Jessica Washington Archives

Jessica Washington

As Attention Turns to Child Care, the System’s Unsung Heroes Ask for Recognition

The pandemic is disrupting one of the most prevalent forms of child care for children younger than 6: the informal network of family, friends and neighbor caregivers.

by Jessica Washington

How Will the COVID Shot Affect Your Period? Scientists Say There’s Not Enough Data—But There Should Be

Health experts say the fact that people in vaccine trials were not asked about their periods speaks to the larger way the health concerns of women and other birthing people are often ignored and dismissed…

by Jessica Washington

‘Water Warriors’: The US Women Banding Together to Fight for Water Justice

Women have been deeply embedded in the movement for clean water and sanitation for decades, which has become even more pressing amid the pandemic.

by Jessica Washington

The Pandemic Devastated Home-Based Child Care: ‘I Don’t Know How We Bounce Back’

The pandemic has decimated the child care industry across the board, but home-based workers and older workers have been particularly impacted.

by Jessica Washington

Lessons from Texas: Advocates Warn of Extreme Weather’s Link to Domestic Violence

When a winter storm paralyzed Texas last month, millions of people in the state were left without power or heat or drinkable water. Traveling was dangerous and cell service was spotty. At the Houston Area…

by Jessica Washington

‘I Want to Move Forward’: Student Moms Bear Costly Double Burden of Child Care Costs, Student Debt

Making progress toward reducing massive debt seems like an elusive dream for two moms who are struggling to repay mounting student loans while covering child care expenses. Experts say they are not alone.

by Jessica Washington

‘Whatever It Takes’: How Black Women Fought to Mobilize America’s Voters

Democrats have long pointed to Black voters, more specifically, Black women, as a crucial voting bloc. But this November, successfully flipping the southern, Republican-led state of Georgia to the Democrats for the first time in…

by Jessica Washington

Women Were Key to Eradicating Wild Polio in Africa. But Can They Do the Same for COVID?

How do governments and the wider medical community successfully immunise the entire world against COVID-19? The answer might just lie with women, who played an enormous role in eradicating wild polio across Africa.

by Jessica Washington

“You’re Basically Trying to Pick Your Poison”: Persistent Inequality Weighs on Black Mothers During COVID-19

On a bright Sunday afternoon in late August, 37-year-old Adrianne Williams tucked her son Josiah into his car seat. The energetic three-year-old was talkative that afternoon, excited for the weekly hour drive. Josiah’s latest obsession,…

by Jessica Washington

100 Years On, Black Women Are Still Fighting For Voting Rights

In 2008 and 2012, Black women voted at a higher rate than any other demographic bloc, according to the Center for American Women and Politics.

by Jessica Washington

Child Care Workers Weigh COVID-19 Risks: “I Don’t Want to Die.”

Over the course of her 12-year career, child care provider Kyra Swenson has caught pneumonia three times. The 35-year-old teacher who, until earlier this year, watched over seven one-year-olds in the burnt orange walled Chipmunk…

by Jessica Washington

Lose Income or Risk Your Child’s Health at Daycare? The Impossible Choice Low-Income Parents Face in Wisconsin

When 19-year old Milwaukee native Lenesha Barr discovered her six-month-old son, LaShaun, tested positive for coronavirus in April, she panicked. “There’s a risk that he might die from this,” says Barr, a cook at Wendy’s on unpaid…

by Jessica Washington

Pregnant Black women navigate two public health crises during COVID-19 in Milwaukee

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare a 'perfect storm' of health inequalities that further risk pregnant Black women's lives.

by Jessica Washington

Coronavirus Shutdowns Make Women the Majority of Unemployment Seekers in States Across U.S.

Women filed the majority of new unemployment claims in the weeks after their governors closed schools and workplaces to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

by Jessica Washington

Experts Apply Lessons From Ebola to Ensure Girls Return to School Post-Pandemic

In April of 2015, after Ebola ravaged Sierra Leone and paralyzed West Africa, schools finally began reopening. Thousands of children eagerly returned to school after nine months stuck at home, but 13-year-old Isatu and her…

by Jessica Washington

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