be taken care of by their husbands yet argue that men have too much power over women. Power that women give them without even realizing it.