Ms. Must-Reads: August 12, 2024

I don’t think I’m the only one who’s noticed a distinct shift in the tone of the discourse around this election over the past week or so from one of dread, to one of excitement. One might have expected that to die down in the weeks following the announcement of Kamala Harris’s nomination—but instead, it ramped up last week with the announcement of Harris’s selection of Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.?

It’s true that advocates for feminist issues like reproductive health, child welfare and public education have a lot to be excited about when it comes to having Walz on the ticket. The Minnesota Governor has a strong track record when it comes to supporting abortion rights, and is very outspoken about his family’s experience of going through IVF. Last year, he signed into law broad protections for abortion and other reproductive rights, along with protections for gender-affirming care. In his former career as a school teacher he stood up for students, starting the first Gay-Straight Alliance at the high school he worked at in the 90’s. Later on, as Governor, he signed a bill to provide free breakfast and lunch to all Minnesota students, regardless of family income, at participating schools.?

This track record is important, because the Republican agenda on all these issues is more than just “weird”—it’s downright dangerous. Though the head of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 stepped down last month, that does not mean that the Project itself is over, by any means. In fact in some ways, it’s already being put into action: Senate Republicans recently blocked a tax policy bill that could have expanded the child tax credit, which would lift 500,000 children out of poverty according to a study from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.?

With all this in mind, we’re going to be on the ground in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention next week—listening in on key speeches, and reporting on the policies and politicians that matter to feminists this election year. If you’re in Chicago, we’d like to invite you to join us! We’ll be featured at several events throughout the DNC:??

• Monday 8/19 @ 2pm CT: Join the Feminist Majority and ERA Coalition for a Feminist Equalitea gathering in celebration of Kamala Harris for smashing the highest of glass ceilings, the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and the fight for its recognition, and fabulous feminist candidates and elected officials at Palmer House Hilton, State Ballroom, 17 East Monroe Street
• Tuesday 8/20 @ Noon CT: USC Annenberg School will host “Why Women Matter” (a media series with Ms., Politico, Univision, and others) featuring Michele Goodwin, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Carol Jenkins and myself at Hilton Chicago, Astoria Room 3rd Floor, 720 South Michigan Avenue
• Wednesday 8/21 @ Noon CT: USC Annenberg School will host a conversation between myself and expert pollster Celinda Lake at Hilton Chicago, Astoria Room 3rd Floor, 720 South Michigan Avenue

We hope to see you there! And even if you’re not going to be in Chicago, be sure to check MsMagazine.com or subscribe to our daily newsletters for ongoing dispatches from the DNC.?

Onward,

Kathy Spillar

Executive Editor

P.S. — As the Paris Olympics come to a close, we’re celebrating women’s wins, gender parity, and saluting Title IX (which of course, Project 2025 intends to destroy). Check out Susan Shaw’s excellent piece about the U.S. women’s basketball team and Title IX below!

This week's Ms. Must-Reads:

• "Harris Chooses Gov. Tim Walz—an Abortion Rights and Public Education Advocate—as Running Mate" —?Grace Panetta and Amanda Becker, The 19th
• "Project 2025’s Holier-Than-Thou Plans for Your Health" —?Rickey Gard Diamond
• "The Women’s Basketball Team’s Path to the Olympics Was Paved by Title IX" —?Susan Shaw
• "The Paradox of JD Vance’s Misogyny" —?Chloe Nazra Lee