Note: This episode was recorded in early February 2025. As of March 11, 2025, Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order in the coming days that will aim to dismantle the Department of Education, which is responsible for upholding civil rights and ensuring equal educational opportunities.
Women now make up more than 56% of college students in the United States. That must mean we’ve got equal opportunity to all the benefits education offers us, right? Right?
Recent attacks on Title IX and diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education threaten to roll back decades of feminist progress—all under the pretext of protecting women and girls. This season’s theme is “Protecting women in a hostile world,” and education needs protection more than ever. In this episode, NOW National President Christian F. Nunes sits down with Gloria L. Blackwell, CEO of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), to discuss the impacts of these attacks and the ways everyday feminists can get involved in protecting women’s access to higher education.
Links:
Education rules from 2020 are returning to ‘protect women.’ Are vulnerable students at risk?
U.S. women are outpacing men in college completion, including in every major racial and ethnic group
Become a Two-Minute Activist with AAUW
Guest: Gloria L. Blackwell is CEO of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and a prominent thought leader on issues ranging from equity for women in higher education and STEM to economic empowerment and the gender pay gap. With a strong international background, she also leads AAUW’s global and UN engagement and is featured in prominent media outlets, panels and symposia. Blackwell holds a master’s degree in education and human development from The George Washington University, and a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
Take Action NOW: In celebration of Women’s History Month, read more about the National Organization for Women and the Equal Rights Amendment here.
Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.
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