Courtney E. Martin

Courtney E. Martin
Born (1979-12-31)31 December 1979
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Nationality United States
Subject Feminism

Courtney E. Martin (born December 31, 1979) [1] is an American feminist, author, speaker, and social and political activist. She is known for writing books, speaking at universities throughout the nation, and for co-editing the feminist blog, Feministing.com. Her work also appears on numerous other blogs and websites. She is also a recipient of the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics.[2][3] She is known for promoting feminism by integrating storytelling and solutions into her writings and talks.[3] According to Parker Palmer, she is “one of our most insightful culture critics and one of our finest young writers.” [4] In 2013 she helped found the Solutions Journalism Network with journalists David Bornstein and Tina Rosenberg.

Background

Courtney Martin is from Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she and her brother were raised by her parents.[3] Her parents both strongly believed in women and men having equal contributions. Her mother created the longest running women’s film festival in the world while Martin was a teenager.[5] Martin attended William J. Palmer High School in Colorado, and went on to attend Barnard College in New York City.[3] She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science as well as sociology. She later went on to study at New York University, where she received a Master of Arts in writing and social change. Martin now resides in Oakland, California with her husband, John, and their daughter, Maya.[3]

Feminist positions

Feminist waves

Martin self-identifies as a third-wave feminist.[6] In many of her speeches and writings, she discusses the generation gap between different waves of feminism, specifically second-wave feminism and third-wave feminism in terms of her own personal experiences between her mother and herself.[1][6][7]

As detailed during a public forum with Deborah Siegel, Martin asserts that older generations often view third-wavers as entitled, but she states they were raised to believe they deserved certain rights and to fight for them.[8] She also points out that third-wavers have grown up in a world filled with many issues, leading her to state that her generation is overwhelmed.[9] In a TEDtalk in 2011, Martin brings up the issues of wealth disparity, xenophobia, environmental crisis, and sex trafficking and states “it’s enough to make you feel very overwhelmed.” [1]

Another differentiating factor influencing the gap between second and third-wave feminism that Martin discusses is how they approach political activism. Her opinion is that second-wavers typically organize protest marches in order to create change, while third-wavers have turned to “online organizing.”[1] Using social media, online petitions, and blogs to raise awareness about feminist issues and social issues in general, as well as to bring about change, is a viable strategy that Martin argues could be the future of feminism.[9]

Work-Family Balance

Martin argues that the issue of work-family balance is not just a women’s issue, saying “men need family-friendly workplaces” as well.[10] She calls for workplace-provided childcare, legislature to “craft policies that support individuals and families,” maternity and paternity leave, and more workplace flexibility.[11][12][13] In an article for skirt.com in 2008, Martin writes “how can we claim to be economic providers and role models for our daughters and sons if we aren't also improving the work place climate they will inherit?” [13]

Books

Online contributions

Martin spreads her views on feminism and family friendly workplaces through the medium of the internet. She contributed as a co-editor to Feministing.com, the largest feminist blog from 2004 until recently.[14] Martin is now a weekly columnist for On Being.[15] Her work can also be found on sites such as YES! Magazine, The New York Times, and TED talks. Martin has been a co-founder to numerous online organizations, including Valenti Martin Media and #femfuture, which aim to break the boundaries of traditional views towards women.[3] Martin also contributes to mainstream websites such as the Huffington Post.[16] Martin is also a Senior Correspondent for The American Prospect Online. She has penned a number of articles on the site, including: “The Problem with Youth Activism”, and “Why Class Matters in Campus Activism”. [17] [18] In these two articles, Martin discusses the way America’s youth has lost the outrage and civil disobedience of previous generations in favor of school sanctioned demonstrations, and how the American youth today do not display the robust activism that United Kingdom students have recently displayed regarding school tuition budget cuts.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Martin, Courtney E. "Courtney Martin: This Isn't Her Mother's Feminism." TED. TED
  2. ↑ "The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity". www.eliewieselfoundation.org. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Martin, Courtney E. "Courtney E. Martin – Author / Speaker / Blogger." Courtney E. Martin – Author / Speaker / Blogger. Courtney E. Martin, n.d. Web. March 4, 2015.
  4. ↑ https://poptech.org/people/courtney_martin
  5. ↑ Martin, Courtney E. "Courtney E. Martin." MAKERS. Makers, n.d. Web. March 4, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Martin, Courtney E. "A Family of Enraged and Impassioned Women." YES! Magazine. YES! Magazine, August 18, 2004. Web. March 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ Martin, Courtney E. “Letter to My Mother.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc., November 17, 2011. Web. March 5, 2015.
  8. ↑ Alboher, Marci. "Notes from an Intergenerational Conversation." The New York Times. The New York Times, March 31, 2008. Web. March 16, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Martin, Courtney. “Generation Overwhelmed.” The American Prospect. n.p., October 21, 2007. Web. March 16, 2015.
  10. ↑ Martin, Courtney. “Work/Life Balance is Not a Woman’s Issue.” The American Prospect. n.p., October 23, 2009. Web. March 6, 2015.
  11. ↑ Martin, Courtney E. "Transcending 9 to 5." The Shriver Report Transcending 9 to 5 Comments. N.p., September 11, 2009. Web. March 4, 2015.
  12. ↑ Martin, Courtney E.. "Child Care and the Overwhelmed Parent." The New York Times. The New York Times, July 24, 2014. Web. March 16, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Martin, Courtney E. “Is Work/Life Balance Possible?” Skirt!.com. Morris Media Network, February 27, 2008. Web. March 16, 2015.
  14. ↑ Feministing. Feministing, n.d. Web. March 4, 2015
  15. ↑ "Courtney Martin." On Being. N.p., n.d. Web. March 4, 2015
  16. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/courtney-e-martin-/
  17. ↑ “The Problem with Youth Activism” http://prospect.org/article/problem-youth-activism-0 Retrieved 2015-10-20
  18. ↑ “Why Class Matters in Campus Activism” http://prospect.org/article/why-class-matters-campus-activism-0 Retrieved 2015-10-20.

External links

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