20Sep

My Social Good Summit Experience

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I just wrapped up two days at the annual Social Good Summit in New York City. While I have been attending the SGS for the past five years, this year had particular meaning as I was asked to be a United Nations Foundations Fellow. I was given special access to speakers and exclusive events going on around the conference and that was very invigorating, both as a writer and cause marketer. To get up close and personal to many of the people behind major movements that are creating major change around the world was something special. I'm a strong believer Read More

12Sep

Let’s Stop HIV Together

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I'm a child of the 1980s, so HIV is not an unfamiliar term for me. It was more widely known as AIDS, but everyone knew about the virus. I heard story after story of people dying from the disease. Stories of all people, men and women, young and old, black and white. I probably didn't hear enough, partly because the U.S. President at the time tried to brush the enormity of the situation away. However, what I did hear stayed with me. Later as a young woman living on my own in New York City, I headed to a clinic in Harlem to get tested, just as I was Read More

11Jul

Peace, Feminist Policy and Creating Change

donordirectaction

Last week I was invited to a very important event about so many topics I care about rolled into one: feminism, prostitution, pop culture, exploitation and a feminist foreign policy (sounds dreamy, yes?). Yes, all of this being talked about with some of the top feminist experts in these fields. I was thrilled and honored to be invited by We are Women Online and Donor Direct Action, a non-profit n strengthens women’s rights organizations around the world by increasing access to funds, advocacy, and visibility. I won't go into detail why,  but the event Read More

14Jun

State of America’s Fathers 2016

state of america's fathers

Men say they can do more. They want to do more. But they can't do it alone. In the latest State of America's Fathers report, produced by MenCare and Promundo US, research breaks down what it takes to support caring, involved dads.The hope is that the report will increase the visibility and value of care work in the United States at the national level with never-before-analyzed data and bold policy recommendations. It seeks to influence and improve policies and programming for parents, particularly for the most vulnerable families and fathers. The report Read More

08Mar

What International Women’s Day 2016 Means to Me #IWD2016

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  Happy International Women's Day! Today we are celebrating all women and girls around the world who have either helped create where we are today, or will be a part in our future efforts to get us where we want and need to be. As the mother of a young tween girl, I see all my hopes and aspirations and the many opportunities, and pitfalls, she has in her future. It's exciting but it's also frightening. We are so much further than we were 10-20 years ago but we still have so much progress to make. As a feminist, I see the battle continuing in violence Read More

12Feb

#HeNamedMeMalala To Premiere on National Georgaphic

malala

Last year I wrote about Malala Yousafzai, an amazing young woman. Her story is so inspirational. Named for an Afghan folk heroine, the activist Pakistani teenager was shot in the face and left for dead by the Taliban in 2012 — but recovered and went on to speak out about the gross injustices in girls’ education in her country and around the world, winning the Nobel Peace Prize along the way. The Malala Fund, which she co-founded with her father Ziauddin Yousafzai, is building schools in Jordan, Pakistan and Lebanon. I was so inspired by the film made Read More

20Oct

Peace, Justice and the Global Goals

global goals

Last month I attended the UN Sustainable Development Summit, which was one of the most exciting events I've ever attended. The United Nations want to help rid the world of extreme poverty, provide an equal education for girls and boys, and protect our environment for generations to come, and it was there that they announced a new platform to attain these goals - a total of 17 global goals for global sustainable development. These goals will set the world’s agenda for the next 15 years and the event elaborated on the goals our dire need in the world for Read More

01Oct

Speaking and Standing #withMalala

malala

Malala Yousafzai is an amazing young woman. Her story is so inspirational. Named for an Afghan folk heroine, the activist Pakistani teenager was shot in the face and left for dead by the Taliban in 2012 — but recovered and went on to speak out about the gross injustices in girls’ education in her country and around the world, winning the Nobel Peace Prize along the way. The Malala Fund, which she co-founded with her father Ziauddin Yousafzai, is building schools in Jordan, Pakistan and Lebanon. Last week I was given the opportunity to be on a group Read More

29Sep

Social Media is the New First Responder

2030Now

Social media is changing the delivery of humanitarian aid. The  2015 Social Good Summit spearheaded a session about this subject, led skillfully by reporter Lara Logan. The panel consisted of Naomi Gleit from Facebook, Dr. Pranav Shetty, Health Coordinator, International Medical Corps and Matt Petronzio, Social Good Editor at Mashable. They stressed that when social media is used to reach people, it makes people aware and sheds light on situations they might not otherwise understand or take as serious. With the surge of social media over the past few Read More

24Sep

Teaching my Kids the Power of Clean Water #PowerofClean

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Cleaning the house. These are three words that irritate me on a daily basis. I get ferklempt cleaning up after others, day in and day out. However as a mom, I feel a level of responsibility towards my family to keep them and our home clean. Do I like washing clothes and dishes day in, day out? Not really but as much as a feminist I am, it simply has little to do keeping my family clean. Whether it’s regular hand washing, making sure that our kitchen surfaces are free from germs or simply washing clothes, I make an effort to keep our lives clean so we can Read More