The social issue I chose to write about was equal rights for women. I am using an image of the dress that Carolyn B. Maloney wore it to the 2021 Met Gala. Carolyn B. Maloney is a representative of the United States and she has been speaking about the equal rights of women for a long time now. She has published a book speaking about the fact that women’s lives are not getting easier and ways on how we can help ourselves and other women around the world. For years, women have not been treated equally to men in multiple cases. Whether it was with work pay or just mutual respect, men always received the upper hand. On the dress Carolyn B. Maloney, in big bold letters it says “Equal Rights For Women.” Since the Met Gala is such a big event that is known & watched all around the world, she took the opportunity to raise awareness on the issue due to the laws that are being passed by men about females. I believe that her audience were women all around the world. In a way I feel like she used this event and the dress to encourage women around the world to stand up for their equal rights because females deserve to be treated equally. Carolyn B. Maloney seems to have a very strong stance on equal rights for women. This is not the first time that she mentions the issue and the fact that she used such a big event to spread awareness just proves that she wants as many people as possible to see her dress and be aware of the issue. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTxyZO9o56V/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/09/10/texas-abortion-law-ban-enforcement/

Women’s rights has been an issue around the world for many years, especially a women’s right to bodily autonomy. In the text “Texas’ near-total abortion law”, author’s Erin Douglas and Carla Astudillo break down this law in a way that educates and informs others on how unreasonable and unconstitutional it is. I do believe these author’s to be credible because both Erin and Carla studied journalism. Throughout the text, although mostly informative and evidence based, they seem to be pro abortion since they mainly write on how the defendant of this law is affected. As well as how this law is “tilted” in a way that supports the anti abortionists. One thing I found interesting throughout the text was the fact that this law encourages civilians to sue people, in other words this act is called “expand standing”. Expand standing is the concept of governments empowering “civilians to sue for civil remedies.” Meaning that these people don’t even have to be related to this case in any way shape or form in order to sue for “generalized grievances, or harms that weren’t committed against them personally”. Not only that but they also encourage this by providing an award of “$10,000 as well as costs and attorney fees.” As if that wasn’t enough, to add salt to injury this law was made to restrict the defendants from using the 14th amendment, Rod v Wade decision, as a defense. Meaning that they made this law structured in a way that allows for a greater guarantee for the plaintiffs win. As well as the fact that the plaintiff can ” sue in the county in which they reside”. Causing great inconvenience and burden, finance wise, towards the defendant. The law was also made in a way that even if the plaintiff does lose the case, the defendant loses more than them. Since the law “bars the court from awarding costs or attorney’s fees back to the defendant even if the defendant successfully wins the lawsuit.” Although the defendant can only pay relief once, regardless of how many lawsuits they have, they still lose so much money trying to continuously fight off law suits. To add on, women are only allowed a 6 week period to have an abortion. This time line is very unreasonable because the majority of women aren’t aware of their pregnancy until about 4 weeks in. Especially women who have irregular periods and wouldn’t suspect a late period until a week of it being missing. Leaving only about  1-2 weeks to have an abortion. But this time frame is reduced even more because before having an abortion the patient has to have 2 ultrasounds before an abortion. Meaning that they would have to wait for these 2 visits, but these visits are mainly used to ensure the pregnancy as well as the cardiac activity. But because of the new law most medical sites just completely stopped performing abortions in order to avoid the risk of legal actions being taken against them. Most times the patient that was cleared for an abortion is denied that procedure in the second visit because cardiac activity was detected, causing the patient to be forced to conceive the child. To conclude, this law is not only unconstitutional and unreasonable its also unfair since it supports the plaintiffs side and denies women bodily autonomy, which shouldn’t even be up for debate since they should be able to do what they want, it’s their bodies after all. A government official or law shouldn’t be able to dictate what a women can or cannot do with her body. It is a clear violation of the 14th amendment.

This image is capturing what India really looks like in black and white and what people outside of India see through the eyes of social media with the text saying Beautiful India and in the back there is garbage and the text is broken India.

The author is Martynas Klimas. He may not be credible because he does not normally write about social issues or any issues at all. He writes reviews about video games, is a copywriter, and used to write movie reviews. Even though he is not credible he did do extensive research when writing this piece.

There are many issues that are going on around the world, but the one issue that Klimas is communicating with the audience through his words and the pictures is that there is always a side not many people want to capture and show the world. Social media sugarcoats on what truly is happening. I know what he wants to say to his audience because it is clearly shown that you may never know what is happening because your only view of what is happening, is the small picture.

When I say audience I talk about Americans who use social media. This group of individuals is the targeted audience because Americans are known to take pictures of the pretty view but not of the sick children. The author’s assumptions about the audience are that Americans are naive.

The purpose of this image is to capture what many people see India as but how it really is the opposite. While Klimas was writing this piece I believe he wanted it to be informative by using these pictures to represent that there is always another side when posting that not many see or want to capture.

• Women’s Empowerment in the Indian Community is the topic I’m tackling. In our society, certain males prefer to believe that women should be at home caring for their children and the house. Article on Women Empowerment: Issues and Challenges by Murthy S is what I’ve decided to utilize. As an Indian, Srinivasa Murthy is a trustworthy source since he performed his study, and he obtained more material from both male and female authors.
• Women in India confront difficulties like as sexual harassment, underage marriage, and Dowry and Bride burning, which the author addresses. Bullet points are used to describe each of the difficulties women in India face.
• Specifically in India, this essay aims to shed attention on the struggles women face on a daily basis. The essay is aimed at everyone, especially those who are interested in understanding more about women’s employment and the challenges that women face in India. As the author explains, he wrote this post to help promote women’s rights, growth, and empowerment.
• In the article’s goals and objectives, the author argues that women deserve equal rights. Considering that this is a research paper, the genre of the article would be expository writing. It shed light on what women empowerment is and the challenges women encounter.
• It is believed by the author that strengthening the regulatory frameworks will help eliminate all forms of gender discrimination. With the involvement of both genders in altering cultural attitudes and community actions.
• Women Empowerment: Issues and Challenges » The International Journal of Indian Psychȯlogy (ijip.in)

The author of this is someone who does cinematic short films, but the words spoken in the video are of Isaac Asimov’s. Issac Asimov was an American writer and professor of biochemistry, which is the branch of science in question with chemical and physicochemical processes and substances occurring within living organisms. The last book published by Asimov was called Our Angry Earth, in which he tells us how we have to change our life, resume scientific thought experienced in pollution, and describes a plan for a more ecological, more hospitable, and healthy world. With this knowledge, the words spoken are credible and the footage that we see is put together by someone who often does this, which can be seen by their other videos.
The issue that is being tackled is climate change and how we have not as a human race been taking this issue seriously. It illustrates the fact that we ignore and add on to the issue at hand. The target audience of this is the human race, with more of a focus on people that choose to ignore the issue of climate change. The purpose of this video is to bring awareness to what has been going on and what is still going on to our climate. The central point that the author is trying to make is that change can still happen but if we do not act soon then earth as we know it will perish. The genre of this is more of a compilation to bring awareness and attempt to show us what we are killing. The author’s stance on climate change is that “ We need to actively remove carbon from the atmosphere — and do so within the next ten years or else we face irreparable damage to our atmosphere.” This is what they wrote in the description of the video.

Addressing the mental health stigma in the Black Community. While growing up, I’ve noticed in my community, the black community, there isn’t much talk of mental health and how to solve it. An article called “Addressing Mental Health in the Black Community,” by Thomas A. Vance, discusses it more in-depth. Vance has a Ph.D. in counseling psychology and is a director in social services. He is a pretty credible source for this specific topic, especially as he is a black man. He would be seen as more credible than a white man would because of shared backgrounds and experiences. The target audience for hos article is anyone interested in learning more about the stigma in this community. He explains in his article how black people are constantly disadvantaged through several factors throughout the years that include “enslavement, oppression, colonialism, racism, and segregation.” They don’t get the same opportunities as other races, and it caused an increase in mental health cases that were left untreated. He also explains how black people are disadvantaged; they turn to other alternatives for help and struggle to acknowledge psychological difficulties. They would see mental health as a “personal weakness due to negative stereotypes of instability and attitudes of rejection. Because of this lack of information about mental health issues in the Black community, it is not always clear when one may need it or where to find help.” The genre of this article is persuasive writing to try and steer people away from this stigma and get the help they need. The author’s stance is hopeful for the future and slowly but surely mental health would be more accessible and not stigmatized in the black community and that ” The Black community has a long history of social change and prioritizing mental health is not a sign of weakness, but an act of strength.”

Thomas A. Vance Ph.D. is a Postdoctoral Clinical & Research Fellow at the Gender Identity Program at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/addressing-mental-health-black-community

In the photo below, we can see a few Amish women protesting against Texas’ new law on abortion. Taken by Getty Images on the 24th of July 2021, the sign that one of the women is holding is a drawing of the state of Texas as a bloody coat hanger to represent the coat hanger abortion myth. In this myth, many people believe that women use coat hangers to pull out the fetus and abort it. Though this myth has been proven false, many people still believe it.

The author is mainly responding to the fact that Texas just changed the lives of all women living in Texas, no matter their race, gender, religion or sexual orientation. The purpose of this image is to bring to light the situation that is occurring in Texas. Because of this new law, every single woman in Texas is suffering and is having part of their freedom ripped from them. Personally, I believe that the main target audience of this post can be the politicians and officials that voted on this new law and the rest of America. These two groups are the main audience because this photo is showing how every single female in Texas is suffering from this bill.Texans politicians are also the main target because they are the reason the law is in effect. The author’s stance on this issue is very clear; they are against the law like most of America. This issue is not just a problem in Texas; eight other states have made abortions illegal. With keeping this in mind, the genre of this image would be a public statement since the artist is trying to inform the general public about this issue.

Moving Beyond Diversity Toward Racial Equity (hbr.org)

Racism in the workplace is an issue I think needs more awareness. Being white or black shouldn’t mean you get more of an advantage over the other because of your skin color. In the workplace, white people have always had more of an advantage than people of color and it’s not right. The author of this article is Ben hatchet. I think this author is credible because his writing is accurate and he’s the president and CEO of living cities. The author has led the organization’s transformation into one of the nation’s leading economic justice organizations. The problem in this article that the author is responding to is race/racism. I know this because the article is talking about how unfair the workplace is towards blacks/people of color and how white people are always the ones in charge and have more of an advantage in the workplace.

The audience is business owners and people of the workplace. I know this because the author says that business owners need to be more aware of the unjust race issues going on in workplaces and he even used himself as an example. I also know that the audience is also people of the workplace because this is geared towards them because this directly affects them/people of the workplace. The purpose of this article is to make businesses more aware of the racial injustice in the workplace and to change the ways things have been done to making it more equal to everyone and not just white people or giving white people more of an advantage than people of color. The author’s stance towards this race matter going on in the workplace is very clear. The author is definitely against it and thinks that action should be taken now, he(ben hatchet) has already come up with a new process in his organization that makes things equal/fair. I know this because in the article the author states several times that he doesn’t think it’s right and it should be changed.

  https://www.bostonmagazine.com/sponsor-content/adolescent-mental-illness-boston-one-familys-story/

“I hate my life, and I want to die.” stated by Abby who was only 17 years old. Adolescence Mental Illness in Boston: One’s Family’s Story presented by Franciscan Children’s. The story of Abby is one out of many stories being shared of a teenager who went through depression and how she was able to take the challenge to overcome her depression. 

     Abby was just a seventeen-year-old who got raped that led her through depression. Not only did Abby had a hard time but also her mother, Beth, and her family. After reading Abby’s story, her mother, Beth didn’t think Abby was going through a big wave of emotions and thought. Although Abby’s behavior changed through time, Beth only thought that Abby was just throwing teenager tantrums and was going through a phase. Abby’s story is relatable to many readers, having the feeling of isolation, loss of interest in things, and lack of energy. 

     Abby’s story talks about her experience on how her being raped led to her being depressed. This story was presented by Franciscan Children’s that stated how Abby’s behavior changed through time, having suicidal thoughts, being taken to the ER for unwell health that detected her to have a mental health crisis. When being at the ER the staff recommended Beth to take Abby to Franciscan Children’s in Boston that would help her health care. 

     As we know that there are many young children that develop depression, anxiety, and/or ADHD before reaching the age of 24. “Statistics indicate that every two hours and seven minutes, a person under the age of 25 completes suicide in the United States.” A person commits suicide before reaching 25 is a sign that most of these young adults/teenagers have trouble reaching out for help, having been isolated to an extent that no one realizes their changes of behaviors, believing that they are fine, and going through a phase just like Abby. This article was written by Franciscan Children’s an institution that helps those that care for children and adolescents experiencing behavioral and emotional problems, knowing that there are people who are not sure who to go to or talk to when they most need it. 

     Abby was only 17 having suicidal thoughts, making it difficult for her to communicate with others especially to tell them what was her main reason to fall for this path. Abby was one of the Franciscan Children’s patients, sharing her story proves that Franciscan Children’s is a place to go to receive help. They were able to help more than 1,300 children/adolescents They saved 1,300 children from committing suicide proving that depression can be fought. After Abby being taken to Franciscan Children’s, both she and her mother were scared to know what will happen next. But after receiving treatment Abby was able to get back up to her feet, giving her the inspiration to become a nurse to help those in need just as she needed it when she was 17. 

This image is from an article on the miseducation of social justice in our schools. The creator of the image is Cristina M. Fletes and I feel as though its very powerful and shows exactly how a lot of black people have felt lately in America. I believe Cristina to be credible because of that fact that she was in a social justice class and this artwork was made to express her thoughts on the issue of racism, inequality, and the killing of African American people. In this image the artist is trying to show how America is silencing black people from speaking their truth and beliefs hence the American flag over the woman’s mouth. Names of people who were killed in cases of police brutality or murders against black people are shown in her hair. I believe the artist wants justice for these people and wants their names to be heard but America is attempting to silence the movement. There’s also a sign to the right of the woman that states that black and white people bleed and breathe the same and that they are both human. Though black people are not treated as such.

The target audience of this image could be to black people who advocate for social justice, white people who are racist or prejudice against African Americans, or just any political leader in general. I know this because of the inequality that’s being shown by the woman being kept from having her freedom of speech, black people go through this normally, racist white people cause it, and political leaders need to change it. The purpose of this image is to spark something in people who go through this issue and want to make it change. Its meant to raise awareness and inform people of the murders of African Americans that are being forgotten by so many people. The point the artist wants to push is that they matter, the innocent men and woman killed, and all of the black people who are seen as less than what they are matter. She states this by the words on the right of her art especially the word “Matter” that is put directly at the top.

The author is using a very creative from of art by symbolizing the flag as a mouth covering to limit speech. I think it was a great detail in this drawing that says a lot without really saying anything at all. Lastly from viewing Cristina’s artwork I can conclude that she is an advocate for black lives mater and strongly believes in getting justice for the people who were and continue to be wrongfully killed.