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Collage by Alex Bandoni/ProPublica. Source image: Roberto Schmidt/Stringer/Getty Images. For decades, the U.S. Department of State gave money to groups protecting free speech, human rights and persecuted minorities in poor and authoritarian countries.
If there’s one celebrity whose World Cup wardrobe has been just as exciting as the matches themselves, it’s Ciara’s . Throughout the tournament, the singer has delivered a series of standout looks that prove sports style can be equal parts effortless and fashion-forward.
Click to expand Image People congregate outside a World Food Programme food distribution center in Yakawlang, Bamyan province, Afghanistan, January 1, 2026. © 2026 Sayed Hassib/Reuters A man in western Afghanistan recently told me that his neighbors knock on his door to ask for food.
Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, on boards, in sports and entertainment, in judicial offices and in the private sector in the U.S.
The man identified as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who fatally shot a Colombian immigrant in Maine on Monday had a documented history of domestic violence against two previous wives and his daughters, according to reporting by the Associated Press (AP).
Four years after the fall of Roe , telemedicine is not just a convenience. For thousands of women, it is the best or only option. Telemedicine’s success means that antiabortion threats have grown more sophisticated and intense.
A caved-in roof. A crumbling porch. A memorial water wall in need of restoration. These are just a few areas of the $10 million of deferred maintenance needed at the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, N.Y.
2026 marks 50 years since pioneering glam rock trio Labelle released their sixth studio album Chameleon , bringing to a close one of the most radical reinventions in music history. Six years earlier, the group affectionately known as the “Sweethearts of the Apollo” shed the demure and polished perso…
Antiabortion Republican senators scored a major win from embattled acting Attorney General Todd Blanche during his contentious confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Justice. Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz used Wednesday's hearing to press Blanche to restrict access to the abortion pil…
Raising a tween, teen, or young adult in today’s world? You’ve got questions. And during the summer when they have more free time? How much independence is too much? When do you hold firm and when do you let go? July is BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month and ESSENCE tapped me, Rochelle R.
When you hear the name Diahann Carroll you think of a mellifluous voice contrasted with a bunch of no-nonsense badass characters that you wanted to be like. She was someone who embodied the word diva in the best possible way.
Does sex seem more satisfying for your partner than it does for you? Do you give pleasure, but not receive it? You may be a victim of the orgasm gap—snappy branding for a shabby situation. The disparity between orgasm frequency in American women and men was first observed in a 1953 Kinsey Report cal…
During Pride month last year, almost 70,000 LGBTQ+ young people sought specialized help from 988, the national suicide and crisis hotline. That was the last time they were able to do so. As of today, it’s been a year since the 988 hotline’s LGBTQ+ youth services shut down.
Unlike her late brother Lindsey, whose political career spanned 33 years, Darline Graham has never run for or held elected office — until she was appointed to serve the remainder of the U.S. senator’s term this week.
Click to expand Image Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri appeared before Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, December 3, 2025. © 2025 International Criminal Court (The Hague) – The International Criminal Court (ICC)’s confirmation of war crimes and crime…
Aasna Sijapati sramashwar July 16, 2026 Senior Research Assistant
Imagine yourself at 90 years old. You can do the splits, dance, and maintain a high quality of life. Seems impossible, right? It’s not. Founder of Ageless Mobility Aliya M Brooks’ grandmother, Millie Cruzat, lived to be 94 years old and could do it all.
Genevieve Meyer describes her childhood in the 1980s as being filled with “a lot of violence, a lot of volatility and a lot of instability.” She was raised in Southern California by a single mom who suffered significant mental health issues and, later, she had an abusive stepfather.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday, June 30, that states may prohibit transgender students from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity, holding that the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment does not prohibit such bans.
The Dangerous Unraveling Of The United States’ Family Planning Safety Net Policy Analysis jloewenberg July 16, 2026 July 14, 2026 Exclude from search No Automatic Redirect Off
In every issue of Ms. , we track research on our progress in the fight for equality , catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones . We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.
One of the more controversial topics concerning the Supreme Court is how attuned justices should be to public opinion. An even more fundamental question, however, is how closely public opinion matches the Supreme Court’s decisions.
In September 2016, a distraught mother sent infant formula maker Mead Johnson a message: “REMOVE ME FROM YOUR LIST!!!! DO NOT EMAIL OR MAIL ME ANY MORE! “It is because of your animal based pre-term artificial baby food crap that you peddle to hospital NICU’s that my son is dead from NEC.
Click to expand Image Robert Taylor in Reserve, Saint John the Baptist Parish, in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley. October 17, 2023. © 2023 Eli Reed for Human Rights Watch On July 13, the Trump administration again clawed back a crucial rule that would have expanded monitoring of hazardous air polluta…
Click to expand Image A mother hugs her children after their return from the occupied territory of Ukraine via the Ukraine-Belarus border, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Volyn region, Ukraine, on September 3, 2023.
Click to expand Image Residents walk through the rubble from Pakistani airstrikes that killed civilians in the village of Mandokhail, Chamkani district, Afghanistan, June 29, 2026. © 2026 Saifullah Zahir/AP Photo On June 29, Pakistani airstrikes in three provinces in eastern Afghanistan killed …
ATLANTA — Kecia Ellick doesn’t see herself as having much in common with Keisha Lance Bottoms, beyond them both being Black women in their 50s who are mothers and neighbors — and having names that sound the same. Ellick is a laid-off public health researcher trying to rebuild her career.
Whether you’re a diehard boho braids lover or a queen of crochet, the innovation in braiding hair has been little to nonexistent. But Ruka, a Black-owned brand , is completely flipping the industry upside down.
Courtesy of Coca-Cola® At the ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola®, Dr. Virginia W. Harris, National President of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women , reflected on how the organization’s decades-long commitment to advocacy has transformed sisterhood into a powerful leadership m…
When women think of their earliest beauty memories, their mothers often come to mind. From watching them put on their lipstick (then sneaking some when they’re not looking) to stealing their favorite perfumes off their vanity, a mother’s beauty rituals are too tempting to not try out ourselves.
While United States Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey joined the Global Black Economic Forum’s (GBEF) Business Summit and Public Convention during the 2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, helping shape conversations about politics, democracy and economic justice, his reflections on love revealed what h…
Domestic violence organizations are raising the alarm over a proposed federal rule change that policy analysts say politicizes the federal grantmaking process and clears the way for officials to cancel funding without cause.
Approximately two weeks after the final opinion of the 57 argued cases decided by the Supreme Court in the October 2025-26 Term was filed, this column presents an overview of the “pure” criminal law decisions the court issued.
The summer months are a perfect time to lose yourself in the pages of a juicy page turner . Even if your bank account or PTO balances are coming up short, the right book allows you to easily escape without ever leaving your zip code.
The fear of losing their lives is precisely what many pregnant Texas residents say they’ve experienced after four young women died in the state when they were unable to access medically necessary abortions. Three died while doctors delayed their care for hours as they miscarried.
Misinformation about abortion care is rampant and being weaponized at state and federal levels to justify wide-ranging restrictions across the United States. Ensuring awareness of these narratives, and combatting them with rigorous data and evidence, is critical both for preventing them from becomin…
Editor’s note: This story contains sensitive content, including depictions of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments and transphobic extremism, conversion practices, and discussions of suicide. If you or a loved one need mental health support, you can call or text one of these hotlines .
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for the 2025 Kennedy Center honors gala. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images The rich and famous who filed into the Kennedy Center’s opera house in December were there to enjoy one of the nation’s most exclusive celebrations of the performin…
In the first appearances by members of the Supreme Court before Congress in seven years, Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett testified on Tuesday in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Havaianas may have laid the groundwork, but they’re no longer the only flip-flops defining the category. Once reserved for beach vacations and poolside afternoons, the simple sandal has evolved into one of fashion’s most essential summer shoes.
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