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Stories and lessons for growing minds

We are a free multimedia platform for educators and students. Through our immersive storytelling and curricula, we aim to plant seeds of empathy, interconnectedness, and a sacred relationship with our planet. Use our award-winning films, photo essays, and essays to learn about social, cultural, and environmental issues from individuals and communities worldwide. For grades 3-12, our stories and lessons encourage students to broaden their perspectives and worldviews while fostering universal human values and respect for the living world. We aim to bring universal values into the lives of educators and students.

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Student Winners and Finalists: The Environment Is in You

In what ways is climate change impacting the place where you live?

In this contest, students documented the fragility, hope, and future of our planet's ecosystem due to climate change. Inspired by four environmental writers-Linda Hogan, Robert Hass, Wendell Berry, and Dara McAnulty-students explored changes to local systems, how the environment shapes our identity, and how our actions and awareness today can impact the future.

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These five shorts films follows five Native American communities who are restoring their traditional land management practices.

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How might stories act as keys allowing us access to challenge, examine, uproot, and illumine our habits and fears?

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This feature shares the stories of four Indigenous communities in California who are working to revitalize their languages and cultures in order to pass them on to the next generation.

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"This film has historic relevancy. I can see myself using it to encourage students to think about the value of the space program and how it speaks to the American Spirit and how we are often looking forward in our progress. This film begs to be used as an exploration of what it means to be a global citizen, how students can learn from people not like themselves, and what actions students can take in their everyday lives to make the world a better place."

Michael Dunn, Director of College Counseling at Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center

Stories Exploring Climate Change

Celebrating Student Artwork: New Student Gallery

Encourage thoughtful and meaningful conversations in the classroom with our student gallery. Use the gallery as a tool to foster curiosity, observation skills, and perspective-taking.

The gallery encourages students to learn from each other's perspectives. How are students witnessing and engaging with the world in new ways since the start of Covid-19? Search by theme, previous Global Oneness Project contests, or from locations around the world. The gallery is accompanied by an image analysis activity, including a Visible Thinking Routine from Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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Our materials provide opportunities for an interdisciplinary approach to learning across disciplines from social sciences and humanities to environmental sciences. Education stakeholders, including K-12 educators, university professors, librarians, tech/media specialists, parents, and students are using our materials in multiple learning environments.

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Films For Action: A Library for Changing the World

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Browse and watch 5000+ documentaries and videos - 99% free. No ads. Submit films. Share with friends. Let’s change the world together!

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Between 1910 and the 1970s*, many First Nations children were forcibly removed from their families as a result of various government policies. The generations of children removed under these policies became known as the Stolen Generations. The policies of child removal left a legacy of trauma and loss that continues to affect First Nations communities, families and individuals today.

What happened and why?

The forcible removal of First Nations children from their families was part of the policy of Assimilation, which was based on the misguided assumption that the lives of First Nations people would be improved if they became part of white society. It proposed that First Nations people should be allowed to ‘die out’ through a process of natural elimination, or, where possible, assimilated into the white community. [1]

Policies focused on assimilating children as they were considered more adaptable to white society than adults. Children of First Nations and white parentage were particularly vulnerable to removal because authorities thought these children could be assimilated more easily into the white community due to their lighter skin colour.[2]

Children taken from their parents were taught to reject their heritage and were forced to adopt white culture. The children’s names were often changed, and many children were forbidden from speaking First Nations languages. Some children were adopted by white families, and many children were placed in institutions where abuse and neglect were common.[3] First Nations people who were removed were left with lifelong trauma and were never treated as equal to non-Indigenous Australians.

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The Stolen Generation | Australians Together

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Between 1910 & 1970s, many First Nations children were forcibly removed from their families as a result of government policies. This is the Stolen Generation.

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ThoughtCo.com is the World's Largest Education Resource

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From chemistry to computer programming, arts to World War II, ThoughtCo.com provides guides, tips, and resources to help you understand more about the world around us.

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We are an action platform dedicated to achieving the end of extreme poverty, powered by a community of millions of Global Citizens who believe in one world, one people - where everyone has an equal chance to thrive.

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What Are the Biggest Problems Women Face Today?

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Eleven female lawmakers, journalists and scholars weigh in.

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There are people who believe that we do not need feminism today, but nothing could be further from the truth. Women have struggled for equality and against oppression for centuries, and although some battles have been partly won - such as the right to vote and equal access to education - women are still disproportionally affected by all forms of violence and by discrimination in every aspect of life.

It is true that in some areas and on certain issues, there have been improvements: for example, in Saudi Arabia women were allowed, for the first time, to vote and run for office in 2015(!). However, on other issues there has been little or no progress: for example, there have been insignificant reductions in cases of violence against women. Women continue to receive lower pay for the same work as men in all parts of the world; there are still countries that do not have laws against marital rape and still allow child brides, and practices such as 'honour' killings and female genital mutilation still exist.

Jokes about feminism and stereotypes about feminists persist, and many of these are also homophobic and assume that being lesbian is something 'bad'. In fact, being a feminist is not something particular to any sex or gender: there are women and men who consider themselves feminists, some are gay or lesbian, some heterosexual, bisexual or transgender - and some may identify differently.

The concept of feminism reflects a history of different struggles, and the term has been interpreted in fuller and more complex ways as understanding has developed. In general, feminism can be seen as a movement to put an end to sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression and to achieve full gender equality in law and in practice.

Women's movements and the history of feminism

There have been many extraordinary women who have played an important role in local or world history, but not all of these have necessarily been advocates of women's issues. The women's movement is made up of women and men who work and fight to achieve gender equality and to improve the lives of women as a social group. In most societies, women were traditionally confined to the home as daughters, wives and mothers, and we are often only aware of women in history because of their relation to famous men. Of course many women throughout history did in fact play an important role in cultural and political life, but they tend to be invisible. An organised women's movement only really started in the 19th century, even though women activists and the struggle for equality have always been part of all human societies.

One of the early pioneers, who thought and wrote about women as a group, is the Italian writer Christine de Pizan, who published a book about women's position in society as early as 1495. Christine de Pizan wrote about books she had read by famous men, who wrote books about the sins and weaknesses of girls and women, and questioned whether women were really human beings at all, or whether they were more similar to animals. Christine de Pizan's work offers a good example of the early stages of the struggle for women's equality. However, she was very unusual in being able to read and write, which was not at all common for women of that time.

In later history, women took part in the French revolution from the very beginning: the demonstrations that led to the revolution started with a large group of working women marching to Versailles to demand not only food to feed their families, but also political change. However, the French Revolution did not lead to proper recognition of women's rights. For that reason, in September 1791, Olympe de Gouges wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen, in response to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and with the intention of exposing the failure of the French Revolution to recognise gender equality. As a result of her writings de Gouges was accused, tried and convicted of treason, resulting in her immediate execution.

The women's movement began to develop in North America, mainly because women there were allowed to go to school earlier than in Europe - and women who can read and write, and who are encouraged to think for themselves, usually start to question how society works. The first activists travelled around North America and fought for the end of both slavery and women's oppression. They organised the 'First Women's Rights Convention' in 1848, and continued to campaign to improve the social position of all women. The movement also began in Europe with the same broad aims: activists collected signatures demanding that working women should receive their own wages and not their husbands', that women should be able to own a house and have custody of their children.

First wave of feminism

The fight for women's right to vote in elections is known as the 'suffragette movement'. By the end of the 19th century, this had become a worldwide movement, and the words 'feminism' and 'feminist movement' started to be used from that point on.

This first wave of feminism activism included mass demonstrations, the publishing of newspapers, organised debates, and the establishment of international women's organisations. By the 1920s, women had won the right to vote in most European countries and in North America. At around the same time, women became more active in communist, socialist and social democratic parties because increasing numbers of women began to work outside the home in factories and offices. Women were first allowed to go to university in the early 20th century, having both a career and a family. In certain countries, when fascist parties gained power the feminist movement was banned.

Women started organising again after the end of the Second World War, and they soon gained equal political rights in most European countries, with women's emancipation becoming an important aim and most women being allowed to take on full-time jobs, divorce their husbands and go to university.

Second wave of feminism

In Western Europe and the USA, the feminist movement was resurgent by the 1970s. Although this second wave of feminism aimed to achieve 'women's liberation', different groups had different ideas about how this should be done. Liberal feminists wanted better equality laws and reform of institutions such as schools, churches and the media. Radical feminists argued that the root cause of women's inequality is patriarchy: men, as a group, oppress women. They also focused on violence against women by men and started to talk about violence in the family, and rape. Socialist feminists argued that it is a combination of patriarchy and capitalism that causes women's oppression.

The second wave of feminism also resulted in new areas of science: women's studies became a discipline to be studied at university, and books began to be published about women's achievements in literature, music and science, and recording women's previously unwritten history.

Finally, the women's movement played an important role in the drafting of international documents about women's rights, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, 1979).

Third wave of feminism

The third wave of feminism mainly refers to the American movement in the 1990s, and was a reaction to the backlash of conservative media and politicians announcing the end of feminism or referring to 'post-feminism'. The term 'backlash' was popularised by Susan Faludi in her book Backlash. The Undeclared War against Women, published in 1991, and describing the negative reaction of the patriarchal system towards women's liberation. This was hardly a new phenomenon: women's movements had always been met with antagonism. However, in the 1980s, institutionalised forms of attacks on women's rights grew stronger. The third wave of feminism can be characterised by an increased awareness of overlapping categories, such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation. More emphasis was also placed on racial issues, including the status of women in other parts of the world (global feminism). This was also a moment when a number of feminist non-governmental organisations were established, but focusing on specific feminist issues, rather than claiming to represent general feminist ideas.

Third wave feminism actively uses media and pop culture to promote its ideas and to run activities, for example by publishing blogs or e-zines. It focuses on bringing feminism closer to the people's daily lives. The main issues that third wave feminists are concerned about include: sexual harassment, domestic violence, the pay gap between men and women, eating disorders and body image, sexual and reproductive rights, honour crimes and female genital mutilation.

Cyberfeminism and networked feminism (fourth-wave feminism)

The term cyberfeminism is used to describe the work of feminists interested in theorising, critiquing, and making use of the Internet, cyberspace, and newmedia technologies in general. The term and movement grew out of 'third-wave' feminism. However, the exact meaning is still unclear to some: even at the first meeting of cyberfeminists The First Cyberfeminist International (FCI) in Kassel (Germany), participants found it hard to provide a definition, and as a result of discussions, they proposed 100 anti-theses (with reference to Martin Luther's theses) on what cyberfeminism is not. These included, for example, it is not an institution, it is not an ideology, it is not an -ism.

Cyberfeminism is considered to be a predecessor of 'networked feminism', which refers generally to feminism on the Internet: for example, mobilising people to take action against sexism, misogyny or gender-based violence against women. One example is the online movement #metoo in 2017, which was a response on social networks from women all over the world to the case of Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood producer who was accused of sexually harassing female staff in the movie industry.

Sexism

This term is very often present in feminist literature as well as in the media and everyday life, and it is an important concept in understanding feminism. Sexism means perceiving and judging people only on the basis of their belonging to a particular sex or gender. It also covers discrimination of a person on the same basis. It is important to note that sexism applies to both men and women, however, women are more affected by sexism than men in all areas of life. Everyday sexism takes different forms, sometimes not easily recognisable - for example, telling jokes about girls, commenting on the female body (objectifying women), reacting to the way women are dressed, assigning women easier tasks in Internet games or objectifying women in advertising.

The literature mentions three types of sexism

Traditional sexism: supporting traditional gender roles, treating women as worse than men, employing traditional stereotypes which portray women as less competent than men.

Modern sexism: denying gender discrimination ('it is not a problem anymore'), having a negative attitude towards women's rights, denying the validity of claims made by women

Neosexism: This notion refers to ideologies that justify discrimination towards women on the basis of competences - 'men are effectively better competent for some things' - for example in managerial or leadership positions, and not on a direct discrimination of women. Defenders of these ideas tend to ignore or deny the difficulties faced by women in society as having an influence on 'competences'.

If it is true that the situation of women's human rights has improved in recent years, this does not mean that sexism has ended.
In March 2019, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)1 on preventing and combating sexism. The Recommendation defines sexism as
any act, gesture, visual representation, spoken or written words, practice or behaviour based upon the idea that a person or a group of persons is inferior because of their sex, which occurs in the public or private sphere, whether online or offline, with the purpose or effect of:

Violating the inherent dignity or rights of a person or a group of persons;

Resulting in physical, sexual, psychological or socio-economic harm or suffering to a person or a group of persons;

Creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment;

Constituting a barrier to the autonomy and full realisation of human rights by a person or a group of persons;

Maintaining and reinforcing gender stereotypes.

The Recommendation stresses that sexism is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between women and men, which leads to discrimination and prevents the full advancement of women in society. The Committee of Ministers asks Governments of member states to take measures to prevent and combat sexism and its manifestations in the public and private spheres, and encourage relevant stakeholders to implement appropriate legislation, policies and programmes.

Women's rights are human rights

Why do we need women's rights, when these are simply human rights? Why do we need human rights treaties about women's rights, when we have already general human rights instruments? Almost everywhere in the world, women are denied their human rights just because of their sex or gender. Women's rights should not be seen as special rights: they are human rights enshrined in international human rights treaties and other documents, and include such rights as freedom from discrimination, right to life, freedom from torture, right to privacy, access to health, right to decent living conditions, right to safety, and many others. However, there are also human rights instruments that take into account the specific situation of women in society with regards to accessing or exercising their human rights, or which aim to protect them from violence.

52. 100 anti-theses
53. Based on: Todd. D. Nelson, Psychology of Prejudice, Pearsons Education, Inc. publishing as Allyn and Bacon, 2002

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Feminism and Women's Rights Movements - Gender Matters - www.coe.int

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There are people who believe that we do not need feminism today, but nothing could be further from the truth. Women have struggled for equality and against oppression for centuries, and although some battles have been partly won - such as the right to vote and equal access to education - women are still disproportionally affected by all forms of violence and by discrimination in every aspect of life.

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Fridays For Future is an international climate movement active in most countries and our website offers information on who we are and what you can do.

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#FridaysForFuture is a youth-led and -organised global climate strike movement that started in August 2018, when [then] 15-year-old Greta Thunberg began a school strike for climate. To begin with, she was alone, but she was soon joined by others…

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The science that affects our world
The Earth's global temperature is warming, meaning that weather patterns and ecosystems are changing more quickly than animal species and human communities can adapt to.
Our new introductory climate change resources have been designed to introduce the topic of climate change to students aged 7 -11. Secondary school students, and primary school students with an existing knowledge of climate change, can further explore the affects climate change is having on our world through our series of engaging curriculum linked programmes and activities. Tell us how your school is helping to tackle climate change to claim your Climate Hero certificate.

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Our climate change resources have been designed to introduce the topic of the affects climate change is having on our world

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The Borgen Project is working to ensure a strong global response to COVID-19 (coronavirus). We know that not a single country will defeat this highly-contagious virus, until every country has defeated it. Read the latest news on COVID-19 in Africa.

"If there is one country in the world that still has the coronavirus, the whole world has it."

- Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

Media Mentions

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The Borgen Project is working to ensure a strong global response to COVID-19 (coronavirus). We know that not a single country will defeat this highly-contagious virus, until every country has defeated it. Read the latest news on COVID-19 in Africa.

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Five years ago, more than one million people crossed into Europe. Many of them took huge risks and embarked on dangerous journeys in an effort to escape conflict and find a better life.

But the sudden influx of people sparked a crisis - both humanitarian and political - as Europe struggled to respond. Thousands died attempting to reach its shores and, while some countries opened their arms, others erected fences and closed their borders.

The impact of this mass migration is still being felt today. Here, BBC correspondents, experts and those who made the journey themselves reflect on that dramatic time. How did it change Europe and the lives of those involved?

How it began: 'I knew we had no future'

Lara Tahan, Syrian teacher: My life before the war in 2011 was very good. I was a maths teacher in Aleppo with two children. But as the war started, I knew we had no future in the country. I used to drive to work and see bodies on the side of the road. So I fled to Turkey - it was the easiest option back then.

Mark Lowen, Turkey correspondent 2014-19: Syria's war shot Turkey to the front of the migration story. It borders Greece and Bulgaria, so in many ways it became the EU's waiting room. There was a huge flow of people from Syria to Turkey and then on to Greece in 2015.

Julian Miglierini, BBC reporter in Rome: But in Italy, migration had been a big issue for years. Its closeness to North Africa made it a prime destination for those willing to risk crossing the Mediterranean, and many people did.

Guy De Launey, Balkans correspondent: That summer in Serbia it was common to see people on the streets who had travelled from the Middle East. They were taking the Balkan route - which wound north through Greece and North Macedonia on the path towards countries like Germany.

Lara Tahan, Syrian teacher: My two sisters already lived in Germany. I realised that Turkey was not the future I was looking for for me and my little kids, so I decided to travel there to find better opportunities.

Jenny Hill, Berlin correspondent: Germany had been taking in people fleeing war and persecution and it had a reputation as a welcoming country. But when thousands of people arrived at the start of September 2015, a crowd was there to meet them with hand-painted signs and gifts for the exhausted people coming off the trains. They broke into spontaneous applause and cheering - it was an extraordinary moment.

Lara Tahan, Syrian teacher: I arrived in Munich after a long and complicated journey. It was raining cats and dogs! For me that was the first strange thing I noticed... rain in the summer! But I met very nice people who were so open to the refugees.

Maddy Savage, Sweden correspondent: Similarly, in Sweden, the mood at the time was that this was one of the most welcoming countries anywhere. At stations there were people with banners saying "refugees welcome", and a year earlier the prime minister had given a speech asking Swedes to open their hearts to migrants.

Samar Jaber, engineering graduate from Jordan: At university they would always talk about how Sweden was welcoming to refugees, so I fled Jordan. I had no choice because my life was in danger. My sister was already in Sweden and we were eventually reunited. When I arrived I thought I was finally free.

Europe responds: 'We will manage it'

Guy De Launey, Balkans correspondent: The big shift came when police in North Macedonia fired teargas at people trying to cross the border with Greece. The authorities said they were overwhelmed. It seemed like Europe had suddenly become keenly aware of a problem that had been hiding in plain sight.

Nick Thorpe, Central Europe correspondent: And in Hungary the government announced it would erect a fence on its border. Police also sealed off the main railway station in Budapest to stop people travelling further. But the measures just forced people into the hands of smugglers and illegality.

Bethany Bell, Austria correspondent: The dead bodies of dozens of migrants were later discovered in the back of a lorry that had travelled from Hungary into Austria. It was a shocking moment that highlighted the issue of people smuggling and the desperation of those caught up in the crisis.

Jenny Hill, Berlin correspondent: Angela Merkel, like all of us, was horrified by the lorry discovery. It seemed to have a profound impact on her. Just days later she said at least 800,000 people would likely seek asylum in Germany that year. And for the first time she used what would become her catchphrase: "wir schaffen das" - we will manage it.

Men carry the coffin of a Kurdish man whose body was found in a lorry in Austria

Nick Thorpe, Central Europe correspondent: Merkel, in agreement with the Austrian chancellor, agreed to take in those who were left stuck in Hungary. Thousands gave up on Budapest station and marched to Vienna. Hungary's view was essentially: 'If you want these people, you can have them'.

Lara Tahan, Syrian teacher: After I arrived in Munich, I went to two refugee camps before I was moved to a small town in Hessen. We met Germans who wanted to get in contact with refugees and help us integrate. They've been very supportive to me at every stage and I still live there now.

Jenny Hill, Berlin correspondent: Germany's approach was to try to ensure that new arrivals were housed all over the country; that no one area should be disproportionately affected. In reality, it became the job of local mayors and authorities to sort the logistics. But they were supported by a remarkable volunteer movement.

Maddy Savage, Sweden correspondent: Migrant families in Sweden often ended up in remote locations, or in temporary accommodation moving from place to place. And while openness to the new arrivals was the norm, that began to shift as the strain on resources became more apparent.

Guy De Launey, Balkans correspondent: Eventually, the Balkan Route was declared closed in March 2016. That helped to reduce the flow of people.

Mark Lowen, Turkey correspondent 2014-19: And a deal struck between the EU and Turkey a few weeks later proved remarkably effective. It stated that Turkey would be given billions in EU aid for agreeing to take back Syrian refugees who arrived on Greek islands. It led to a massive decline in numbers.

Work and housing: 'They thought it would be paradise'

Samar Jaber, engineering graduate from Jordan: Sweden was very hard at first and people tried to take advantage of me before I was granted refugee status. I have legal status now, and I want to use my degree, but I've come to realise they don't accept foreign qualifications here.

Maddy Savage, Sweden correspondent: A lot of people thought Sweden would be paradise but the reality has delivered more challenges than they might have expected. Even highly educated migrants with great English have struggled to progress because their qualifications are invalid.

Samar Jaber, engineering graduate from Jordan: I've applied for about 100 jobs and have never been invited to interview. So now I've decided to do what they want and I'm studying for a Swedish diploma. I want to build a future, I want to be independent, but it's been six years and I don't have anything.

Maddy Savage, Sweden correspondent: Housing and employment have been two of the biggest issues. Sweden has a huge squeeze on accommodation in major cities. Unless you've been in a queue for social housing for years you're reliant on connections.

Jenny Phillimore, professor of migration: One legacy of 2015 is the innovative ways people have addressed issues like housing. In Hamburg and Bremen they actually turned shipping containers into homes for migrants. In Amsterdam, they built a similar "container city" that housed 50% young Dutch people and 50% refugees. But there are still issues.

Maddy Savage, Sweden correspondent: The unemployment rate for foreign-born citizens is 21.2% vs. 5.5% for those born here. The aim is for new arrivals not to be doing black market jobs, and there has been a debate about whether there should be looser rules that would allow them to work more easily.

Samar Jaber, Engineering graduate from Jordan: You cannot feel stable. It feels like every time I do something I get asked for another thing! Do you think I want to stay at home and not work? We all want to work. But there's nothing.

Jenny Hill, Berlin correspondent: Germany has an ageing population and the new arrivals were seen by some as an answer to a shortage of skilled workers - big companies like Siemens started to offer apprenticeships. But inevitably there were problems and the migration issue dominated society for several years.

Political fallout: 'Compassion fatigue has taken root'

Jenny Hill, Berlin correspondent: Crimes committed by asylum seekers dominated headlines. The attacks on young women in Cologne on New Year's Eve 2015 at the hands of men who came - in the main - from North Africa fuelled anger as did the terror attack on a Berlin Christmas market, perpetrated by a Tunisian man who had come to Europe as an asylum seeker.

Maddy Savage, Sweden correspondent: Crime has become part of the immigration debate here, too. There have been high-profile incidents, but police will tell you that crime in certain high-immigration areas is largely not from recent arrivals but from criminal networks and gangs.

Jenny Hill, Berlin correspondent: There was a backlash against Merkel's "we can manage" policies, and she soon dropped the slogan as support for the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party grew. "Flüchtlingspolitik" (refugee politics) polarised society.

Julian Miglierini, BBC reporter in Rome: In Italy, nationalists exploited a perceived lack of co-operation from the EU and fellow European countries during the crisis. They've expressed anti-migrant sentiments and the message has clicked with many Italians. Nationalists have certainly had electoral success here since.

Daphne Halikiopoulou, professor of European politics: The trend we've seen in Europe, starting from the economic crisis and then continuing with the migrant crisis, is the shrinking of the mainstream and the rise of nationalist policies.

Maddy Savage, Sweden correspondent: The nationalist Sweden Democrats have got more attention here since the crisis and have gained in popularity. It's become more acceptable to voice anti-immigration views, and a cap on numbers has been introduced and even adopted as a policy by the centre-left.

Bethany Bell, Austria correspondent: The crisis has brought about significant change in Austrian politics. Opposing immigration has been a huge theme for Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. His anti-migrant message helped him win two elections and take votes away from the far-right. It's still a dominant issue for his conservative party.

Daphne Halikiopoulou, professor of European politics: The actual immigration numbers often don't correspond with people voting for a particular party. What's more important is how voters perceive the crisis and how it's portrayed. In this way, parties have been able to influence mainstream politics in a way that they weren't before.

Guy De Launey, Balkans correspondent: Some nationalist politicians have attempted to use the crisis to stir up support. In general, sympathy for the plight of those coming up the Balkan Route appears to have declined. People are protesting against asylum centres and compassion fatigue has taken root.

Nick Thorpe, Central Europe correspondent: And in Hungary the conservative Fidesz government has used the crisis to bolster its own support. This, combined with an economic boom, made them unbeatable in 2018.

Daphne Halikiopoulou, Professor of European politics: We can understand the impact of the migrant crisis mostly in terms of the opportunity it presented to [nationalist] parties to increase their support. And I think we'll continue to see these parties becoming more embedded in the political mainstream.

Schools and integration: 'I want to build a life here'

Jenny Phillimore, professor of migration: In places like Sweden and Germany, which saw the largest number of arrivals, they were faced with a less orderly approach to addressing integration. But there was a huge, grassroots volunteering effort, which was one of the most positive things to come out of the situation.

Maddy Savage, Sweden correspondent: But it's still difficult for immigrants to climb the ladder. Sooner rather than later we might see how things pan out for the children who came here and are approaching the age where they'll enter the job market.

Jenny Phillimore, professor of migration: That will be the moment when Sweden knows whether its response has been a success or not. It has an ageing population, so to suddenly receive an injection of 40,000 young and able people could prove a major success.

Jenny Hill, Berlin correspondent: In Germany, schools recruited extra teachers and people from other professions were fast-tracked through training to boost numbers. Extra classes were set up for children who shared no common language.

Lara Tahan, Syrian teacher: My daughter is doing very well at school here. We both speak German fluently and have a lot of friends. She's ambitious and I want her to do better than I have done.

Jenny Hill, Berlin correspondent: Many of those who arrived have integrated, learned the language, and built new lives. It's by no means perfect and there are still plenty of problems but hundreds of thousands of people - Syrians, Iraqis, and many others - are putting down roots.

Mark Lowen, Turkey correspondent 2014-19: It has really changed the fabric of Istanbul. Some streets there have exclusively Syrian shops, restaurants and cafes. And a lot of those Syrians actually want to stay in Turkey now because they're settled and it's a safe country.

Samar Jaber, engineering graduate from Jordan: Sweden is a very generous country. It's changed me - I used to be afraid of many things but now I feel different. I'm preparing to study for a master's degree and I hope I'll be able to fulfil my dreams.

Lara Tahan, Syrian teacher: I'm looking forward to getting my German passport. We decided to come here to have better lives and to live with dignity and security, and our life here is very good.

Some names have been changed to protect identities.

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Europe's migrant crisis: The year that changed a continent

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More than a million people arrived in Europe in 2015. Five years on, we reflect on what's changed.

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Celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage by exploring images from National Geographic's historic archives that depict women from around the world.

You can also read more about the historic efforts to pass the 19th amendment i n the August issue of National Geographic magazine, now online.

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Women: A Century of Change Virtual Reality Tour

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Celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage by exploring images from National Geographic's historic archives that depict women from around the world. You can also read more about the historic efforts to pass the 19th amendment i n the August issue of National Geographic magazine, now online.

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Structural inequality is a system of privilege created by institutions within an economy. These institutions include the law, business practices, and government policies. They also include education, health care, and the media. They are powerful socializing agents that tell us what we can achieve within the society.

Inequality is structural when policies keep some groups of people from obtaining the resources to better their lives. It prevents those who are discriminated against from realizing the American Dream. They do not have a chance to pursue their idea of happiness. Structural inequality clouds this vision and limits economic growth for the whole society.

What Is Structural Inequality?

Structural inequality differs from individual forms of inequality. That's where racism, sexism, and the like are exhibited by individual behavior. Many people think that all inequality is due to personal biases that can be overcome individually. They believe inequality would disappear if people "just stood up for themselves" or if others stopped oppressing them.

Structural inequality occurs even in a free market economy because of the laws and policies that form it. Those laws regulate government contracts, bankruptcy, and property. They create advantages for some and disadvantages for others. When the laws work against specific groups, inequality becomes part of the structure of the market.

How Structural Inequality Impacts Wealth

Structural inequality seems to be worsening. Between 1979 and 2007, after-tax income increased 275% for the wealthiest 1% of households. It rose 65% for the top fifth. The bottom fifth only increased by 18%. That's true even adding all income from Social Security, welfare, and other government payments.

During this time, the wealthiest 1% increased their share of total income by 10%. Everyone else saw their share shrink by 1% to 2%. As a result, economic mobility worsened.﻿﻿

The 2008 financial crisis saw the rich get richer. In 2012, the top 10% of earners took home 50% of all income. That's the highest percentage in the last 100 years, according to a study by economists Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty.﻿﻿

The chart below illustrates the discrepancies in household incomes by percentile, from 1963-2016.

Types of Structural Inequality

There are six major forms of structural inequality.

Students in low-income neighborhoods receive an inferior education than students in wealthier areas. Research has found that this accounts for 37% of the reason for lower math scores.﻿﻿

Within schools, tracking guides students toward different careers. Many claim this guides minorities and women toward less lucrative jobs. Others argue that tracking is needed to give gifted children the best preparation to excel.

Structural inequality exists where poor children must attend public schools while rich children can attend private schools. Before the 1950s, school segregation was allowed by federal law. Also during that time, females were guided toward home economics instead of math.

Municipal leaders can create systemic segregation through zoning. They zone for amenities like green space and large lots into wealthy White areas. They then allow apartment complexes and halfway houses in lower-income minority areas. Over time, these decisions create neighborhoods on the "wrong side of the track."

Under the New Deal, the Federal Housing Administration created loan programs to allow more Americans to buy homes. But the government redlined minority areas. It allowed banks to avoid lending to entire neighborhoods. From 1934 to 1962, 98% of home loans went to White families.﻿﻿﻿

Between 2004 and 2009, Wells Fargo Bank steered 30,000 minority borrowers into subprime mortgages.﻿﻿﻿ They gave prime loans to White borrowers with similar credit profiles. Wells Fargo was ordered to compensate the minority borrowers for the extra costs incurred by higher interest rates and fees.

Health Care

Health care inequality is correlated with income inequality. Those with good jobs have the best access to health care. Only America has a health care system that relies on private health insurance. Leading up to the launch of the Affordable Care Act, almost 44 million Americans lacked health insurance. By 2017, that number dropped to about 27 million.﻿﻿ And while the numbers have declined, there's still millions without health insurance.

Racial structural inequality has its roots in U.S. slavery. That system legally allowed Black Americans to be treated as non-human property. Even though slavery was outlawed in 1865, Jim Crow laws enforced segregation in the south until 1964.

But the racial wealth gap still exists. Data from the 2010 Census confirmed that the racial disparity in neighborhoods persists. A 2010 study found that minority families with incomes above $75,000 are more likely to live in poor communities than White families with incomes below $40,000. Poor neighborhoods are less safe, and the schools are of a lower quality than affluent areas.﻿﻿﻿﻿

As a result, Blacks in upper-income families are more likely to lose their status than Whites. White children whose parents are in the top fifth of the income distribution have a 41.1% chance of staying there as adults. But for Black children, it's only 18%.﻿﻿﻿﻿

Research shows there are many structural gender biases in the workplace. For example, studies have found that managers give women fewer challenging roles and less training compared with men. Female managers aren't given the high-level responsibilities needed for promotions. Men are more likely to be given leadership roles in both male-dominated fields and female-dominated fields. ﻿﻿

In Citizens' United v. FEC, the Supreme Court gave corporations the same rights as people. It protected corporate campaign contributions as a form of free speech. This decision allowed wealthy business-owners greater access to political advertising than poorer individuals.

How Structural Inequality Affects You

If you are a minority or woman, you already know how structural inequality affects you. As a minority, you may have been guided to certain neighborhoods by your bank. As a woman, you may have found out your male coworkers had higher salaries doing the same jobs as you even though you had more experience. Or you were denied a promotion or job opportunity because the hiring manager believed women aren't good at that job.

If you were a company that was not diverse, you may have been less profitable. This is because diversity drives profitability in three ways. First, a diverse workforce builds trust in your brand with a diverse target market. Second, valuing diversity cuts costs by reducing turnover. It gives the company the freedom to go after the most talented people, regardless of differences. Third, a diverse product development team can create new products that accurately target niche markets.

Diversity is an often-overlooked reason for Silicon Valley's success. The Valley attracts top engineers from around the world. Between 1995 and 2005, 43.9% of Silicon Valley startups reported that at least one of their key founders was foreign-born.﻿﻿﻿

The United States' ranking in education is falling. For example, U.S. students' math skills have remained stagnant since at least 2000. They are falling behind many other countries, such as Japan, Poland, and Ireland, which have greatly improved. U.S. test scores are now below the global average. That hurts America's comparative advantage in the global marketplace.

It also lowers economic output. The Alliance for Excellent Education estimates that the U.S. economy loses $329 billion per year. That's the lost annual income of the 1.2 million high-school students who drop out without receiving a degree.﻿﻿﻿

What Can We Do About Structural Inequality?

The solution to structural inequality must address the structure that created it. For example, it's not enough to help an individual to move from one town to another. The zoning that created both communities must be changed. Both towns must be zoned for large land lots and apartment complexes as well as green spaces and halfway houses.

The Community Reinvestment Act didn't do that. As a result, it was just a half-way measure. It helped deserving people buy homes in redlined neighborhoods. But it didn't address the zoning that created those neighborhoods.

The government should ensure that all groups have equal access to the tools needed to improve their lives. That includes basics such as water, food, and safety. If society has the resources, it could also include universal health care and equity in education. This investment in human capital would bring everyone up to a basic standard. It may be better than increasing welfare benefits, providing a universal basic income, or raising the minimum wage. But in the interim, the minimum wage should be raised. Studies show that cities that have done so reduced poverty and reliance on welfare.﻿﻿

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How Structural Inequality Stifles the America Dream

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Structural inequality is a system of privilege created by institutions within an economy. These institutions include the law, business practices, and government policies. They also include education, health care, and the media. They are powerful socializing agents that tell us what we can achieve within the society.

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What's CODE SWITCH? It's the fearless conversations about race that you've been waiting for. Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race with empathy and humor. We explore how race affects every part of society - from politics and pop culture to history, food and everything in between.

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Cry Power Episode 1: Annie Lennox
Feminism Is a Global Issue

The Cry Power podcast is hosted by Hozier in partnership with Global Citizen, talking to inspirational artists and activists about how to change the world. In its inaugural episode, Hozier talks with Annie Lennox about why feminism must be inclusive of men; how her personal story of activism is rooted in her family; and how music can make change happen. But it's not all talk - you can join the Global Citizen movement and take action below to end gender inequality all over the world. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Acast now.

"A small action can contribute to a larger body of change," Annie Lennox told Hozier on Cry Power. "That's the tipping point towards transformation."

She's right. Can you imagine risking your life to have a child? For millions of women there is no other option. 800 women a day die from complications in pregnancy and childbirth. Take action with Global Citizen now to be a part of the change to provide all women with safe contraception and maternal health.
Sign the petition asking world leaders to empower women everywhere.

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Cry Power Podcast Episode 1: Feminism Is a Global Issue

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Cry Power Episode 1: Annie Lennox Feminism Is a Global Issue The Cry Power podcast is hosted by Hozier in partnership with Global Citizen, talking to inspirational artists and activists about how to change the world.

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Our topic areas provide starting points for engaging with complex moments in human history that shape our present.

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why media matters

Key facets of identity - like gender, social class, age, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, religion, and disability - play prominent roles in the media we consume and create, determining how we see, understand, and experience the world and those we encounter in it.
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praise for critical media project

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The Critical Media Project gave me an opportunity to really be able to think. The project helped me remember my past and analyze myself. By being able to think I was able to rediscover what it was that I was fighting for, what it was that motivated me. What I found most valuable about this project was that I was able to present in class and let out all the things, my life story, the hardships, and my motivation, that I had bottled up inside.

Luis Hernandez Batres
Student, Canoga Park High School

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Keep Critical Media Project Going!

Demand for Critical Media Project services outpaces current resources. With new funding CMP could expand our outreach, grow our resources and content, develop training modules for teachers, and assess our impact and value. Please consider donating today! And thank you!

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Key facets of identity -- like gender, social class, age, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, religion, and disability -- play prominent roles in the media we consume and create, determining how we see, understand, and experience the world and those we encounter in it.

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Mariana M, Valente Z

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Vanessa Ho

Growing up in Rawlins, Wyoming, Reegan Ford couldn't see herself working at the state prison, oil refinery or school district, the main employers in the area, and wanted to move far away after high school. She landed at the University of Wyoming a hundred miles away, studying psychology and mending cattle fences and mowing grass as odd jobs, but she still saw no future that spoke to her.

Then she watched a TEDx talk by Eric "ET" Trowbridge, a dynamo of enthusiasm who'd also been eager to leave Wyoming but later returned to open the Array School of Technology and Design in Cheyenne.

"I was really inspired by how he decided to come back to Wyoming and help improve it," says Ford, who did a coding boot camp at the school and now apprentices there. The school gave her an engineering career path she never knew existed - and a reason to stay.

"I don't judge people who want to leave Wyoming, but I think it's more fulfilling to stay here and be part of the solution," she says.

Array is one of many innovative organizations working with Microsoft's TechSpark initiative to bring digital skills, economic opportunity and jobs to six communities across America and the Mexican border. Since launching three years ago, the civic program has partnered with local leaders to develop vibrant startup accelerators, support 300 nonprofits, reskill 50,000 adults, bring computer science to 50,000 students and provide broadband internet access to unserved communities. Microsoft's investments have brought an additional $25 million in support to the regions through public and private sector partnerships.

"One of the major goals of TechSpark is making sure everyone has the opportunity to engage in the digital economy," says Mike Egan, senior director of Microsoft TechSpark. "The whole mission is to work with local communities to learn from them and drive economic development."

The six regions - in Wyoming, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Virginia, Washington and two border cities in Texas and Mexico - have a few things in common. They have long traditions of agriculture, mining or manufacturing. Many have a brain drain of young adults leaving for college and jobs. All are far from technology centers, often putting digital opportunities out of reach.

TechSpark's support includes funding, technology, expertise and partnerships. It carries out Microsoft's Technology Education and Literacy in Schools (TEALS) program to bring computer science education to high schools. It also implements a goal to provide high-speed internet access to 3 million Americans through the company's Airband Initiative.

TechSpark regional managers are not corporate transplants, but native or local residents who collectively grew up on a cattle farm, potato farm, sheep ranch and in industrial and rural towns. Much of their work is representing a large technology company that listens to local leaders who know their towns and counties best.

"One of the biggest missions of Array is how do we make technology work in rural America?" says Trowbridge, CEO and founder of Array, Wyoming's first full-stack web engineering, computer programming and technology apprenticeship program.

In a state heavily affected by the booms and busts of the energy industry, the school attracts many people seeking a midcareer change without having to invest in a two- or four-year degree. The school is the core of a burgeoning tech scene, with apprenticeships that pay students while they're learning and a downtown space shared with gBETA Cheyenne, a new pre-accelerator launched by TechSpark and the gener8tor accelerator.

"I love Wyoming and the people who make it great," says Array Chief Operating Officer Amy Surdam, a health care entrepreneur and Army Reserve lieutenant colonel who grew up in the state. "We want to support Wyoming's tech economy and help create a thriving, entrepreneurial ecosystem."
Northeast Wisconsin
When the giant, illuminated "Titletown" sign went up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the city's skyline got a little brighter last year. So did the region's outlook with the launch of TitletownTech, a joint venture between the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft to spur economic development in Northeast Wisconsin.

Housed in the Titletown complex of shops and restaurants near the Packers' stadium, the venture-building company is creating a lively tech and innovation environment in an economy long reliant on blue-collar manufacturing jobs.

"There's an entrepreneurial and creative side in the DNA of folks here, and we want to take that bold, intuitive and driven entrepreneur and jump them into an ecosystem that enables connections and resources so they can move quickly," says TitletownTech Managing Director Craig Dickman, a well-known entrepreneur and community leader in Green Bay.

The organization has invested in 17 companies, including two that left Los Angeles and Denver to grow in Green Bay. It has propelled the city and three others in Wisconsin to skyrocket in a global ranking of best cities for startups. It's also attracted the attention of other investors.

"We have created an awareness and given people a whole new way to think of venture capital and a technology hub here," says Jill Enos, TitletownTech managing director. "It has changed the marketplace for entrepreneurs."

They include Padraic Obma, a Green Bay surgeon who bootstrapped his telehealth company for improving patient outcomes for years. He joked that instead of falling into a doctor stereotype - buying a dream home - he poured his money and time into building Strive MedTech with co-founder and CEO Walter Cloud.

TitletownTech's investment boosted the company's momentum to deliver a platform for remote care and wearable technology just as telehealth was becoming crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It allowed us to catapult forward quickly," says Cloud. "The backing of Microsoft and the Packers and TitletownTech really helped provide legitimacy that we're true players in the tech space."

Fargo, North Dakota
Advanced technology is vital in precision agriculture to make farming safer and more efficient, but attracting digital talent and capital to Fargo, North Dakota, has been historically challenging.

"When I lived overseas, I would say, 'I'm from Fargo' and people would laugh, or they would speak louder or talk about the Coen brothers' movie or ask how close we are to Mount Rushmore," says Greg Tehven, co-founder and executive director of Emerging Prairie, an organization that creates collaborative environments for growers to thrive with technology.

To raise the profile of entrepreneurs, Emerging Prairie created Grand Farm, a platform that connects farmers, scientists, businesses and government officials to share ideas and showcase products at trainings and events.

To fill a talent gap, Grand Farm launched Emerging Digital Academy, North Dakota's first accelerated software development learning program. Its platform attracted global accelerator Plug and Play to Fargo. Grand Farm's physical space - 40 acres of land expected to increase to 200 acres next year - is an outdoor lab for testing and demoing cutting-edge products.

Those products will include "Weedbot," an autonomous weed-identifying system developed by Xin "Rex" Sun, an assistant professor in agricultural and biosystems engineering at North Dakota State University (NDSU).

With Microsoft TechSpark donations of drones, computers and FarmBeats - a solution to harness data and artificial intelligence - Sun is developing robots rigged with cameras and sensors to detect and kill weeds with precision. He plans to expand his research to a Grand Farm test plot next year.

"I think North Dakota is the right place for precision agriculture, and now is the right time to do it," says Sun.

He says Grand Farm, TechSpark, NDSU, government support and Fargo's flat, open land all make the area ripe for innovation. He loves using Grand Farm as a classroom for his precision ag students, many of whom grew up with crop or livestock farming.

"They're discovering that our agriculture and biosystems engineering program is a path for new and exciting careers," Sun says. "Long story short, they are the next generation of farmers."
El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

In the combined TechSpark region of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, manufacturing dominates the economy through assembly plants and low-wage jobs. The region's distance from tech-rich cities and the global headquarters of companies that own the plants makes it tough for startups to claim a larger part of the massive manufacturing market.

But the Bridge Accelerator, a partnership between TechSpark and Technology HUB, a binational business incubator, is making inroads. More than 20 companies have gone through the program and learned how to think globally.

"A lot of them are doing amazing work, but they're only selling locally," says Ricardo Mora, CEO of Technology HUB, which is based in both Juárez and El Paso. "We're saying, 'Listen guys, we're going to train you, and you're going to learn how to sell to global companies.'"

The region's cross-border identity is a source of strength, with a young, largely Hispanic population of people who understand cultural differences, are often dual citizens and "want to make better opportunities for themselves every day," says J.J. Childress, Microsoft TechSpark manager in El Paso.

"This is truly a binational effort," he says of the Bridge Accelerator. "How do we create a soft landing for companies that want to access Latin American markets? How do we take the innovation from Mexican companies and give them access to North America?"

The training helped Rene Pons, an entrepreneur in Chihuahua, Mexico, meet a community of like-minded businesspeople and learn how to approach global companies.

"For a startup, a really huge problem is connecting with a big corporation and having them trust you," says Pons, who co-founded PPAP Manager, maker of a digital solution that helps streamline automotive supply chains. He says establishing trust with global customers is even harder for companies in Mexico, which isn't known for digital innovation.

"The Bridge Accelerator is opening the door to start conversations and getting an opportunity to be trusted," Pons says.
Southern Virginia
The tiny town of South Boston, Virginia, hasn't seen new construction in nearly 40 years, so the rise of a new building where tobacco warehouses once stood is exciting news.

Even better is that it will house the SOVA Innovation Hub, a partnership between TechSpark and Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities, whose open-access fiber networks have provided broadband access to help bridge the digital divide in southern Virginia. The building will house the nonprofit's headquarters, a Microsoft experience center and space to help digital skilling nonprofits. That's good news for an economy built on manufacturing and still struggling with the loss of tobacco and textile industries.

"Job stability is very difficult. Internet access is difficult. There's a tremendous amount of poverty," says Paul Nichols, superintendent of Mecklenburg County Public Schools.

The majority of his students qualify for a free or reduced lunch, and while fiber networks have changed the commercial landscape, many residents still don't have broadband.

"It's like years ago when we had the same issue with electricity in rural areas," Nichols says.

He's looking forward to the economic investment and is grateful he's been able to offer high school computer science classes with the support of Microsoft's TEALS program. The classes help students think creatively to solve problems in all subjects, not just computer science.

"It's challenged students to think and learn in a new way," Nichols says. "With technology being foundational for all careers, we're now looking at how to make computational thinking a part of all of our classes."

One of the major goals of TechSpark is making sure everyone has the opportunity to engage in the digital economy.

Central Washington
In central Washington, Microsoft TechSpark Manager Lisa Karstetter serves a vast agricultural region where a third of the residents don't speak English and 36,000 adults have no high school degree. Her goals include creating more opportunities to transform businesses and reskill people who have only known work in orchards, fields and processing plants. It's a big job, but Karstetter feels honored to do the work.

"I need my tide to rise so it lifts all boats," she says.

One of those boats belongs to Jayr Gudino, whose parents emigrated from Mexico to Quincy, Washington, for a better life. That has meant processing potatoes for his mom and picking apples and driving a cement truck for his dad. Gudino remembers watching his parents come home exhausted after 12-hour shifts and telling him to study.

"My parents always pushed me to work hard in school," says Gudino. "There's nothing wrong with what they do, but they wanted me to have an opportunity to do something more."

Surrounded by agriculture, he didn't know what "more" existed until he discovered coding through computer science classes supported by TEALS. He's now a sophomore considering an informatics major at the University of Washington in Seattle.

"If it wasn't for TEALS, I really don't know what I'd be doing right now," says Gudino, who knows many classmates who went straight to work in the fields after high school. "Having TEALS in school showed me what else is out there in the world. It gave me the opportunity to learn and put my foot in the door for something I wanted to do in the future."

For Microsoft TechSpark Senior Director Egan, partnership has been the key to every community engagement.

"Find the right partner in the region, trust and empower their work, and collaborate for impact," he says. "TechSpark's mission remains sustained economic growth, with the added benefit of our learning and added knowledge through these regions."
To learn more, visit Microsoft's TechSpark. Lead image: Reegan Ford in Cheyenne, Wyoming (photo by Rachel Woolf)

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How tech opportunities are energizing towns across the US

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Vanessa Ho Growing up in Rawlins, Wyoming, Reegan Ford couldn't see herself working at the state prison, oil refinery or school district, the main employers in the area, and wanted to move far away after high school.

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Questions for Discussion and Reflection after watching 'The danger of a single story'

1. What does Adichie mean by the phrase 'the danger of a single story'?

2. Can you think of examples where your perception of other people’s identities has been shaped by literature or film or music?

3. How does Adichie connect her experience with reading fictional stories to the ‘stories’ we tell ourselves about others in real life?

4. When you/if you write a story, what influences you?  Do you imitate the stories you have been exposed to?

5. What is the ‘story’ you have of Africa?  Where does this come from?

6. Are there people and/or places you have what Chinua Achebe calls a “balance of stories” about?  Who/what are these and where does this "balance" come from?

7. Are there people or places you have a “single story” about? Where do these "single stories" come from?

8. How could you challenge these "single stories"?

9. Is there an example of when your identity has been shaped or affronted by a story you have encountered?

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Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

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For some people, toxic masculinity can be a sensitive subject, or even taken as an insult. However, the phrase 'toxic masculinity' is not meant as an insult to a person or to a group of people. It is used to describe certain 'masculine' behaviours that can be harmful both to others and to men themselves.

What is toxic masculinity?

'Toxic masculinity' is used to describe how certain masculine traits cause harm to men themselves and are also harmful to women and others. Toxic masculinity can also assume all men are straight and cisgender, and suggests that this is the way they should be - which of course is not true. However, it is important to note that gay and trans men can also have toxically masculine traits.

Masculine traits that are considered 'toxic' include:

Using or threatening violence

Controlling others

Acting aggressively

Suppressing emotions

Trying to appear 'tough'

Treating sex as a competition

Feeling entitled to sex from others

Using power over women, 'weaker' men, and marginalised groups

Toxic masculinity spreads a message that in order to be a "real man" you have to suppress your emotions, act tough, and behave in a certain way. Showing any feminine traits is to show signs of weakness.

Is masculinity a bad thing?

There is nothing necessarily wrong with masculinity or femininity, or wanting to fulfil certain masculine traits, such as looking after your family or being chivalrous - these can be positive things. However, if that masculinity becomes toxic and is used as a way to have power and control over other people, then it can be a problem.

It's also worth remembering that certain traits that are considered 'masculine' don't belong to men alone, just as certain traits that are considered 'feminine' don't belong to women alone. Women are driven and hard-working, just as men can be vulnerable and show emotion - and there's nothing wrong with that. And not everyone identifies their gender as masculine or feminine, or male or female.

Who does toxic masculinity refer to?

Toxic masculinity does not refer to all men, nor does it mean that men themselves are toxic. Instead, toxic masculinity describes certain behaviours and performances that are based on gender stereotypes. Men learn these behaviours from a young age, and they can become part of their identity and status as a male. Within our patriarchal society (a society that is largely controlled and influenced by men), these behaviours are seen as normal. For this reason, not everyone will see this behaviour as antisocial or toxic, because they view it as normal. However, in reality this behaviour can have toxic effects on women, non-binary people, and men themselves.

In order to understand toxic masculinity, we not only need to look at traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity, but also the idea of gender itself.

Masculinity and femininity

The gender we are assigned at birth can shape the way we are expected to behave when we grow up. Generally, the way that boys or men are expected to behave is almost the opposite to the way girls or women are expected to behave. This is not because of any biological differences between men and women, but rather because there are certain expectations that have been forced on us in society that tell us how we are meant to act.

For example, when growing up, boys are expected to play rough, act tough, and hide their emotions by not crying. Girls on the other hand might be expected to play nicely, be polite, and are less likely to be put down for crying or showing that they are upset about something.

As adults, men are expected to display masculine traits such as:

Being tough

Showing bravery

Being competitive

Being in charge

Women are expected to show more feminine traits like:

Being caring

Being pleasant to others

Showing sensitivity

Gentleness

Traditional gender roles

These traits place us into traditional gender roles in society, with men expected to be the leaders and the breadwinners, while women are expected to be the caregivers and the homemakers. These traditional traits of masculinity and femininity put men in a position of power over women, because masculine traits are given a higher status and power compared to feminine traits. This can lead to situations where the woman is expected to rely on the man.

Of course, a lot of people challenge these traditional views of gender today, but for many, traditional gender roles can still shape the direction of their lives.

How others are impacted by toxic masculinity

Toxic masculinity can affect people in a number of different ways - and this includes men themselves. Here are some ways people can be impacted by toxic masculinity:

Toxic masculinity and power

Ultimately, toxic masculinity is about having power over others, whether that's over women, over other men, or over groups of people they see as weaker or less important. Some men will find different ways to try and display their power to other men, treating it like a competition. They might do this by trying to become the most physically fit or built-up, by sharing stories of sexual 'conquests' or achievements, by bragging about how much money they make, or by finding another way to show they are more 'masculine' than the others.

This can lead to other types of oppression such as sexism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, xenophobia, or ableism, amongst others.

Toxic masculinity and violence

Men are not naturally violent. However, men are more likely to be found guilty of a violent crime than women. This is because they have grown up in a culture where the expectation to be aggressively masculine has resulted in violent behaviour. This is a symptom of toxic masculinity, because it makes men feel like they need to prove their manhood through physical dominance and using violence.

Toxic masculinity and mental health

Toxic masculinity can have a really negative impact on men's mental health. If men have been told to suppress their emotions, and are made to feel embarrassed for crying or talking about how they feel, it can make it even harder to reach out when they are experiencing a mental health crisis.

If people feel like they can't talk and instead choose to bottle everything up they are more likely to experience mental health problems. Rates of suicide in Ireland are higher for men than for women. Remember, we all have mental health, just like we all have physical health, and it helps to open up and talk.

How can we challenge toxic masculinity?

When discussing toxic masculinity, it's also important to look at ways we can challenge it. Challenging toxic masculinity can help to improve mental health for men and create safer spaces for women and non-binary people. We can do this by talking about it, speaking up when we hear someone say something we know isn't right, and challenging our own assumptions about the ways men and women should be in society. Learn more about challenging toxic masculinity.

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For some people, toxic masculinity can be a sensitive subject, or even taken as an insult. However, the phrase 'toxic masculinity' is not meant as an insult to a person or to a group of people. It is used to describe certain 'masculine' behaviours that can be harmful both to others and to men themselves.

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Creativity- Jo Abukhalil and Cata Sanhueza

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Abstract: The Art of Design | Netflix Official Site

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Step inside the minds of the most innovative designers in a variety of disciplines and learn how design impacts every aspect of life. Watch trailers & learn more.

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Representing women in media

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Close your eyes. Picture a CEO, a president, a Hollywood director, a top scientist, a head coach, a leading surgeon, a hero, or just a very strong, healthy, impressive person. Not a specific person but just someone who would fit these roles or descriptions. What comes to mind? What does he look like?

I say "he" because there's a good chance that you pictured a he (meaning a man and not a chuckle). There's also a decent chance that the person you envisioned is not Black, Asian, Native American, or Latino.

Why? As actress Geena Davis explained to me during a recent conversation, "that's what the media, entertainment, and advertising have tended to portray. There have been far fewer opportunities for females and other groups to play different characters. Instead, the woman has often been the girlfriend or the wife of the lead character. This was sending a message to everyone in society that women had less value" And Davis is trying to change all that with her non-profit organization the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the Bentonville Film Festival, and the #StrengthHasNoGender campaign with Brawny throughout Women's History Month.

"What we're trying to do is have media representations better reflect reality," said Davis.

To understand why such efforts are so important, consider the key role that media plays in establishing social norms, your identity, your health, and your well-being. When you are born, you are a cooing, spitting, and pooping relatively blank slate. According to a review article in the Annual Review of Psychology, typically, as a newborn infant, you don't exhibit strong gender or racial biases or say sexist or racist things, which would be really weird for a newborn. (An adult who behaves like an infant is a different story.) But then exposures begin to shape your perceptions of yourself and others.

And a big part of that exposure is the media. According to a 2002 study published in Science, by high school graduation, you will have on average spent more time watching television than in school classrooms. That was nearly two decades ago. Nowadays, with Netflix, Hulu, and other media platforms more readily available, a survey by Common Sense Media found that Americans teens spend an average of 9 hours a day using media. Remove the time spent asleep and in the bathroom, and media occupies much more than half of a teen's day. Then add to that advertising, which has become as ubiquitous as, well advertising. Thus, it's no surprise that media such as advertising, television, and movies can substantially affect your health and well-being and change your life.

Davis told me that a movie significantly changed her life as well. Except that she starred in the movie rather than watched it (although she probably watched it too). Nominated for 6 Academy Awards (and winning Best Original Screenplay), the 1991 film Thelma and Louise featured Davis and Susan Sarandon as two friends who embarked on a road trip, but became fugitives after they thwarted and killed an attempted rapist. The movie was groundbreaking in many ways, such as showcasing two strong female lead characters that resist abusive male characters and face tribulations as a result. "The movie generated such a positive reaction from people who watched that it changed my life," explained Davis. "It showed how people can be really inspired by female characters."

Thus began a journey by the Academy-Award winning actor that resulted in her founding her Institute on Gender in Media in 2004. Here's a video on the Institute:

Since its founding the Institute has amassed what it describes as "the largest body of research on gender prevalence in family entertainment, spanning more than 20 years." Davis added that "we are providing direct research and the numbers so that everyone can see what the situation is and how to improve it." Here are some examples of key findings:

Advertisements feature twice as many male characters as female characters: The Gender Bias in Advertising study also found that 25% of ads had only men versus 5% featuring just women. Unless a quarter of all ads are about Viagra or testicle cream, something is wrong with this picture.

In movies, male characters received twice as much screen time and spoke twice as often compared to female characters: This was based on analyses performed by the Geena Davis Inclusion Quotient (GD-IQ) Software Tool, developed by the Geena Davis Institute and a team from the University of Southern California (led by Dr. Shri Narayanan). The GD-IQ software can scan a movie and automatically measure different characters' screen and speaking time. Lack of a voice on the screen can lead to a lack of a voice (or at least the perception of a lack of voice) in real life.

Positive female role models in the media can help women become more ambitious and assertive and even help them leave abusive relationships: As described in a 2016 press release, this was based on a survey of 4,300 women in nine countries (Brazil, China, India Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Russia, Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S.). Over half of respondents (58%) related that female role models inspired them to be more ambitious or assertive with one-in-nine (one-in-four in Brazil) indicating that positive female role models had given them the courage to leave an abusive relationship.

Many female characters have unrealistic bodies and behaviors: Unrealistic unless you are Jessica Rabbit. Four studies reviewed the appearance and presentation of women on a variety of shows, animated and live action and found lots of big chests, small waists, and generally unrealistic bodies. Such images may be good for some plastic surgeons but can't be good for the body image, self-confidence (unless you are Jessica Rabbit), eating habits, and other behaviors of girls and women.

A lack of women playing leaders or characters with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers: An analysis of 11,927 speaking characters from movies and television showed that only a small percentage of C-suite executives (3.4%) and high-level politician characters (4.5%) in "family films" were women. And the percentages of editors-in-chiefs, investors, developers, and chief justice characters who were female? Zero (which ironically rhymes with hero). And less than one sixth (16.3%) in family films and slightly over one-fifth (21.1%) of STEM characters were women. What people see in movies and television can influence the careers they choose and acceptance of people in certain roles.

In the past, television, movie, and advertising executives largely controlled what roles and images the public would see. They would present either what they thought the public would want to see or what they wanted the public to see. However, the Internet and social media are helping change all of this. Now anyone in theory can upload a picture or a video for public consumption. While this has led to a plethora of cat videos and someone cementing his head in a microwave, it also has led to influential campaigns. For example, Dr. Heather Logghe started the hashtag #ILookLikeASurgeon to motivate people to post pictures of women working as surgeons to alter the perceived norm of what a surgeon "should" look like. And of course, the #MeToo movement has brought much more attention to the ongoing harassment, biases, and barriers to advancement that continue to plague many industries.

Thus, Davis feels that this is a good time for her to launch the #StrengthHasNoGender campaign in partnership with Brawny. Davis related that "the events of the past year such as the #MeToo movement have led to a groundswell of support for women. We need to make the most of these opportunities. There needs to be more women in C-suites and other decision making positions." The #StrengthHasNoGender campaign encourages people to post stories about "sheroes," females from all walks of life who have done inspiring things, with this hashtag. A Brawny website includes many of these stories. "Seeing and hearing more such stories will inspire more girls and women to be strong and bold," explained Davis. Also, you know the pictures of the lumberjack-like men that have traditionally appeared on Brawny paper towel rolls? Well, look for pictures of women to replace some of them. This gives new meaning to wiping away old stereotypes.

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How Media Portrayal Affects Women, And What Geena Davis Is Doing About It

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Close your eyes. Picture a CEO, a president, a Hollywood director, a top scientist, a head coach, a leading surgeon, a hero, or just a very strong, healthy, impressive person. Not a specific person but just someone who would fit these roles or descriptions. What comes to mind?

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Docu about the infamous Dolly Parton Links to: Identity, culture, creativity, transformation

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Singer. Storyteller. And so much more. Get to know one of the world's greatest entertainers, one song at a time. Watch trailers & learn more.

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Remember this after Katrina? The difference between "looting" and "finding" is often black and white

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— Astead (@AsteadWesley) August 29, 2017

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Remember this after Katrina? The difference between "looting" and "finding" is often black and white https://t.co/nZoaP0KJ2l

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Remember this after Katrina? The difference between "looting" and "finding" is often black and white https://t.co/nZoaP0KJ2l

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Remember this after Katrina? The difference between "looting" and "finding" is often black and white

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Representation: Culture & Perception

Media, entertainment, and other forms of popular culture play a significant role in shaping our perceptions of others. For many of us, popular culture is the primary way we learn about people who are different from us. The problem, though, is that many representations are based on cultural stereotypes, which tend to marginalize and caricature members of nondominant groups. Through these representations, we see a limited, and distorted, view of others.

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Media, entertainment, and other forms of popular culture play a significant role in shaping our perceptions of others. For many of us, popular culture is the primary way we learn about people who are different from us. The problem, though, is that many representations are based on cultural stereotypes, which tend to marginalize and caricature members of nondominant groups.

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Anyone who has visited South Korea in recent years has likely noticed that comedy variety shows are quite popular there. Instead of the one-on-one talk show format that is popular in the United States, these Korean productions typically feature a pack of male performers standing before a camera in a public space, such as a parking lot, playground, city park, or large shopping mall. They talk, giggle, and lightly push one another in a juvenile manner before dispersing to change into tracksuit uniforms and play silly playground games, such as hide-and-seek, capture the flag, jump-rope, and rock-paper-scissors.

The losers of these games receive humiliating but ultimately harmless punishments; most often, they are denied a meal or a ride back to the studio. The more humiliating the punishment, the more cathartic the enjoyment viewers may feel.

One of these comedy reality television shows, Running Man, has been popular not only in South Korea but also in many other Asian countries. Since 2010, this show, which features middle-aged comedians competing with young K-pop singers and K-drama celebrities, has been an integral part of the so-called ("Korean wave") that has dominated the internet around the Pacific and beyond. Contemporary social media is filled with videos uploaded by ordinary Asians from different corners of the continent featuring copycat games inspired by this Korean television program.

Anyone who has visited South Korea in recent years has likely noticed that comedy variety shows are quite popular there. Instead of the one-on-one talk show format that is popular in the United States, these Korean productions typically feature a pack of male performers standing before a camera in a public space, such as a parking lot, playground, city park, or large shopping mall. They talk, giggle, and lightly push one another in a juvenile manner before dispersing to change into tracksuit uniforms and play silly playground games, such as hide-and-seek, capture the flag, jump-rope, and rock-paper-scissors.

The losers of these games receive humiliating but ultimately harmless punishments; most often, they are denied a meal or a ride back to the studio. The more humiliating the punishment, the more cathartic the enjoyment viewers may feel.

One of these comedy reality television shows, Running Man, has been popular not only in South Korea but also in many other Asian countries. Since 2010, this show, which features middle-aged comedians competing with young K-pop singers and K-drama celebrities, has been an integral part of the so-called ("Korean wave") that has dominated the internet around the Pacific and beyond. Contemporary social media is filled with videos uploaded by ordinary Asians from different corners of the continent featuring copycat games inspired by this Korean television program.

One of the enjoyments of watching these shows inspired by children's games is the self-deprecating attitudes the gag artists and K-pop celebrities must assume. Watching famous people reenact and mimic children's behavior elicits laughter. The shows are also infectiously sentimental for they draw on audience empathy and childhood memories associated with these silly games. They simultaneously remind viewers of the loss of youthful innocence in contemporary reality and invoke fantasies where the clock has turned back, albeit momentarily. The game scenes recall that we have lost the joy of simply playing the game and that far too much emphasis has been placed on the binary outcome of either winning or losing.

Netflix's new blockbuster show Squid Game turns this concept on its head, stripping away the veneer of comedy found in grown-ups playing children's games and transporting it to a dystopian world of neoliberal capitalism it seeks to critique-to horrifying effect.

Warning: spoilers ahead!

Rather than comedians and K-pop stars, the (fictional) contestants in these playground games are desperate men and women who are drowning in personal debt and willing to do almost anything to make some quick cash. Instead of familiar everyday sites, such as city parks or department stores, the action takes place on a remote island filled with staircases inspired by graphic artist M.C. Escher, sumptuously painted labyrinths, and happy-creepy classical music from composers George Frideric Handel and Richard Strauss played on loudspeakers. And the punishment for elimination from the game is no longer light-hearted humiliation but literally death.

Squid Game's premise is simple. Seong Gi-hun (played by actor Lee Jung-jae), the main protagonist, is solicited to play a child's game of ttakji (folded paper flip) at a subway station after a long day when he was beaten up by a gang of loan sharks and had his earnings from a lucky win at the horse races swiped by a pickpocket. He is asked by a mysterious stranger, a master ttakji player, to enroll in a bigger gambling scheme where the earnings could be huge-as much as around $40 million. Once Gi-hun agrees to play, he is taken to a remote island to participate in a series of children's games where survivors go on to subsequent rounds and losers are instantly-and mercilessly-killed by enigmatic masked guards in hot pink jumpsuit uniforms.

Gi-hun's personal flaws are numerous: He is a petty thief, a gambler, and an alcoholic. But the greatest of his shortcomings is the fact that he is too generous. As his main rival and childhood friend, Cho Sang-woo, a failed investment banker, reminds him, Gi-hun's issue is he "cares too much about others." Over-caring, in other words, is a vice that is just as bad, if not worse, than an alcohol or gambling addiction.

Gi-hun can't keep up with the times that have left him behind. His deep sense of filial piety, loyalty, and friendship make him not decent but indecent and unfit. His downfall, Squid Game explains, was precipitated when he worked at an automobile manufacturing plant and joined a union strike to fight against the system's injustice. Taking care of a coworker who was nearly beaten to death by riot police caused him to lose both his marriage and his job.

Through many plot twists and turns that eventually make Gi-hun one of the last remaining survivors of the game, Squid Game asks a difficult yet fundamental question about life: Can a human retain his or her soul and decency and still compete in the ruthless and merciless environment capitalism has created for itself?

This question, of course, is derived from an age-old parable that is universally applicable to any society undergoing growing class polarization in the era of neoliberal capitalism. Even though Squid Game is an absurdist mystery, it does not lose sight of the brutal realities that have given South Korea one of the highest suicide rates and lowest fertility rate in the world. There are plenty of desperate people out there who would enter a game, regardless of risk, to pay off their debts.

Gi-hun is similar in some ways to Kim Ki-taek (played by Song Kang-ho), the impoverished father-turned-murderer in last year's Oscar-winning Korean film Parasite. The difference between Gi-hun and Ki-taek is the latter has a resourceful set of post-adolescent children who are capable of providing for his family, whereas in Squid Game, Gi-hun has no such luck with his children. His daughter is still in grade school and lives with her stepfather and mother, who both detest Gi-hun. In many ways, the contestants in Squid Game are far worse off than the scum-class protagonists of Parasite. Capitalism, both works seem to say, does not pit the haves against the have-nots, but the have-nots against other have-nots.

Despite its universal appeal, Squid Game manages to find its own unique articulation, drawing attention to local values. Many social media posts and memes about Squid Game have pointed out the most impressive scene from the series is delivered not by its male protagonists and villains but by two supporting female characters: Kang Sae-byeok (played by Jung Ho-yeon), a defector from North Korea who fled communism to simultaneously seek refuge and fight for her survival in capitalism; and Ji-yeong (Lee Yoo-mi), who was just released from prison after killing her abusive father.

Unlike the male competitors, who are busy scheming, planning, and soliciting stronger and smarter partners to better position themselves in each of the rounds, these two young women have chosen to be loners, which makes them both outliers and troopers. Their luck, however, does eventually run out. In one of the later rounds, they are pitted against each other in a game where only one of them can advance to the next round; the other will be eliminated (that is, executed).

This delivers a moment when the drama really shines. Knowing that one of these characters has only half an hour left to live, we are faced with an extraordinary, dramatic moment where neither character pretends to con the other or cheat the system that will bring death. Unlike what occurs in most contemporary American dramas or male-centric plotlines, these girls simply choose to chat, willfully conducting a seemingly meaningless conversation about a fumbled line, "Let's have a drink of Maldives at mojito," from the pedestrian Korean movie Inside Men. Having that drink on an exotic island together is what the women agree to do-knowing full well one of them has only 30 minutes to live.

That these two characters are given the freedom and time within the episode to chit chat about their jumbled-up dreams, movies, and travel fantasies is a luxury Western dramas and thrillers tend to spurn. Yet, from Haruki Murakami's postmodern novel from the 1980s, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, where the narrator realizes he only has a day and a half left to live in the "conscious" world, to premodern depictions of the utopian Peach Blossom Valley (later renamed in the West as "Shangri-La") in East Asian fables, poems, and paintings, there tends to be a respite of fantasy crucial to the East Asian imagination.

This dual-track reality fantasy has now found its way even into a Netflix series that offers constant reminders of the impossibility of escape from the capitalist game that has engulfed the entire world. The conversation between two young Korean women who are sick of both North Korea (where totalitarianism rules) and South Korea (where family abuse, high suicide rates, and depression rule) proposes no exit other than the fantasies they created for themselves. Fantasy procures for them perhaps not life but at least a sense of relief from imprisonment in a system that forces one to choose between winning and losing.

As revealed at the end of the series, the truth about life is it is a lot more exciting to participate in a game than to be a passive bystander of it. Watching a race, no matter how much money is at stake, can never replace the joy of actually running in it. Most of us learn early on in life that we do not possess the skills to become professional athletes, yet many of us end up spending endless hours engaging in sports simply for the enjoyment games provide. Work ought to be the same. Complaints of drudgery, unfair compensation, and constant fears of being laid off have long been associated with work in the capitalist system. If there is one takeaway from Squid Game, it is that a different approach to life is possible.

My 9-year-old daughter becomes intensely sad when, after hours of playing Monopoly with her, I land on her property with a hotel that will ruin me financially. Why? Because she doesn't want the game to end. Being a winner means nothing if it means the game can't continue. Perhaps we need to discover for ourselves the joy of game-playing we used to experience. It's not about winning or losing; it's about finding pleasure in both working and living.

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'Squid Game' Hides a Hopeful Message Within a Dystopian Nightmare

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Anyone who has visited South Korea in recent years has likely noticed that comedy variety shows are quite popular there. Instead of the one-on-one talk show format that is popular in the United States, these Korean productions typically feature a pack of male performers standing before a camera in a public space, such as a parking lot, playground, city park, or large shopping mall.

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Transformation of Language - Meaning & Context

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Transformation of Language - Meaning & Context

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A black man walks into my barber shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side and removes his hat, revealing hair that is thick and tightly coiled. There's usually a hum of hair clippers buzzing through the loud bachata music in the shop, but the moment the man walks through the heavy glass door, a silence seems to befall the place.

"Este muchacho tiene pelo malo," one of the barbers says to the others, shaking his head. But in English, the barber doesn't tell the man his hair is bad (malo).

Instead, he says, "Your hair ... it's ... ehm ... nappy, yes?"

The translation of English words into other languages often unveils some interesting layers of meaning. The translation the barber chose fornappy was malo; the two terms were synonymously used to describe the hair texture of millions of people of African descent.

So some questions rose in my head: Where does the term nappy come from and why does it have such negative connotations? Is it possible to reclaim a word that has been used as a slur for so long?

Turns out, the origins of the term are complex. Nappy'shistory is tangled up in the arrival of the first slave ships on the coastlines of the Americas in the 17th century. The likely origin of the term is the word nap, which was used to describe the frizzled threads raising from a piece of fabric. There is a lot of speculation that nap was redefined as a disparaging phrase for the coils and kinks in the hair of the African enslaved, in connection with the fields of cotton that drove the Colonial economy.

(There's also a largely discredited theory out there that the term comes from the British use of nappy to describe a diaper, or someone dirty or unruly.)

Hair texture was one of the many rationalizations of the perceived subhuman status of the African, according to Silvio Torres-Saillant, a professor of humanities at Syracuse University. He says the focus on hair began as Europeans tried to rationalize their dominance and superiority.

"[The argument] was based on the phenotype," said Torres-Saillant. "And that included the skin color, their build, their height, and it especially included their hair."

Those negative associations have endured for centuries.

In 1998, white New York City schoolteacher Ruth Sherman received tremendous backlash after assigning Nappy Hair, a book by Carolivia Herron focused on cultivating positive feelings about nappyhair in young children. One of the parents was not pleased, according to an investigation launched by New York City's Department of Education, because of the belief that the phrase "nappy hair" was a racial slur. The debate resulted in a firestorm of calls to have Sherman fired.

"[Sherman] had what she considered to be viable death threats against her," says Noliwe Rooks, author of Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture and the African American Woman. "All because she was trying to teach little kids, many of which were of African descent, that 'nappy' could be seen as positive."

Rooks said that when she first heard about the controversy, she was sure that it was centered on the misconception that Sherman, a white woman, was being racially insensitive. But Rooks says the parents weren't accusing Sherman of discrimination. Rather, they confronted her for framing nappy hair as a positive.

"You start to hear that [the parents] were like, 'Why would you be trying to tell my child that her nappy hair is a good thing?' " Rooks said. "I found that fascinating."

Nearly a decade later, in 2007, nappy was once again thrown into the national spotlight after radio host Don Imus used the term "nappy-headed hos" in reference to the Rutgers women's basketball team. The backlash was immediate. Calls for Imus to be taken off the air began to flood in.

Days later, Imus appeared as a guest on activist Al Sharpton's show in an attempt to address the criticism. Imus said that he had used the phrase without an understanding that nappy was a racial slur. (Whether he saw "hos" as offensive is another story.)

Sharpton wasn't buying it.

"Nappy," Sharpton said, "is racial."

About a week after the original comment, CBS Radio canceled Imus In The Morning indefinitely, calling Imus' use of the phrase racially damaging.

I wanted to know whether there could ever be more to nappythan the racist rant of a talk show host, so I called up Zine Magubane, who is an associate sociology professor at Boston College. I asked her whether there was a context where the term nappycould be used in a nonoffensive manner.

Her response was blunt: "No."

"Certain social movements have changed the meaning of what any word is supposed to describe," Magubane said. "So 'slut,' [for example] - we have had enough of a female revolution so that the idea that a woman must be chaste is mostly gone."

But she says neither the culture nor the context has undergone a change significant enough for nappy to get the same treatment.

"[Nappy] will only cease to be offensive when the racism in a society that makes certain physical characteristics to be set aside for ridicule goes away," she said. "The context in which the word is deployed does not suggest that a similar reclaiming is on the horizon."

Still, it felt like in some spaces, a reclamation was already taking place. I called up Trisha R. Thomas, author of the book Nappily Ever After, whichinspired the Netflix hit of the same name.

"I wrote Nappily with the goal of putting the term in a new light," Thomas explained. "I can't tell you how many letters and emails I've gotten from people in different countries all around the world about how Nappily's changed their lives."

But she said the feedback wasn't all positive.

"I remember when Nappy Hair came out and the controversy and the anger that was felt, and it was frightening," Thomas said. "I wasn't even going to call my book Nappily Ever After; I had about five other titles ready to go - it was that bad."

But after some thought, Thomas decided to push forward.

"I told my editor that the term was hitting the core of what this story is about: reclaiming who we are and not being afraid," Thomas said. "I knew it may be causing a little stir, but I knew I had to resist the fear and do what I thought was right."

A little stir turned out to be an understatement.

"There was so much resistance, I mean I had someone throw copies of my book at me," Thomas said. "They threw Nappily Ever After, my own book, and told me I had no right to use that word."

I asked Thomas: In an age where many groups are proudly reclaiming the terms used to pin them down, did she think that her attempt to reclaim nappyhad been successful? Was there any hope for the word moving forward?

"If you would have asked me this when I wrote the book in 2000, I would have told you, 'Yes, there is hope,' " Thomas said. "But I just don't think so anymore. There's a group damaged by the word's hurtful connotation whose pain will never go away. I saw the depths of their hurt, and it was painful to even witness."

"At this point, I've accepted that it's always going to be a triggering word," Thomas said. "Always."
So readers, what do you think? What does the future hold for nappy, and what is your own personal experience, positive or negative, with the term? We want to know. And as always, if you have a racial question of your own, email us at CodeSwitch@npr.org.

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The Racial Roots Behind The Term 'Nappy'

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subscribe to Code Switch podcast subscribe to Code Switch podcast A black man walks into my barber shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side and removes his hat, revealing hair that is thick and tightly coiled.