Women's History Month at the White House

wh.gov Women's History Month at the White House

In honor of Women's History Month, last week, we welcomed a group of high school students to participate in a conversation with a mentoring panel at the White House. It was followed by a celebration in the East Room with President Obama and the First Lady. We caught up with some of the notable women that participated at the day's events and got their perspectives on how far we've come as a nation and where we still need to go. http://wh.gov

Undocumented Immigrants, Some Freed from Detention, Seek Reforms

VOAVideo: Undocumented Immigrants, Some Freed from Detention, Seek Reforms

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is feeling the budget sting brought on by strict cuts - known as sequestration - which took effect March 1. One result: DHS released thousands of undocumented immigrants it could no longer afford to hold in detention. As VOA's Kane Farabaugh reports, the issue of immigration reform now intersects with deficit reduction, two hot topics on lawmakers' agendas, and provides hope to thousands of immigrants facing deportation in the coming months.

West Wing Week: 03/29/13 or "Where Peace Begins"

wh.gov: West Wing Week: 03/29/13 or "Where Peace Begins"

This week, the President wrapped up an historic trip to the Middle East with stops in Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan, and then returned home for a naturalization ceremony, visits with the LA Galaxy and Kings, African Leaders, young Ambassadors and Spanish Television. He wrapped up the week by pressing for commonsense action to protect children from gun violence.

Women's History Month: USCIS 100:48. Voting Amendments and Alice Paul

Alice Paul led the final campaign to pass the Nineteenth Amendment (1920). 

USCIS 100:48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

▪ Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote).
▪ You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote.
▪ Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.)
▪ A male citizen of any race (can vote).

Women's History Month: USCIS 100:43. State Governor, Soledad Chávez Chacón, and Susana Martinez

 

Soledad Chávez Chacón of New Mexico was first woman to act as governor (1924). Susana Martinez is the current Governor of New Mexico (2011- ).

USCIS 100:43. Who is the Governor of your state now?

▪Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. does not have a Governor.]

Women's History Month: USCIS 100:39. the Supreme Court and Sonia Sotomayor

Sonia Sotomayor is the Supreme Court's 111th justice, its first Hispanic-American justice, and its third female justice.

USCIS 100:39.  How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

▪ nine (9)

VOANews: Sotomayor Sworn in as First Hispanic Supreme Court Justice

Sonia Sotomayor is third woman justice, and first justice appointed by President Barack Obama (videos)

Women's History Month: USCIS 100:38. the Supreme Court and Sandra Day O'Connor

Sandra Day O'Connor was the first female member of the highest court in the United States. 

USCIS 100:38. What is the highest court in the United States?

▪ the Supreme Court

Behind the Scenes: The Google Art Project at the White House

USCIS 96:94 What is the White House?

wh.gov: Behind the Scenes: The Google Art Project at the White House

Members of the Google Art project and the Google Street View team recently came to the White House to create a new way for people to tour the White House. Take a look at the process that went into creating a 360 degree virtual walk through of the White House public tour. Take a look inside the White House at

• Google Art Project: The White House (main page)
• Google Art Project: The White House (museum view)

USCIS 96:94 What is the White House?

• The White House is the President’s official home.

US Issues 1 Million Green Cards, Naturalizes 757,000 in 2012

VOANews: US Issues 1 Million Green Cards, Naturalizes 757,000 in 2012

Nearly a million people became U.S. citizens last year, and just over a million became legal permanent residents, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The data shows the numbers of new “green card” holders and naturalizations, the process of becoming a U.S. citizen, have been fairly steady over the past few years, with a modest bump in naturalizations last year. (read more)

West Wing Week: 03/22/13 or "Reach Out to New Horizons"

wh.gov West Wing Week: 03/22/13 or "Reach Out to New Horizons"

This week, the President spoke on American Energy Security at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, celebrated the luck of the Irish, honored leaders in STEM education and small business, filled out his NCAA tournament brackets, announced his nominee for the Secretary of Labor, and embarked on a 5 day trip to Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan.

Women's History Month: USCIS 100:29 the Vice-Presidency and Geraldine Ferraro

Geraldine Ferraro was the first female Vice Presidential candidate representing a major American political party (1984). 

USCIS 100:29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? 

▪ Joseph R. Biden, Jr. 
▪ Joe Biden 
▪ Biden

UPDATED 3/26/2011: VOANews: Geraldine Ferraro, US Political Pioneer, Dies at 75

US Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin and Finding Your US Rep with ZIP+4

USCIS 100:23. Name your U.S. Representative.

Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin speaks out for women's right to vote.

On March 3, 1917, Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman to be elected to the United States House of Representatives and the first female member of the Congress. Because she loved peace and hated war, she voted against the entry of the United States into both World War I and World War II.

On Feb. 23, 2009 Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) introduced H. R. 1124: Honoring Female Pioneers Act that creates a U.S. postage stamp honoring four female Congressional pioneers: Jeannette Rankin (R-MT), Mary Teresa Norton (D-NJ), Patsy Mink (D-HI), and Shirley Chisholm (D-NY). The bill is awaiting a commitee vote. Thanks to Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur for honoring out political foremothers!

USCIS 100:23. Name your U.S. Representative.

• Answers will vary. [Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or Resident Commissioners may provide the name of that Delegate or Commissioner. Also acceptable is any statement that the territory has no (voting) Representatives in Congress.]
• Check www.house.gov/ for the name of your US Representative.
• Also see USPS Zip+4.

LISTEN to US Citizenship Podcast

• US Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin and Finding Your US Rep with ZIP+4

Biography - AS - Susan B Anthony - Leader of Womens Rights Movement

ListenAndReadAlong: Biography - AS - Susan B Anthony - Leader of Womens Rights Movement

Susan B. Anthony, 1820-1906: She Led the Fight to Gain Equal Rights for Women, Including the Right to Vote

In the eighteen fifties, women in the United States began to try to gain the same rights as men. One woman was a leader in the campaign to gain women the right to vote (read more)

US Congresswoman Patsy Matsu Takemoto Mink and Title IX

USCIS 100:22. We elect a U.S. Representative

for how many years?

PATSY MINK: Ahead of the Majority

Patsy Matsu Takemoto Mink (Japanese: パッツィー・T・ミンク; December 6, 1927–September 28, 2002) was the first woman of color and the first Asian American woman elected to Congress.

Mink served in the U.S. House of Representatives for a total of 12 terms, representing Hawaii's first and second congressional districts. She also was the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

In 1972, Congresswoman Mink wrote the Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act, which guaranteed equal opportunity for both men and women in education and school sports.

For more info about influence of Patsy Mink and Title IX, see

• VOANews: Studies Link Girls' Sports to Gains in Life

USCIS 100:22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?

• two (2)

LISTEN to US Citizenship Podcast

• US Congresswoman Patsy Matsu Takemoto Mink and Title IX

Securing the Border - Immigration Reform 2013

NYTimes: Securing the Border - Immigration Reform 2013

Related article: http://nyti.ms/YeppWu
Please visit http://nyti.ms/XOJTW2 in order to embed this video

US Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and Minimum Wage

USCIS 100:21. The House of Representatives

has how many voting members?

Congresswoman Shirley Chihsolm: UNBOUGHT AND UNBOSSED!

Shirley Chisholm (November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was US a Congresswoman, representing New York's 12th Congressional District from 1969 to 1983.

In 1968, she became the first African-American woman elected to Congress. She supported education, health care, social services, and reductions in military spending.

Shirley Chisholm hired only women for her office staff. Chisholm said that during her political career, she faced much more discrimination because she was a woman.

Shirley Chisholm created controversy when she visited George Wallace, the Governor of Alabama, in the hospital soon after his shooting in May 1972. Although they had opposite political views, Wallace deeply appreciated her kindness.

Several years later, when Congresswoman Chisholm worked on a bill to give domestic workers the right to a minimum wage, Governor Wallace helped get the votes of enough Southern congressmen to pass Chisholm's bill.

Shirley Chishom will always be remembered as "Unbought and Unbossed."


21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

• four hundred thirty-five (435)

LISTEN to US Citizenship Podcast

• US Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and Minimum Wage

*NEW* VOA Learning English: Shirley Chisholm, 1924-2005: The First Black Woman Elected to the U.S. Congress (03/20/11)

She was an activist who worked to improve the lives of others PEOPLE IN AMERICA (download mp3)

West Wing Week: 03/15/13 or "Stay With It!"

wh.gov: West Wing Week: 03/15/13 or "Stay With It!"


This week, the President met with the Sultan of Brunei, his Export Council, Intel Science Fair finalists, and Israel Channel 2; he discussed cybersecurity and immigration reform with CEOs, and traveled to the Capitol to meet with Congressional Caucuses, while the First Lady honored Women of Courage, held a Twitter Q&A, and challenged CEOs to find innovative ways to hire veterans.

Susan B. Anthony and National Women's History Month

USCIS 100:77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

National Women's History Project (NWHP) teaches people about the important activites of women. NWHP sponsors Women's History Month. This year's theme is Our History is Our Strength .

USCIS 100:77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

• fought for women’s rights
• fought for civil rights

LISTEN to US Citizenzenship Podcast:

• National Women's History Month and Susan B. Anthony

Women's Rights ARE Human Rights!

USIS 100:09. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence which was the first document to talk about the rights of Americans.

In 1948, Eleanor Roosevelt and members of the United Nations wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which protects the rights of all human beings.

Inspired by the work of Thomas Jefferson and Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Rodham Clinton, then the First Lady of the United States, spoke to the UN 4th Conference on Women on September 5, 1995 in Beijing, China. She boldly proclaimed "Women's Rights ARE Human's Rights!" uniting the delegates and NGO representatives to work on behalf of all women and girls.

I attended the UN conference in Beijing and Huairou as part of the IGC internet support team and daily posted reports on my listervs BEIJING95-L and BEIJING95-WOMEN.

I will never, ever forget my teammates, the conference attendees, the hospitality of the Chinese governement, and the POWER of Hillary's speech.

USIS 100:09. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

• life
• liberty
• pursuit of happiness

LISTEN to US Citizenship Podcast:

• Women's Rights ARE Human Rights!
  

Women's History Month: Eleanor Roosevelt

LISTEN to US Citizenship Podcast
mp3: Eleanor Roosevelt and the United Nations

Must See: Women's Stamp on History,

a special 4-part online exhibit from Arago,

the Smithsonian Postal Museum--AMAZING!

VOANews: Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884-1962: She Was the Most Influential Wife of Any American President
On PEOPLE IN AMERICA: She became one of the most important people in America. She fought for equal rights for all people -- workers, women, poor people, black people. And she sought peace among nations. 20 September 2008

• MP3 - Download (MP3)
• MP3 - Listen to (MP3)
• RealAudio - Download

VOAVideo: First Lady's Role Shaped by Tradition and the Individual

ESL Discussions: United Nations

• How has the United Nations changed the world?

USCIS 96:90 Name of the purposes of the United Nations.

• For countries to discuss and try to resolve world problems or to provide economic aid to many countries

Obama Calls For US Election Reforms

VOANews: Obama Calls For US Election Reforms

While Americans are proud of their democracy, some are saying the election system is not working as it should. As VOA's Kent Klein reports from the White House, reports of long lines at the polls have led President Barack Obama to call for reforms in the way Americans vote.

USCIS 100:48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

▪ Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote).
▪ You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote.
▪ Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.)
▪ A male citizen of any race (can vote).

USCIS 100:49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?*

▪ serve on a jury
▪ vote in a federal election

USCIS 100:50. Name one right only for United States citizens.

▪ vote in a federal election
▪ run for federal office

The American Civil War: Who Should Memorials Honor?

VOA Learning English: The American Civil War: Who Should Memorials Honor?

One group is planting trees to remember the Civil War dead. Others are arguing about whether to rename parks that honor Confederate fighters (read more) (Listen)

USCIS 100:73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

▪ the Civil War
▪ the War between the States

USCIS 100:74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

▪ slavery
▪ economic reasons
▪ states’ rights

West Wing Week: 03/08/13 or "Jedi Mind-Meld"

wh.gov: West Wing Week: 03/08/13 or "Jedi Mind-Meld"

This week, the President urged Congress to resolve harmful budget cuts and reduce the deficit in a way that helps grow the economy and strengthen the middle class, held his first Cabinet meeting of the second term, announced three key Cabinet nominations, and signed the Violence Against Women Act.

International Women's Day

Happy International Women's Day! During the month of March, US Citizenship Podcast will explore the connection between the USCIS History and Government questions.

**NEW for 2013: International Women's Day (ESL beginning-level pdf)

2011 QUIZ: Women and USCIS 100 Questions: Civics

Women'a History Podcasts:

• USCIS 100: Women and USCIS 100 Questions: Civics mp3
• USCIS 98:90 Eleanor Roosevelt and the United Nations mp3
• USCIS 100:09 Women's Rights ARE Human Rights! mp3
• USCIS 100:77 National Women's History Month and Susan B. Anthony mp3
• USCIS 100:21 US Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and Minimum Wage mp3
• USCIS 100:22 US Congresswoman Patsy Matsu Takemoto Mink and Title IX mp3
• USCIS 100:23 US Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin and Finding Your US Rep with ZIP+4 mp3
• USCIS 100:36 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Passports mp3

Biography - FB - Betty Friedan - Modern Women's Rights Activist - ERA champion

ListenAndReadAlong: Biography - FB - Betty Friedan - Modern Women's Rights Activist - ERA champion

Betty Friedan, 1921-2006: A Leader in the Modern Women's Rights Movement

I'm Faith Lapidus. And I'm Steve Ember with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Today we tell about Betty Friedan. She was a powerful activist for the rights of women.

Betty Friedan is often called the mother of the modern women's liberation movement. Her famous book, "The Feminine Mystique," changed America. Some people say it changed the world. It has been called one of the most influential nonfiction books of the twentieth century. (read more)

Biography - PR - Rosa Parks - Mother of American Civil Rights

USCIS 100:84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

ListenAndReadAlong: Biography - PR - Rosa Parks - Mother of American Civil Rights

Until the nineteen sixties, black people in many parts of the United States did not have the same civil rights as white people. Laws in the American South kept the two races separate. These laws forced black people to attend separate schools, live in separate areas of a city and sit in separate areas on a bus.

On December first, nineteen fifty-five, in the southern city of Montgomery, Alabama, a forty-two year old black woman got on a city bus. The law at that time required black people seated in one area of the bus to give up their seats to white people who wanted them.

The woman refused to do this and was arrested.
This act of peaceful disobedience started protests in Montgomery that led to legal changes in minority rights in the United States. The woman who started it was Rosa Parks (read more)


USCIS 100:84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

▪ civil rights (movement)

US Border Activists Urge Humane Immigration Reform

VOANews: US Border Activists Urge Humane Immigration Reform

Valentin Tachiquin banged nine times on a metal podium outside the U.S. Capitol Building, the number of times his daughter was shot to death by a border patrol agent last year.

“I’m not a politician, I’m a hurting dad,” Tachiquin, a Hispanic U.S. citizen who works as a corrections officer at the California Institution for Women, said Wednesday. “I would die for this country, but don’t kill my family just because you have a badge.”

​​Tachiquin is part of a group of civil and human rights activists, local politicians, business and faith leaders who traveled to Washington from communities along the Mexican and Canadian borders this week. They're urging members of Congress to take a more humane approach to border security in an upcoming immigration reform bill. (read more)

US Immigration Fight Imminent (VOA On Assignment Mar. 1)

VOAVideo: US Immigration Fight Imminent (VOA On Assignment Mar. 1)

VOA's Cindy Saine joins On Assignment's Philip Alexiou and Alex Villarreal from Capitol Hill to discuss U.S. immigration reform efforts. Cindy says the U.S. budget battle has overshadowed the immigration debate recently in Congress, but that President Barack Obama is committed to getting immigration reform done this year.

Bracing for Sequester, US Frees Illegal Immigrants

VOAVideo: Bracing for Sequester, US Frees Illegal Immigrants

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) says it has released hundreds of detained immigrants in an effort to save money ahead of potential government budget cuts.

(read more)

West Wing Week: 03/01/13 or "Hope Springs Eternal" .

West Wing Week: 03/01/13 or "Hope Springs Eternal" .

This week, the President urged Congress to take a responsible approach to deficit reduction instead of the indiscriminate across-the-board spending cuts called the sequester. He also met with the Prime Minister of Japan, America's Governors, and the country's only all-black Ranger unit, and unveiled a truly moving monument to Rosa Parks.