Tag: politics

Boots On The Ground Demonstrates How Midwest Activists Can Organize Effectively

By Whitney Young

Since the 2024 election results came in, we’ve been living in a grave, new political reality for the past 14 months. Instead of grieving the loss, we activated, and our activations took different forms. Some of us started gathering resource lists for our community, while others, like Boots on the Ground, began organizing. 

Boots on the Ground started with the nonprofits that needed the most assistance after the new administration took office in 2025. From there, it grew into a multifaceted community action plan: sharing information and current events over Substack and social media; community-building programs such as Workshop Wednesdays; and engaging the Midwest to show up at local and statewide protests and rallies—a little something for everyone to get involved at their own pace. 

We reached out to Boots on the Ground co-founders, Nancy Mays and Martha Lawrence, to learn more about their mission and to gather a few pieces of advice regarding the political environment we find ourselves in for the foreseeable future.

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What was second-wave feminism really like? Explore the era with feminist author Clara Bringham during her live talk on March 20

By Emily Laptad

The 1960s and 70s marked a significant era of progress for women in the United States. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was the first nationwide legislation for eliminating wage disparities based on sex. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Women’s Educational Equity Act of 1972 guaranteed equal access to education for women and girls. Roe v. Wade legalized abortion across the US in 1973. The Equal Opportunity Credit Act of 1974 enabled women to open bank accounts and apply for credit cards with their own names. And other court cases and legislation further expanded women’s rights to employment, education, financial independence, and reproductive health during this time too. 

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