By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | I attended an event over the weekend that struck a chord deep within my being.  The occasion was the celebration of a young couple’s marriage.  The whole evening was surreal as I watched the love everyone held for these two families climax reaching its peak and exploding as the music started playing and tribal movement took over.  The room felt electric as women of all ages started tuning into their unique rhythm and allowing it to overtake their bodies while simultaneously stomping out any lingering bits of self-consciousness with each beat.  There were men dancing as well and many of them could cut a rug, but they could not hold a candle to the fire emanating from these women moving in sync with their spirit!

The female body is a complicated organism, and the reproductive system is perhaps the most complicated of all. Sex can be a beautiful part of life and the core of intimate relationships, but over the years sexual pleasure will inevitably ebb and flow. 

In just over a span of five years, the women’s heavy athletic division at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games has grown from a group of three dedicated competitors to now attracting more than a dozen professional athletes form the across the country to participate in the weekend’s slate of ancient competitions.

The Rotary Club of Sylva chooses a student of the month for good grades and exemplary study skills.

Last week, Laurence des Cars was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron of France, to be president-director of the Louvre. She is the first woman to earn the position in its 228 year history. 

By Laura Lauffer • Contributing writer | During the holiday season, we often recognize and appreciate the farmers in our community for the abundance of food on our tables. Three women farmers in the region shared their farming experience during this challenging year, what it means to them to farm as women and how they continued to grow and distribute their goods to the community in the challenging times of COVID. 

Rachel Clay is a voting rights activist. She works as the Southeast Regional Coordinator for the Campus Vote Project, a nonpartisan organization that works directly with colleges and universities to normalize and institutionalize student voting. Rachel is from Raleigh, she graduated from Appstate with B.A. 's in political science and women’s studies and she currently resides in Asheville, North Carolina. 

In 24 short hours, more than 12 million people posted a personal message on social media using the #MeToo hashtag. It was one of the most powerful moments in history in the fight to end sexual violence, but the movement’s founder Tarana Burke said the moment will pass by without any real change unless supporters stay focused on the real message.

The multifaceted roles women have played in society are often overlooking in the history books, but if you dig deep enough you’ll find their behind-the-scenes work was meaningful and ahead of its time — even here in Western North Carolina. 

Women make up the fastest growing segment of inmates in the U.S. correctional system.

According to a 2016 study conducted by the Vera Institute of Justice, the number of women in jail grew from under 8,000 in 1970 to over 110,000 in 2014 and nearly half of them are in small county jails.