- Women’s advocates in South Asia won a historic victory when India’s Supreme Court ruled the instant Islamic divorce was unconstitutional. India is one of the few nations where Muslim men can get a divorce by simply saying the word, “talaq” or divorce in Arabic three times. The Indian high court ruled in favor of a petition filed by five Muslim women who were subject to the Islamic quick divorce against their will. (“Triple Talaq: India Court Bans Islamic Instant Divorce,” BBC, Aug. 22, 2017; “India Court Bans Islamic Instant Divorce in Huge Win for Women’s Rights,” The Guardian, Aug. 22, 2017)
- Bronx fast food worker Flavia Cabral, who joined the Fight for $15 dollar minimum wage movement four years ago, has seen her hourly wage at McDonald’s rise to $12 dollars an hour. Still, her dream of being able to afford to pay for her daughter’s college education, is still a distant goal. (“The Future of the Low-Wage Worker Movement May Depend on a Little-Known New York Law,” In These Times, Aug. 15, 2017)
- America took notice last May when three white men on a light rail transit line in Portland, Oregon bravely intervened to protect two minority women being harassed by a white nationalist. The harasser, Jeremy Christian, stabbed two of the men to death. While Portland has a reputation for being a liberal, inclusive bastion of diversity, the reality of race relations in the city tells a different story. (“In Cities that Vote Blue, No Immunity from Racism,” Christian Science Monitor, Aug. 18, 2017)
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