This week, world leaders honored the first woman to hold the role of U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright. She passed away at the age of 84 on March 23, 2022. As the child of Czech refugees who fled oppression and violence during World War II, she was keenly aware of the power of warmly welcoming newcomers to the United States. In 2012, when President Obama awarded Albright the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he told this story: “Once, at a naturalization ceremony, an Ethiopian man came up to her and said, ‘Only in America can a refugee meet the Secretary of State.’ And she replied, ‘Only in America can a refugee become the Secretary of State.’” Diverse perspectives are paramount to creating inclusive foreign policies. Why does gender inclusion matter in international affairs? Sweden has the answer.

Almost 50 years before Labor Day became an official federal holiday in the U.S., women in Massachusetts were advocating for fair and safe working conditions. Sarah Bagley was at the center of that historic movement. In 1844, while serving as the president of the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association, she organized textile workers and trained them how to testify before lawmakers. Sarah's petitions led to a legislative hearing about heinous factory conditions. What is the state of labor movements around the world today?

A successful menstrual hygiene campaign in India in 2012 convinced WASH United to propose a global day of action the following year. With every passing year, the annual May 28th Menstrual Hygiene Day campaign attracts support from partners, like UNICEF and World Vision, that want to end "period poverty." What is "period poverty" and how can we help achieve that goal?

May 5th was Mom's Equal Pay Day. The date acknowledges the unequal pay status of mothers in the workplace. Claire Ewing-Nelson leads the National Women's Law Center's (NWLC) research on gender-based wage gaps. In discussing the significance of Mom's Equal Pay Day falling on May 5th this year, she told Good Morning America, "That means that moms had to work more than 16 months to make as much as dads were paid in 12 months." Has the pandemic worsened pay equity? What can we do to close this wage gap?

The U.S. Department of State's annual International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award honors women who have "demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership" when advocating for democracy, justice, and human rights. At the ceremony in March, seven women from Afghanistan,* who were killed in 2020, were recognized posthumously. Who is killing women in Afghanistan? Will the U.S. and NATO's exit impact women and girls? How can we help?