Josie Cox - The Persistent

Persisting Through Politics

Deciding Which Way to Look

Two men will be honored on Monday. They couldn't be more different.

Los Angeles Fires

Yes, Los Angeles Is Burning. No, DEI Is Not to Blame.

Within a day of the California wildfires igniting, right-wing influencers and conservative media outlets had decided what was to blame for the deadly blazes: DEI. That’s utterly ridiculous.

Equal Rights Amendment

Why Can’t We Just Pass the ERA? It’s Complicated.

The Equal Rights Amendment is a simple 24-word piece of legislation. But it’s also a historic movement, more than a century in the making, that began with women’s suffrage and continues to this day.

Black and white photo of a New York subway platform, where a train waits with closed doors.

Violence against women and girls

Bright Light. Big Smile. Her Name Was Debrina Kawam.

The story of the woman set alight on the New York subway is a reminder that everyone, even when they’re anonymous, is a somebody.

Books

Our Year In Books: Escape? Engage? Do Both?

The Persistent's editors round up their favorite reads of the year.

A group of pro-ERA demonstrators in 1927 hold their hands aloft.

Legislation

How Can Equality Between Genders Still Be Up For Debate?

The Equal Rights Amendment is one of the most embattled pieces of legislation in the U.S. Supporters say it's just a question of publishing the damn thing.

A black and white photo of Taylor Swift on stage in the final days of the Eras Tour in Vancouver.

Culture

What Taylor Swift Taught Me About Aging

No age is the right age to be a woman. Unless, of course, you're Taylor Swift.

Pink, yellow, blue and green illustration shows a woman huddled in a fetal position behind transparent online messages.

Online Violence

Do Australia's Efforts to Protect Kids Online Go Far Enough?

Is passing an imperfect law really worse than not doing anything at all?

A silhouetted woman at the centre of the image, surrounded by concentric collaged cutouts in cobalt, teal, lime and pink.

Worklife

Permission to Fail

Failing is as much a part of freelancing as bragging about working from home in pajamas. But we don't all fail equally.

U.S. Election 2024

On Tuesday, Signs of Progress, Too

While all eyes were on Donald Trump's win, sure signs of progress emerged on Tuesday, too.

U.S. Election 2024

As America Votes Harris vs. Trump, One Woman’s Legacy Looms Especially Large

How Shirley Chisholm, who ran for president against all odds, forever altered the landscape for women in U.S. politics.

An illustration shows a woman running a race. She looks back at other versions of herself as she runs.

Essays

The Pain and Joy of Not Running the Marathon

Sure, I can run a marathon. But I can also not. And maybe, just maybe, in a few years I’ll be able to.

A black and white photo of Hilary and Bill Clinton relaxing in the Roosevelt Room in the White House.

Work

How I Met Your Other

Why, by dint of a husband being important, does his wife somehow become a less-than, no matter her qualifications?

Watercolor of Lilly Ledbetter, with a blonde bob, white shirt and black jacket.

Fair Pay

Remembering Lilly Ledbetter: A Life of Grit and Persistence

Lilly Ledbetter, for whom America’s Fair Pay Act of 2009 was named, has died. She was 86.

An illustration of a woman, shown twice, in the first version she says, I'm Great! In the second version, I'm Great?

Worklife

The Compelling Case for Careful Self-Promotion

Women are told to lean in and dare to lead, to be a girlboss and to speak up. But nothing is easy about this. And none of it is risk-free.

An abstract depiction of a woman with her hands in front of her face. A yellow arrow points up to the right.

Sexual violence

An Epidemic of Violence

A single week of headlines shows sexual violence and domestic abuse deeply rooted in every corner of the globe. It’s appalling.