There are so many of us doing great work and often, we aren’t even invited to participate in their projects and initiatives. I am a black disabled woman. Those six words convey the essence of who I am — not all that I am, but the lens through which I navigate the world. I am black, and […]
We’re going to spend the next four years fighting for our lives and the lives of those around us. That fight only matters if our lives are worth living. Dear queer friends and loved ones, and everyone working in solidarity with us: It seems utterly foolish today to sit down and try to give you […]
I refuse to take part in the endless privileging of white pain above all others. The only people who were surprised by white people voting for white supremacy is other white people. Muslims, black folks, and other people of color have been petrified of this outcome for a long time now, because we know how […]
Appropriating a non-mainstream identity, especially for our kids, is not only deeply misguided, but a further dehumanization of the identities we’re appropriating. Living with an almost-3-year-old means hearing every variation of the word no 214 times a day. It means shoving an unconscionable amount of requested-then-rejected food down the garbage disposal, hearing the disintegration of […]
As so many of us who do social justice work are rapidly cycling through the stages of grief, prioritizing what needs to be done feels nearly impossible. Usually it’s the president who goes prematurely gray. Over the next four years, I expect that it will be those of us with marginalized, targeted identities who will […]
Do not dismiss or diminish people’s fear. People are not overreacting, and it’s not your job to tell them to be positive. The physical and emotional well-being of our friends and families require that we show up. This means leveraging our privilege, should it come in the form of religion, class, gender, race, etc., to […]
“Doing what you love” is an elitist and privileged aphorism. Many individuals in marginalized communities do not have the means to just do what they love. “You have to just do what you love!” Various forms of “do what you love” serve the purpose of being inspirational and cause people to question the meaning of […]
Let’s say there’s only one person in a given audience who is bothered by “guys,” is that person’s opinion worth me selecting another word? You bet it is. It costs me nothing and I made the space incrementally safer for one person. Yesterday at work, I did 30 push-ups while wearing a dress. Yes, I am […]
