1. Anika Noni Rose to Star in, Produce Shirley Chisholm Biopic.

By Cristiano Del Riccio via Wikimedia Commons

While we’ve been busy riding HRC’s First-Female-Major-Party-Nominee wave, the folks of Hollywood have been busy preparing for the production of a film about Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman candidate for a major party, as well as the first black woman elected to Congress in 1972. It was announced this week that Anika Noni Rose (Tony Award-winner) will be portraying Chisholm on screen, as well as producing the film itself; news that has us all drowning in #BlackGirlMagic (except, like, #BlackGrownWomanMagic). The filming of this movie serves as an important reminder that, while Hillary Clinton has achieved something *huge* and unquestionably one-of-a-kind, there were indeed women of color before her who were brave enough to step up. But honestly, y’all, there’s no need to pit the two against one another in a contest of firstness--we have room for both of ‘em.   

2. United State of Women Summit Draws Praise.

Maybe something’s in the air these days, but it's feelin’ like the future just might be as female as they've been predicting. This week, the White House hosted the first United State of Women Summit, all for the purpose of assessing, well, the state of women in the U.S. Packed with just about every shero any feminist fangirl could ever wish to hang around, the gathering was at once a celebration of progress and strength, and a call to action for continued, more aggressive improvements in the lives of women in this country. From Michelle Obama, to Kerry Washington, to Gloria Steinem, to our own Miki (who not only was in attendance but actually SPOKE at the summit !! #swoon), women had the opportunity to bask in the glory of fellow culture-shifters and watch as they made history.

3. Hamilton Sweeps Tony's, Lin Manuel Miranda Addresses Orlando Tragedy.

It’s hard to comprehend the extent of the anguish and devastation that has consumed many in this country as a result of the most horrific mass shooting we’ve seen in the United States--which is really saying something, considering how we see a new mass shooting what feels like every day. On top of the heartache and blinding fury we were already sizzling over with regard to the tragedy of the Stanford rape case, the news of this murderous rampage in Orlando, the news of this hate crime leveled against the queer community, has taken a heavy toll on our hearts, minds, and bodies. Luckily, this massacre has seen mass outrage coming from all sides: Lin Manuel Miranda shared sonnets about the universality of love as his show Hamilton swept the Tony’s this week; Samantha Bee changed the landscape of late night TV and held nothing back as she tore apart everything that’s wrong with our gun laws and our culture violence; and Senate Democrats just ended a 15-hour filibuster when Republican party leaders agreed simply to allow votes on proposed gun control measures (because before this, Senate Dems weren’t even allowed to hold votes about this stuff). For more of our thoughts, read this.

4. Senate Approves Amendment For Women in Draft.

Another in this week’s set of *major* firsts, the Senate enthusiastically passed a revised defense bill, complete with an amendment to include women in compulsory drafts of the future. The National Defense Authorization Act passed easily, but still needs approval from the House before it goes into law. This is a V significant shift in tone when it comes to the military’s relationship with women. Certain politicians, like Republican Senator John McCain, consider the amendment to be the only fair and logical step forward, especially considering how the Pentagon recently opened up all military roles to women (oh yeah, that happened). However, there are other politicians--ahem, Ted Cruz--who feel like “young girls” shouldn’t be forced into combat, suddenly expressing a concern for the health and safety of women in this country (unlike that one time that he decided to crusade against Planned Parenthood, lol #tbt). Whichever way you may feel about this big ol’ leap toward gender equality at its most literal, we can certainly all appreciate just how historic of a moment this is for women in the U.S.

5. Goldman Sachs Found 'Procuring' Prostitutes For Business Deals.

Trigger warning: this one is like if all your modern-day Wolf of Wall Street nightmares came to fruition and you actually had to do business with Jordan Belfort. *shivers* Basically, this story pulls from all the heavy hitters from the dark side of power and wealth: big oil, ex-pariah states, nepotism, exploitation of women, etc. etc. In a court dispute between the Libyan Investment Authority and Goldman Sachs (mostly just wealthy men whining about not getting even wealthier than they were to begin with), it came out that Goldy Sachs actually hired the brother of the LIA’s former deputy chief as an intern--an attempt to butter up the LIA and maintain... fluid relations (to enter into some trades that wound up screwing the LIA and benefitting GS)--and then further spoiled the lil’ guy with fancy flights, five-star hotels, and, of course, prostitutes to “entertain” him. Instead of taking this as just another story of men using women as pawns to get what they want, we should hold corporations accountable for engaging in such an archaic practice. It’s 2016, Goldman Sachs. Just use your words instead of using women next time??! kthxbaiii

by Team Thinx