Carissa Wyant

Carissa Wyant is a former MintPress columnist specializing in faith, race and social justice issues. She has been published in the Huffington Post, Patch.com, American City Business Journals and various local publications around the American Midwest.

On America’s Obsession With Pageants And Race

A former “Miss” contender weighs in on the unending conversation about the racial and ethnic backgrounds of pageant contestants.

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

“It’s not a beauty pageant, its a scholarship program.” That’s the infamous line uttered by Sandra Bullock’s character in the 2000 Hollywood comedy “Miss Congeniality” that pokes fun at the world of pageants. “Drop Dead Gorgeous” and “Little Miss Sunshine” are other such comedy films spoofing the subculture of pageantry. And of course there are

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Extremist Catholic Website Needs To Examine Its Own Tradition

A fringe organization’s insistence that Catholic women shouldn’t attend college runs not only against the realities of the modern world, but the Catholic tradition itself.

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

A recent article entitled “6 Reasons (+2) to NOT Send Your Daughter to College,” by Raylan Alleman of an organization called Fix the Family, has generated quite a bit of discussion since it was posted on the group’s website last week. It’s filed under a “Feminist Lies” series the group is promoting. “Probably the most controversial and rejected

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The ‘Whitest, Malest’ Field Of American Academia: Philosophy

Despite gains in society at large, women — especially women of color — face incredulity and even harassment in the Ivory Tower’s loftiest spire.

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

  “The Disappearing Women”; “What is Philosophy’s Problem with Women?”; “Philosophy Has a Woman Problem!” These are some of the headlines of a smattering of recent articles seeking to examine the reality that women in the academic field of philosophy are sorely underrepresented. According to a recent survey, in 2011 just 21.9 percent of the

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Police Brutality And The Handicapped

The death of a disabled man highlights how injustice befalls society’s most vulnerable.

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

The death of Robert Ethan Saylor, a 26-year-old man with Down syndrome, was ruled a homicide committed by three off-duty police officers, the officers in question got off scot-free. Anyone who cares about justice in general must begin by seeking it in this young man’s tragic death. Here’s the story: last January, Saylor decided to go to a local

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Murdered Florida Children Victims of State Experiment Gone Wrong

The Florida Department of Children and Families’ failed experiment with its child-welfare system had a hand in the deaths of innocent children.

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

“When I lost her, I lost a huge chunk of who I am,’’ said Tiffany Howard, the grandmother of Jewel Re’nee Howard, a 4-year-old who was killed by her mother’s boyfriend. Despite visits from child welfare officials to the child’s home, Jewel suffered broken ribs, internal bleeding and badly mangled internal organs before dying. “Every night when I

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‘I Love People. People Hate Politicians.’

Much has been made of Minnesota congressional candidate Paula Overby’s gender identity. But where does she stand on the issues?

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

Congressional hopeful Paula Overby certainly is shaking up politics in Minnesota, but she’s also making waves across the entire country. Since announcing Aug. 12 her candidacy to compete in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (the state affiliate of the national Democratic Party) primary for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District ahead of the 2014

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The UN’s Forgotten Resolution To Get Women Back Into Peace Processes

Women traditionally have not been involved in helping to design solutions to manage conflict and stop war.

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

“Does it matter for our ability to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts whether the women are engaged or not as soldiers, planners, desk officers, negotiators and decision makers? Is it a problem that the security sector is so male dominated?”, asks Mari Skåre, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security. In an

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