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An illustrative example of collaboration for intersectionality in the making.

A New Era for Women Workers, Minority Women and Lesbians (1976)

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[ID: tweet by @/DelonFim: “improve public spaces: bo racist statues, more gargoyles” ]

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COVID is slowly becoming a “third world” disease. While first world countries are hoarding vaccines, having doses for populations many times their size, third world countries can’t get any because pharma companies want to sell to the first world countries first. Even then, first world countries will receive them first. While rich countries recover from COVID, they will forget about the pandemic while many other countries live the absolute worst moment of the pandemic without being able to vaccinate their population.

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Today in Black Excellence: Marley Dias, Founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks, Activist, Author, and Avid Reader

“In order for us to be the change we wish to see in the world, we must see ourselves first—in fact and in fiction.”

—Marley Dias

What is #1000BlackGirlBooks?

Launched by Marley in November of 2015, #1000BlackGirlBooks is an international movement to collect and donate children’s books that feature Black girls as the lead character.

After complaining to her mother that her school’s mandatory reading was about white boys and dogs, the precocious ten-year-old decided to start a book drive. She started #1000BlackGirlBooks to bring more attention to literature featuring Black female protagonists and collect 1,000 books to donate to Black girls in other schools. Her inspiring story went viral, and she was able to collect over 12,000 books.

What has Marley been up to?

Nothing much, really! In 2017 Marley was awarded the American Ingenuity Award by the Smithsonian, and in 2018 she was one of the youngest people ever to be featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. She wrote and published Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You!. She has continued her work in equity, inclusivity, and social change in literature, recently partnering with Netflix to create Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices. *wipes brow*

Original portrait by Tumblr Creatr @macaroon22

“It was a joy to work on this piece. Marley Dias advocates for a cause that is very near and dear to my heart. It is so important that black and BIPOC girls and boys see themselves represented in the media that they consume, and are shown that representation truly matters.”

—@macaroon22

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The Black and disabled Black artists creating new opportunities for inclusion.

"There’s a whole, whole massive community that has been underrepresented, invisible, not because we wanted to be invisible, because they chose for us to be invisible and not give us opportunity because of fear, again."

Google has published an article on diversity and inclusion for Black History Month, where they have highlighted disabled Black creatives, and the underrepresented populations they have long been apart of.

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Join us in a celebration of Black History Month as we highlight the Black authors whose books are in our Young Adult Collection! Part 4: Nnedi Okorafor, Ben Philippe, Randi Pink, Christina Hammonds Reed, Jaime Reed, Kayti Nika Raet, Jason Reynolds, Justin A. Reynolds, Debbie Rigaud, Ilyasah Shabazz, Ni-Ni Simone, Sherri L. Smith, & Nic Stone

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October 15th...

On This Day in Herstory, October 15th 1991 the Senate confirmed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court in a 52-48 vote, even after he had been accused of sexual harassment. 

This story may sound familiar, because Brett Kavanaugh was just confirmed to the Supreme Court, even after he was accused of sexual assault. These are the similarities between the two events. Two judges, two professors, twenty seven years, and an unfaltering contempt for women throughout. 

Both Anita Hill and Christine Blasey-Ford were university professors who initially made their accusations against a Supreme Court nominee confidentially or anonymously, but were then driven by a sense of duty to come forward and speak out against the men who abused them.

In July 2018, Ford accused a drunken, 17-year-old Kavanaugh of attempting to rape her when she was 15, and they were at a house party; she told her story in a letter to her congresswoman who shared it with a member of the Judiciary Committee. Two months later the letter was given to the FBI. Ford went public in an interview, and offerered more details to corroborate her story.

In September 1991, Hill’s story came about as part of a private interview with the FBI, who were asking for details of working conditions with Thomas. She accused Thomas of sexually harassing her and creating a hostile work environment that lasted several years. Hill’s interview was leaked to the press, and in October 1991 she was called to testify.

Both women were questioned by all-male GOP Senators.

Both women were accused of suffering from mental illness or delusions, or making the stories up entirely for their own gain.

Ford provided notes from a 2012 therapy session where she talked about Kavanaugh attacking her; she even brought the results of a polygraph test that showed she was not lying. But she was challenged on her recollection of key details about the incident, like the location of the attack, or why she had waited so long to come forward.

Hill was pressed on the sexually explicit details of her encounters with Thomas, and they sought to undermine her at every turn. They wanted to know why she did not report the harassment, or why she took another job under his supervision. They pointed to a time when Hill drove Thomas to the airport as her consent in the whole situation, or her lying about the harassment.

Both women were poised, calm, and collected.

Both of their attackers cried, yelled, and were generally hostile.

Both women watched as these men were confirmed to the Supreme Court despite their testimonies.

Kavanaugh was confirmed in a 50 to 48 vote.

Thomas was confirmed in a 52 to 48 vote.  

After Hill’s testimony the image of an all-white, all-male panel had a lasting impact on the makeup of congress.  

1992 was coined the “Year of the Woman,” as a result of the record-shattering number of women who ran for and won seats in Congress. Twenty-four women were elected to the House of Representatives for the first time, and the number of female Senators went from two to six.

2018 is set to become another “Year of the Woman.” 256 women have won primaries to advance to the congressional general elections in November.

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A beautiful sight indeed. Today’s New York Times shows a full-page ad taken out by 1,600 men in support of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford (and Anita Hill before her)—inspired by the letter of solidarity 1,600 black women took out during the Clarence Thomas hearings.

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Superwoman by Gloria L. Trevino Velasquez

A poem on the oppression of women of color. A poem to explore the inequalities perpetuated against women.

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The “Preview Issue” of Ms. magazine was published with the immense help of Gloria Steinem (co-founding editor). Ms. was the first national feminist magazine, edited entirely by women. Until this magazine’s publication, the Women’s movement had little literary representation when it came to amplifying individual voice. 

It was important for Steinem and staff to share a platform for women discuss and consider themselves beyond the stereotypical bounds. Gloria Steinem chose the first cover to include art depicting a female figure with many hands, juggling the tasks of a woman’s life. The mythic illustration had universality, as the character’s race was ambiguous. 

In 1997 another Gloria would present an illustration depicting our multi-appendaged woman once again. Gloria Trevino Velasquez, an artist and poet, writes and illustrates the Superwoman Chicana. In the artwork drawn by Velasquez, the woman presented has more of an obvious identity. This superwoman Chicana has colors and objects that she embraces, and are revolving her. She is not just a woman of color, but a mother, student, cook, organizer, motivator and force. Superwoman Chicana refuses to be ambiguous and instead illuminates a different movement: The Chicano Movement. Challenging our complacency, her resonant cries for justice "refuse to be silent/to be buried in obscurity."  

I can’t help but think that Gloria Trevino-Velasquez, a Colorado born Latina, born in 1949 may have read/been inspired by the imagery depicted in the Ms. magazine that hit the stands that fateful Spring ‘72 day.  Perhaps Velasquez took that inspiration to build upon her identity as a woman- she was not just a woman but a woman of color. 

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By artist, Andi Poretta

💭 head in the clouds 💭

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2020 Election Diversity Milestones.

Available at: https://www.npr.org/2020/11/05/931643078/local-state-elections-hit-unique-diversity-milestones

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