Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter’s 2023 Women’s Power List (PDF)
I am honored and excited to highlight the courageous and talented women of New Jersey.
I have been a member of the New Jersey General Assembly for over a decade. Throughout my time in the Legislature, I have jumped at any opportunity to tackle systemic and structural policy barriers for women and minorities in our state.
Due to the many cracks made by the chisels of leaders like Senator Loretta Weinberg, Senator Wynona Lipman, and the late Lieutenant Governor Sheila Y. Oliver, the glass ceiling is certainly weaker than it once was. There is, however, much work left to do if we are going to shatter the glass entirely.
When I entered the legislature, Sheila Y. Oliver was the Speaker of the House. In the caucus room I had the privilege of a front row seat to her commanding presence and conviction. Public service for her centered on making New Jersey fairer and safer for women in politics, the workplace, schools, and their homes. It was an honor to be brought in under her tutelage. In fact, my first vote was for marriage equality and my first bill that passed which became law was the modernization of the state mental health processing system.
To continue the pursuit of shattering glass, I have worked on improvements to legacy issues such as voter rights expansion, child tax credits, and childhood literacy. Restorative and social justice reforms continue to be critical, such as the historical harms towards detained women that are documented at the soon-to-be shuttered Edna Mahon Facility. I have also authored legislation that designates our state as a safe haven for reproductive freedom with the transparency of rights afforded to women published on the NJ Reproductive Health Information Hub.
Partnering with hard-working advocates and strategic allies has helped to make historical increases to reproductive health services and expanded access to menstrual products for school-aged girls. Working with other women leaders to champion pertinent issues as we pivot towards the future, especially one so uncertain on the federal level, has proven to be crucial.
When we lost our Lieutenant Governor Oliver on August 1, 2023, there was an outpouring of heartfelt love and loss for a true public servant. Her family lovingly acknowledged her as a “cherished daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and hero. Who left behind a legacy of dedication, service, and inspiration.” Lieutenant Governor Oliver’s transition left a gaping void in state government leadership. Therefore, the selection of someone to fulfill the term in office was a heavy burden that required our voices to appoint a distinguished woman of character to continue the legacy and work of the late Lieutenant Governor.
I am proud of the ascension of New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way who was appointed as New Jersey’s 3rd Lieutenant Governor. She has served at numerous levels of government and in addition to her powerful role as the Lieutenant Governor, she also serves as our state’s 34th Secretary of State. Lieutenant Governor Way is passionate about access to reproductive healthcare and equality under the law and we are fortunate to have a Lieutenant Governor who was willing and able carry the torch of Lieutenant Governor Oliver’s legacy.
Now, without further ado, on to the women of New Jersey who have a chisel in hand and continue to strike that ancient glass ceiling.
Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter
Predominantly a Woke-left list with very few exceptions!
Women Say Feminist Hatred of Men Has Gone Far Enough
December 20, 2023 – When feminist Clementine Ford issued her latest misandrous screed, little did she suspect that noted columnist Antonella Gambotto-Burke was at the ready, waiting to expose Ford’s divisive ideology with laser-like accuracy.
Gambotto-Burke would not be the first, of course, to reveal the deep-seated feminist antipathy towards men. Canadian Senator Anne Cools once commented, “…this feminism that has grown up suddenly in the last few years, where all virtue and goodness are stacked up on the side of women, and all evil and violence is stacked up on the side of men.” (1) And former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher famously quipped, “I hate feminism. It is poison.” (2)
The most withering critique of feminist ideology has come from former University of Ottawa professor Janice Fiamengo:
“Feminism was never sane. It was never without deep rancor and bitterness against men, never free from the claim that women were absolute victims of male predation, never uninterested in destroying the family, never accurate in its claims about women’s social situation, never unwilling to slander men in the most vicious and unpitying ways, and it never expressed any appreciation for men nor recognition that men had made any contribution to society or that men had ever acted out of love and concern and compassion for women in the laws that had been made or social instruments that had been developed over time. It was always a deeply misandrist, man-hating, man-blaming kind of movement.” (3)
Now fast-forward to Clementine Ford. Like many feminists, Ford experienced mental health challenges as a child, struggling with body dysmorphia and an eating disorder (4). Feminists insist that mental health problems are one of the countless manifestations of the dreaded patriarchy (5). As a result, they don’t seek professional help, and end up projecting their pathology onto others.
Women who issue artless denunciations like “Kill all men” (6) typically lack the ability to establish long-term, respectful relationships with members of the male sex. So faced with a demanding newborn baby, Ford would later admit that these words about her partner began to enter into her head: “I hate you” (7).
Ford recently published the book, I Don’t: The Case Against Marriage, a tome that avoids all mention of the most important fact of all – that married men and women live longer, happier, and more prosperous lives, compared to their unmarried peers (8).
In response, commentator Antonella Gambotto-Burke published an essay this past Sunday exposing the shortcomings of the book, and charging that Ford “displays a deep, sustained, and ugly rage against men.” Like a television evangelist, Ford “whips her audience – for the most part, hurt, lonely, overburdened, or vulnerable women – into a frenzy of fear and loathing for men.” (9)
Hate is a contagious emotion, and Ford began to express her venom towards members of the Jewish community, as well (10). In response, an online petition recently was launched calling on publishing house Allen and Unwin to de-platform Clementine Ford.
At last report, over 2,600 persons had signed the petition: https://www.change.org/p/allen-unwin-must-sever-ties-with-antisemite-clementine-ford
The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — consists of 114 member organizations from 33 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. DAVIA seeks to ensure that domestic violence and abuse polices are science-based, family-affirming, and gender-inclusive. http://endtodv.org/davia/
Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Cools
https://www.biography.com/political-figures/margaret-thatcher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksqgKZfEfNM
https://www.mamamia.com.au/body-hate-and-body-image-clementine-ford-shares-her-own-story/
https://www.cureus.com/articles/161994-critical-overview-of-patriarchy-its-interferences-with-psychological-development-and-risks-for-mental-health#!/
https://mensrights.com.au/violent-women/clementine-ford-writes-kill-all-men-all-men-must-die
https://primer.com.au/clementine-ford-separation/
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/194785126 https://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF11B13.pdf
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/should-you-dump-your-husband/news-story/5674eebd60a8465f5311e18ce4a6a014
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy13W9wPbo-/
Posted: https://endtodv.org/pr/women-say-feminist-hatred-of-men-has-gone-far-enough/