I’m Not Excited to Return to “Normalcy”

I’m the kind of friend who gives a half-assed excuse to get out of things, like I have a stomachache, or I need to wash my cat. But, once in a blue moon, I’ll agree to step away from the safety of my room, where I’m usually watching the newest comedy special on Netflix, and talk myself into going out and “living a little.” I tend to reason with myself that, if I go out and meet new...

Reflecting on my Sense of Security in the Cities I Live In

Yesterday I was taking a stroll down the street and I found myself unconsciously being extremely vigilant of my surroundings. The walk was supposed to help me relax-- to give me time away from work and an excuse to get fresh air. However, my brain was continuously scanning my surroundings, sussing out potential threats.  I feel, as women, we have to always be cautious of our surroundings,...

More Thoughts from Survivors to Superheroes About AOC

Earlier in the week, we shared our president’s thank you to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Today, we share the response from another member of our team, Jenn Pantoja. If you read these two responses, you will see how remarkably similar they are. While ordinarily, we wouldn’t publish two such similar articles, we thought it was important to show how deeply AOC’s courage has resonated with two...

A Thank You to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from the President of Survivors to Superheroes

This week, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez publicly stated that she is a survivor of sexual violence while recounting her experience during the capitol riots in early January. As a survivor of color, seeing other powerful women publicly sharing their survivor status, and denying the societal shame that is placed on survivors is deeply empowering. Although being met with the reality that so many of us...

Pakistan’s First Law to Punish Sexual Offenders: A Personal Reflection

Content warning: depictions of rape and assault It was just a regular Wednesday morning, I had gotten up from bed to take my class as usual. As part of my regular routine, I scrolled through my social media as I was getting something to eat. Something unusual was happening. There was a dark tone in everyone’s words across Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram. The hashtag #MotorwayIncident was...