A cyberfeminism index, 3 women forced Instagram to change its nudity policy, Intern at "How I Built This" podcast

How three women forced Instagram to change its nudity policy: After images of Nyome Nicholas-Williams, a Black plus-sized model, were repeatedly removed a movement emerged to fight for the liberation of Black, plus-size bodies online. “Society and Instagram have a huge issue with bigger bodies and hyper-sexuality. We should be able to create really lovely pieces of visual art without having to be silenced or censored.” >> Full Story

A feminist blueprint for saving democracy in the US – and beyond: If Trump refuses to step down after the election, there will be a need to unite, mobilise and resist. Feminists from Belarus to Sudan can show the US how; learning from feminist movements all over the world shows how to generate the kind of people-powered movement needed to preserve democracy. There's an excellent feminist blueprint: let’s put it into action. >> Full Story

Four pioneering female peacekeepers you should know: In Oct. 2000, the UN security council adopted the first resolution acknowledging women’s unique experience of conflict and their role in peace negotiations. For the 20th anniversary, check out recent data examining the role and impact of women in peace negotiations from 1992-2019 and read interviews with four women helping keep peace around the world. >> Full Story

This week, NASA came out with huge news: there's water on the moon! But wait... what's the big deal? Read about the implications of the discovery directly through the woman who led to the discovery. 

Witches, ghosts and feminism: how female authors are rewriting horror fiction. 

If you're interested in the intersection of technology and feminism, you'll want to check out this *fascinating* ongoing cyberfeminism index, database, resource..pretty much an everything-kind-of-guide to cyberfeminism.

Harper's Baazar highlights women in American politics who are the “firsts” and each woman discusses what the label of “first” means to them. Some talk about how they hope to inspire girls and women while a few talk about how they don’t want their identities to be check-boxes. Each snippet provides a thought-provoking and inspiring read.

Meet the artist using a 100-year-old technique to depict the power of women’s hair.

Qoyllur Rit'i, or the Snow Star Festival, is a centuries-old festival and pilgrimage in Peru. It's held annually for three days, combining Catholic, Incan, and other indigenous beliefs to celebrate the stars. One photographer witnessed how the festival has changed due to the climate crisis, and how the celebrations persist. “For three days, from morning until night, amid the nonstop sounds of drums, flutes, whistles, accordions, cymbals and electric keyboards, the air is filled with billowing clouds of dust kicked up from twirling dancers; it settles on the sequins, neon scarves, ribbons, tassels and feathers that adorn people’s traditional costumes and attire,”

'Tikim' (which means "taste" in Tagalog) is an essay collection by Doreen Fernandez from 1994 that helped the Philippines and the world see the value of Filipino cuisine. Her work is slowly making an important comeback. 

"Do things others tell you are impossible" are the opening words of one of the best LinkedIn posts I've seen lately, a post where one of The Bloom's recent interviewees announced that she's raised more than $1M for her edtech startup! 

Erika Hairston and Arnelle Ansong are the co-founders of Edlyft and they recently made history as some of the youngest Black female founders to raise more than $1M. Their startup is helping create the next million new STEM learners, starting with college students in computer science. Erika's reflection on Edlyft's achievement is a an inspiring reminder of the power of grit, resilience, and an unyielding belief in building the world as you want it to become, and not accepting it "as is": 

"I knew raising would be tough, but during a pandemic was simply unprecedented. Despite global uncertainty, Arnelle & I felt in our hearts that our work with Edlyft only became that much more important. This pushed us to achieve what felt impossible, to raise to grow our business at the start of COVID. Studying Computer Science changed our lives, & like fundraising, felt impossible at one point as well. As two young women of color, given the stats, we'd been told we couldn't do either at one point before-- which reminded me -- WE MUST. We know that more people can learn in-demand skills when given the right tools & environment. That’s why we built Edlyft, because society too often tells us what we can’t do. Instead, we want to build tech that shatters the boundaries of what you thought you could do."

Read our full interview with Erika to learn more about  her story, and all the valuable seeds of wisdom she’s picked up along the way.



Congratulations Edlyft!!! 💛