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Weekly Digest
Letter from an Editor | June 17, 2023
Dear John,
I’ll start this week with the subject that is getting wall-to-wall coverage on the radio, TV and the front page of every newspaper in the country. We learned—finally—that Trump will face 37 federal felony counts for allegedly mishandling sensitive government materials and obstruction.
In the wake of the news of this latest indictment, violent rhetoric has been on the rise in online forums and far-right militia groups. Trump and his Republican allies have joined in the extreme messaging: Kari Lake, election denier and failed Republican candidate for governor of Arizona, urged supporters “to cling to our guns and our religion.” And U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) tweeted to his 730,000 Twitter followers, “We have now reached a war phase. Eye for an eye.” These threats are real, and should not be overlooked—lest we face another January 6th at the hands of Trump’s supporters.
As Ms. contributor Jackson Katz writes, “[Trump] has been especially effective in signaling to white men that he shares not only their racial resentments, but also their frustration and anger at feminists for challenging men’s authority in both the public and private spheres. Trump channels these race and gender-based animosities at the same time as he displays an eagerness to glorify violence, and a reluctance to criticize it when done by his supporters,” he continues. “In a country with a long and ugly history of white racist violence toward people of color, this all makes for an extraordinarily volatile and dangerous political situation.”
And in the “about damn time” category, Allan Kassenoff—former husband of New York attorney Catherine Kassenoff, who took her own life after a long and bitter divorce fight—has resigned from his position at the law firm Greenberg Traurig. For four years, he weaponized the family court system against her even as she was battling cancer—causing her to be evicted from her home, arrested and barred from having custody of her children.
Ms. covered Catherine’s fight for years, and now advocates for family court reform—of which Catherine was one—are speaking out. They applauded the news, but many saw it as bittersweet. “It is sad, but no one helps us while we are alive,” said Elizabeth Harding Weinstein, a fellow advocate and friend of Catherine’s who also lost custody of her children in a high net-worth battle.
As we celebrate Juneteenth this coming Monday, we’re taking time to honor this celebration of emancipation and freedom—while also bearing in mind the ways in which racial equality is still far out of reach in the United States.
Black women are still significantly underrepresented in elected office. Despite making up 7.7 percent of the total U.S. population, their representation lags in Congress: only two Black women have ever served in the Senate—none currently—and no Black woman has ever served as governor of a U.S. state.
What’s more, Black maternal mortality is tragically and disproportionately high—and it is on the rise. Per recent data from the CDC, between 2020 and 2021 Black women had the largest increase in maternal mortality rates of any group. These disparities, driven by medical racism, have persisted for decades, and now experts say that COVID-19 is driving the new surge.
In the face of these ongoing challenges, Juneteenth is a timely reminder that we have a long way to go before Black women have the representation—and justice—that they are due.
Onward for equality,
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Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor
P.S. — Be sure to check out the latest episode of our On the Issues podcast, as we honor Juneteenth with Ann Grundy—daughter of Reverend Beard, pastor of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham which was bombed in a white supremacist attack in 1963.
This Week's Must-Reads from Ms.
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Indictments and Incitements: Threats of Violence Surround Trump Arrest [[link removed]] Allan Kassenoff Resigns After Public Outcry Over Wife Catherine’s Apparent Suicide [[link removed]]
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Is Juneteenth for Everybody? [[link removed]] Celebrate Juneteenth by Electing Black Women [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]] Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin on
Apple Podcasts [[link removed]] + Spotify [[link removed]] .
In this episode, Dr. Goodwin is joined by Ann Grundy to celebrate Juneteenth—which comes at a fraught moment in U.S. history. In 2023, Juneteenth comes with vestiges of the past, as book bans targeting queer, Black and Indigenous authors sweep the nation. Dr. Goodwin and Grundy remind us that these bans aren’t just attacks on critical race theory or women’s studies. They’re attacks on democracy and the First Amendment itself.
We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!
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U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point—from the demise of abortion rights, to a lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality, and attacks on trans health. Left unchecked, these crises will lead to wider gaps in political participation and representation. For 50 years, Ms . has been forging feminist journalism—reporting, rebelling and truth-telling from the front-lines, championing the Equal Rights Amendment, and centering the stories of those most impacted. With all that’s at stake for equality, we are redoubling our commitment for the next 50 years. In turn, we need your help, Support Ms. today with a donation—any amount that is meaningful to you [[link removed]] . We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity .
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