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She Breathes

Another world is possible…

Holding Our Own’s Statement on UAlbany Bus Students

Holding Our Own’s Statement on UAlbany Bus Students

Holding Our Own stands with the young women of color from UAlbany who reported an assault on a bus on January 30th, and who are now being prosecuted for false reporting and assault. It is our unwavering position in all instances of gender-based violence, sexual assault, and racist violence to support those who are systematically […]

Open Letter To UAlbany Bus Students – [#DefendBlackGirlsUAlbany]

Open Letter To UAlbany Bus Students – [#DefendBlackGirlsUAlbany]

From Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration’s People of Color Caucus. This is a cross-post from here: CAAMI.org Dear Alexis, Ariel, & Asha: While the circumstances compelling us to write this letter have no doubt been taxing to your well-being, we hope to find you all in good physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Late last month, […]

SAY HER NAME, Part II: Women, Violence, and Incarceration

SAY HER NAME, Part II: Women, Violence, and Incarceration

SAY HER NAME, Part II: Women, Violence, and Incarceration (Part I is here) “The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today is my own government.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., 1967 “I am convicted of murdering my ex-husband who abused me for years. I have done 33 years of my 25-to-life sentence. I am […]

Why We Need a Black Lives Matter Movement

Why We Need a Black Lives Matter Movement

Letter to the Editor Written in Response to Charlie’s Angle: Black lives don’t need movement, published in The Saratogian, and the Troy Record, Jan 31, 2016 Saratogian Article We were shocked and offended by the Opinion piece written by Charlie Kraebel denying the need for the Black Lives Matter movement. As managing editor of The […]

Say Her Name: Women, Mass Incarceration, and Violence – Part I

Say Her Name: Women, Mass Incarceration, and Violence – Part I

Fewer than 5% of those incarcerated in the prisons of New York State are women. Therefore, our movement for justice in the criminal justice system should devote less than 5% of its time, energy, and resources to issues of incarceration and women — right? Wrong. But it often seems like that’s what we do. Here […]

adaku utah: healing resources to support us as we rise up

adaku utah: healing resources to support us as we rise up

<3 “being oppressed in this world means endlessly having one’s heart break on many fronts simultaneously — yet a healed heart that reopens again and again after it has been broken is larger, stronger, and takes on the lessons of resilience.” ~ blkcowrie http://blkcowrie.wordpress.com <3 <3 “Contributed with fierce, magnanimous Black love from fellow Black healers […]

interstitial stitching: checkin’ for real womanist solidarity with trans kin

interstitial stitching: checkin’ for real womanist solidarity with trans kin

from genesissy & on the eighth day, God said let there be fierce & that’s the story about the first snap, the hand’s humble attempt at thunder, a small sky troubled by attitude // & on the ninth day, God said Bitch, werk & Adam learned to duck walk, dip, pose, death drop, Eve became […]

alla dem gag at serena’s brilliance & resilience

alla dem gag at serena’s brilliance & resilience

Serena-goddess, Serena-sis, please know i am still in a ruby red rage cloud over the racist, misogynistic, BESTIAL treatment you received on July 11, 2015 at the hands of The New York Times. fresh off the court where you left your latest historic notch, i can’t imagine how you must have felt to have to […]

intersectionality: weaving many roots into one tree

intersectionality: weaving many roots into one tree

a natural outgrowth of the groundbreaking Black feminism of the Combahee River Collective et.al. in the 1980s, intersectionality is a 30-year old concept developed by Kimberle Crenshaw and shared by many activists and organizers across and within multiple contemporary movements. i tend to think of it as the ability to think, walk, and chew gum […]

Police Surveillance & “anti-trafficking”: rally Monday March 16

Police Surveillance & “anti-trafficking”: rally Monday March 16

Letter to the Community: On Monday, March 16, NOW NYC will be coming to Albany to rally in support of the Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act (TVPJA). TVPJA has widespread support from the feminist community, but has raised concerns as it grants more authority to the police and criminal justice system– and at the […]

Help send a Capital Region Delegation to INCITE!

Help send a Capital Region Delegation to INCITE!

Black History Month 2015

Black History Month 2015

Within the month of February comes a few dates that are considered to be National holidays; whether it’s about love, dead white men, a big rodent who determine the weather to come, or most recently the viewing of a sport that only Americans understand, but there’s only one month that celebrates the memory, the achievement, […]

Dear Queers:  A love letter from Michigan

Dear Queers: A love letter from Michigan

“A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim.”  Maya Angelou “The connections between and among women are the most feared, the most problematic, and the most potentially transforming force on the planet.”  Adrienne Rich “Only by learning to live in harmony with your contradictions can you […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #7: DJ Goldee Dust

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #7: DJ Goldee Dust

The seventh  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets! ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #7: DJ GOLDEE DUST Andrea has always been fascinated with creating soundtracks and setting a mood for any environment. She […]

LadyFest–the Artist Behind the Curtain–Sean,aka bell’s roar

LadyFest–the Artist Behind the Curtain–Sean,aka bell’s roar

The tenth  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets! Ladyfest Upstate is brought to us by the visionary artist, Sean Desiree. When Sean is not organizing radical cultural events, she is […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #8:FREE CAKE FOR EVERY CREATURE

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #8:FREE CAKE FOR EVERY CREATURE

The eighth in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets! ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #8: FREE CAKE FOR EVERY CREATURE Free Cake For Every Creature is the project of Saratoga Springs-based Katie Bennett, who […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #6: Amani Olugbala

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #6: Amani Olugbala

The sixth  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets!   ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #6: AMANI OLUGBALA A radical of the heart and pacifist of the mind, Amani spends much of her time […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #5: Sweet Chocolate

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #5: Sweet Chocolate

The fifth  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets!   ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #5: SWEET CHOCOLATE Niroma Johnson a New York Native, resident of Albany, NY. When she appeared on the Amateur […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #4: Moor Mother Goddess

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #4: Moor Mother Goddess

The fourth in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets!     ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #4: MOOR MOTHER GODDESS Moor mother goddess is a musician, beat maker, event curator, poet,writer, and workshop facilitator […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #3: Evan Greer

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #3: Evan Greer

The third  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets!   ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #3: EVAN GREER Evan Greer is a radical genderqueer singer/songwriter, parent, and community organizer based in Boston. (S)he writes […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #2: CIHUATL CE

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #2: CIHUATL CE

The second  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets!   ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #2: CIHUATL CE Back again for the 2nd year, Cihuatl Ce has been spitting truth to power in the […]

Lady Fest Artist Spotlight #1: GARMIN

Lady Fest Artist Spotlight #1: GARMIN

The first in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets! ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #1: GARMIN right here. be here now. is an installation that exists somewhere between performance and social practice. The project […]

Everything Lady Fest!

Everything Lady Fest!

Get Tickets to LadyFest Upstate Festival! Saturday-Sunday, November 22  1pm-1am At the Low Beat 335 Central Avenue, Albany NY  Upstate LadyFest On Facebook LadyFest Upstate is a 1 day music and arts festival featuring women-identified, trans and gender nonconforming artists. This is its 2nd year in Albany and it’s not to be missed! It’s all […]

Caterpillar For Rachel Corrie

Caterpillar For Rachel Corrie

Caterpillar For Rachel Corrie by Victorio Reyes Sometimes I sit down to dinner and I imagine that you’re sitting with me. We’re talking about the history of capitalism and the connections between Marx and Adam Smith. My partner chimes in about the sexist and Euro-centric implications of such discussions.        We nod in agreement. You […]

Cutting the Umbilical Cord: My Departure from the Mainstream Movement for Reproductive Rights

Cutting the Umbilical Cord: My Departure from the Mainstream Movement for Reproductive Rights

My upcoming birthday brings with the usual set of mixed emotions: happiness as I reflect on all that filled this last year, and all that may be in next; trepidation, as I recognize that the steps I have left to walk have become fewer. This year, however, it carries a greater weight, as I think […]

Join Us at the Annual Picnic!

Join Us at the Annual Picnic!

Saturday, August 30th at 12 noon Lyon’s Lake, Nassau Bring the whole family! We provide the music, the beautiful location, the paper products, beverages and protein — hamburgers, hotdogs, veggie burgers, etc. You bring fruit or a dessert to share with friends and any extras you like. Come as early as 12pm to claim your […]

The Newest Chapter in the “War on Drugs”: The Pregnancy Criminalization Law (SB 1391)

The Newest Chapter in the “War on Drugs”: The Pregnancy Criminalization Law (SB 1391)

On Tuesday, April 29th, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, signed into law the first law in the United States that authorizes the arrest and incarceration of women who use drugs while pregnant. Women in Tennessee can now be prosecuted for assault if they take a narcotic drug while pregnant and the baby is born addicted, is […]

Very Young Girls–Movie Screening and Discussion

Very Young Girls–Movie Screening and Discussion

  “Very Young Girls”: A Film and Discussion Friday, May 23rd, 7pm at the WB, 373 Central Avenue, Albany On Facebook Sponsored by Holding Our Own,  NYS Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Patty’s Place The screening will be followed by a facilitated discussion. Very Young Girls is an expose of human trafficking that follows thirteen […]

Spotlight on Barbara Sutton

Spotlight on Barbara Sutton

In an effort to give Holding Our Own network members an opportunity to get to know each other just a little better, we will be spotlighting a couple of local feminists each month. We hope that this will help give you more opportunities to connect, collaborate and leverage your resources. Do you want to be next, […]

Spotlight on Jessica Pino

Spotlight on Jessica Pino

In an effort to give Holding Our Own’s network members an opportunity to get to know each other just a little better, we will be spotlighting a couple of local feminists each month. We hope that this will help give you more opportunities to connect, collaborate and leverage your resources. Do you want to be next, or […]

Albany Casino Public Input Opportunities

Albany Casino Public Input Opportunities

For those of you who have been following this story, it isn’t news that the City of Albany is one of several possibilities for the siting of a new casino. We have gathered information from several different sources (thanks go out to Richard Conti, 6th Ward Council Member, Cathy Fahey, 7th Ward Council Member, and […]

Casino in Albany: Yay or Nay?

Casino in Albany: Yay or Nay?

Note: This post will be followed quickly by another detailing the schedule of opportunities for public input (that we know about). There has been surprisingly little public debate to date over the proposition of a new casino in the Albany area considering the huge impact it will have on the community.  The proposal for the […]

Why we should care about college education programs for prisoners

Why we should care about college education programs for prisoners

Prison education programs, particularly those that provide college-level courses are important to everyone, not just the prisoners who participate in them. Governor Cuomo’s proposed initiative to fund – with state money – college programs in 10 prisons has sparked some very interesting dialogue surrounding this topic. Although it is looking like the program will not […]

Spotlight on Blue Carreker

Spotlight on Blue Carreker

In an effort to give Holding Our Own’s network members an opportunity to get to know each other just a little better, we will be spotlighting a couple of local feminists each month. We hope that this will help give you more opportunities to connect, collaborate and leverage your resources. Do you want to be next, or […]

Women and Incarceration: Letter-Writing as Resistance

Women and Incarceration: Letter-Writing as Resistance

“You asked, ‘What’s on your mind today?’ The whole time I’ve been in prison not one person has asked me that question. Thank you. …I’m still alive and it doesn’t matter how many times I have fallen. It’s how many times I get back up that counts.” The quote above is taken from a letter […]

In Memory of Adrienne Rich

In Memory of Adrienne Rich

Victorio Reyes is a poet and Executive Director of the The Social Justice Center of Albany. Three years ago, I decided to return to school to pursue an MFA in creative writing. As a poet, who came from the spoken word and Hip Hop schools, I was surprised by how many corners of the literary […]

communityLAB: community organizing is for everyone

communityLAB: community organizing is for everyone

There’s a new and exciting project brewing in the Capital Region called communityLAB (Leadership and Action Building), which is about offering community organizing training, for everyone. We want to build leaders in every neighborhood, starting with our Troy Fellows Project. Our goal is to help build grassroots power and hope in the neighborhoods of the […]

Towards Eliminating the Wedge Part 2: Continuing the Conversation on Prison Justice and Gender-based Violence

Towards Eliminating the Wedge Part 2: Continuing the Conversation on Prison Justice and Gender-based Violence

Join in the conversation. We began this dialogue on November 21st, 2013. This is part 2, but don’t hesitate to join in! RSVP on Facebook Download, print or share the flyer There is a conflict between the mainstream movement to eliminate gender-based violence and the movement to end mass incarceration. But here are some basic […]

Spotlight on Victoria Kereszi

Spotlight on Victoria Kereszi

In an effort to give Holding Our Own’s network members an opportunity to get to know each other just a little better, we will be spotlighting a couple of our members each month. We hope that this will help provide you with more opportunities to connect, collaborate and leverage your resources. Do you want to be next, […]

Listen to What I Have to Say: Why Teenage Feminists are Important

Listen to What I Have to Say: Why Teenage Feminists are Important

Every so often when I have a conversation with girls I know and feminism comes up, they’ll say something along the lines of “I don’t need feminism,” or “feminism isn’t relevant.” This obviously upsets me, not just because something I’m passionate about has pretty much been put down, but because of the fact that young […]

Spotlight on Chrys Ballerano

Spotlight on Chrys Ballerano

In an effort to give Holding Our Own’s network members an opportunity to get to know each other just a little better, we will be spotlighting a couple of our members each month. We hope that this will help provide you with more opportunities to connect, collaborate and leverage your resources. Do you want to be next, […]

Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration

Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration

Tuesday, March 11th, 2014 at 6:30pm The Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement: Solitary Confinement in New York and the Statewide Movement to Challenge It at the Social Justice Center 33 Central Avenue, Albany, NY Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration (CAAMI) would like to invite you to join them for a presentation provided by The […]

A Kiss for Gabriela: A Film and Discussion

A Kiss for Gabriela: A Film and Discussion

Friday, March 7th at 7pm @ the WB, 373 Central Avenue Albany, NY Come join Holding Our Own on Friday, March 7th at 7:00 pm at The Women’s Building, 373 Central Avenue location for a screening of the documentary, “A Kiss for Gabriela.”  Following the film there will be a thought-provoking, open discussion about sex […]

Sing Your Heart Out for the Love of HOO!

Sing Your Heart Out for the Love of HOO!

Sing Your Heart Out for the Love of HOO! a karaoke fundraiser Thursday, February 20th, 8pm at McGeary’s Come join Holding Our Own for a fun night of pub grub & shameless singing! Not only will you get to show off your inner Celine Dion, you’ll also have a chance to indulge in one-of-a-kind drink […]

Finding Feminism in the Dominican Republic

Finding Feminism in the Dominican Republic

Over the course of my fifteen-day community service trip in the Dominican Republic, a recurring theme was the insistence that women take special precautions due to the country’s gender dynamics. “When two women are dancing together in the club,” we were told, “it means they are asking for a man to come take them.” Similarly, we […]

Call to Action

Call to Action

During the past week couple of weeks, the media noted and had much to say about the 50th Anniversary of the ‘War on Poverty’. Here’s an article from the LA Times: LA Times New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/09/opinion/kristof-progress-in-the-war-on-poverty.html And the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/what-america-won-in-the-war-on-poverty/283006/ Many of the opinions expressed and statistics quoted are at odds with each other. […]

Wednesday Rant–the “War on Christmas”

Wednesday Rant–the “War on Christmas”

Another holiday season has come and gone, but even a few days into this new year I can’t help but be haunted by something that’s been bugging me for the past few months: The War on Christmas. Basically, some extremely religious people are convinced that the world is out to end the Christmas holiday. The […]

Port of Albany and more…

Port of Albany and more…

Note: This post is a follow up to Grace Nichols’ post yesterday, “Environmental Defense.”  As promised, we will share links and resource information on the Albany Port issues. On Monday night, January 6th I attended a meeting of the Albany Common Council. My main reason for going was that I had heard via social media […]

Environmental Defense by Grace Nichols

Environmental Defense by Grace Nichols

Editor’s Note: We will post additional resources, references and article links in a separate post tomorrow, Wednesday,  January 8th. Please feel free to comment (be patient, all comments are moderated and you must be logged in to comment) or log in and Submit a Post of your own on this issue. There are numerous threats […]

Hidden injustice

Hidden injustice

Every year in New York State hundreds of people sign over their homes in order to receive welfare assistance. This is a little known requirement, since most people who have homes do not receive welfare benefits, and those that do, certainly do not want to talk about it. I have had first hand experience with […]

Minus Pause by Doreen Perrine

Minus Pause by Doreen Perrine

Menopause meets me, pistols drawn and gunning for a showdown, in the middle ground of life. I prefer to mount my horse, gallop in reverse, slam on the brakes, and stop the clock. Mix metaphors and juggle words tossed into thin air. Whatever does the trick. Meno? Minus? Hopefully not a Minotaur charging through the […]

Ending Violence Against Sex Workers

Ending Violence Against Sex Workers

December 17th, International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, was created to address the ubiquity of crimes against this marginalized population that too often go ignored. Following the statements by the “Green River Killer” in Seattle, Washington, who claimed to have chosen sex workers as his target because he knew too few people would […]

Food Cuts as Violence Against Women

Food Cuts as Violence Against Women

Hunger and Human Rights: Budget Cutbacks as Violence against Women By Cody Cabrera December 10, 2013 The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence—a call to action to raise awareness of the multi-faceted forms of violence women face in the context of  human rights—ends today on International Human Rights Day.  As I reflect on today […]

Cathy Rojas responds with her thoughts on gender violence

Cathy Rojas responds with her thoughts on gender violence

Overcoming trans* and gender-based oppression by Jac Mautner

Overcoming trans* and gender-based oppression by Jac Mautner

Jac Mautner is an activist and member of Women Organized to Resist and Defend (WORD) – a grassroots women’s rights organization. She has worked on a wide number of campaigns and actions including those for queer and trans liberation, for women’s rights, and against police brutality. Violence towards trans and gender non-conforming people is pervasive […]

Where have all the respectable-boys gone?

Where have all the respectable-boys gone?

Over the course of the past few months I started wondering why it seems that sexism has taken a step in the wrong direction in recent years. Why does it seem that women are spending way too much time and money trying to look good and attract men, and men are taking women less seriously? […]

State Terrorism and Violence Against Women

State Terrorism and Violence Against Women

By Barbara Sutton The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence symbolically link the multiple forms of violence that women around the world experience (November 25) with the question of human rights (December 10). In Argentina, my country of origin, the specter of human rights abuses has particular connotations, reminding of a time in which […]

Reimagining the ‘John’

Reimagining the ‘John’

Victim-blaming has become a catchphrase among feminists of all schools of thought, addressing the repercussions of burdening people (usually women) with the responsibility of remaining unharmed by others. An example of this can be found in the dialogue of Zerlina Maxwell, who earlier this year spoke out against the right-wingers suddenly ‘taking a stand’ against […]

Towards Eliminating the Wedge: a Conversation on Prison Justice and Gender-based Violence

Towards Eliminating the Wedge: a Conversation on Prison Justice and Gender-based Violence

  Thursday, November 21, 2013 at 6pm 1199 SEIU, 155 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY Join in the conversation. There is a conflict between the mainstream movement to eliminate gender-based violence and the movement to end mass incarceration. But here are some basic truths: *We need to be safe from gender-based violence, *Current public policy about […]

Fabulous Feminists 2013 Awards Bash–Tickets Now Available!

Fabulous Feminists 2013 Awards Bash–Tickets Now Available!

Sell Tickets Online through Eventbrite

Nominate a Fabulous Feminist!

Nominate a Fabulous Feminist!

Holding Our Own and the Women’s Building are again jointly celebrating women’s community building and feminist social change organizing in the Capital Region. We invite you to nominate your local feminist heroes, visionaries, builders, pillars of resistance and community, etc.!  Read more on this year’s awards categories here. Celebrate with us on Saturday, December 7th […]

Malalai Joya Speaking in Albany

Malalai Joya Speaking in Albany

Tomorrow Night! Malalai Joya Renowned Afghan Activist and Author Wednesday, October 9th at 7pm Emerson Hall, FUUSA, 405 Washington Ave, Albany Co-sponsored by Women Against War, Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace and Holding Our Own along with many others (see flyer). By special arrangement, free parking will be available in the U Albany Hawley lot, across […]

On Syria by Fatma Ozdemir

On Syria by Fatma Ozdemir

I assume that everyone agrees that there must be something to do for Syrian people. However, the solution should not be ‘bombing’ or killing more and more people to stop the current civil war. This sounds to me as weird as saying that the U.S. has to kill people in Syria just because Syrians kill […]

An Amazing and Historic Week by Sheila Healy

An Amazing and Historic Week by Sheila Healy

What an amazing and historic week just transpired. Monday, the nation marked Women’s Equality Day with the commemoration of the passage 93 years ago of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granting women the right to vote. It’s hard to believe today that women’s enfranchisement didn’t occur until the early part of the 20th century. […]

Chelsea Manning, Identity Control & Government Violence by Drew Cordes

Chelsea Manning, Identity Control & Government Violence by Drew Cordes

This article re-posted from the Bilerico Project with the permission of the author. “Discipline” may be identified neither with an institution nor with an apparatus; it is a type of power, a modality for its exercise, comprising a whole set of instruments, techniques, procedures, levels of application, targets; … an essential instrument for a particular […]

Watch the Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum

Watch the Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum

Thanks to Seantel Chamberlain for the video.

Listen in on Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum

Listen in on Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum

If you missed the forum on Wednesday, July 24th at the Rockefeller Institute, you can listen to the unedited audio here. We are still waiting on the video. We will add it in a new post as soon as possible.

Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum

Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum

Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum Wednesday, July 24th at 7pm RSVP on Facebook Rockefeller Institute of Government 411 State Street, Albany NY This past election cycle, it seemed every politician wanted to be seen as the “pro-woman” candidate. So what does it mean to be a “pro-woman” candidate? The purpose of these forums, the second […]

Listen in on the Albany County Family Court Candidate Forum

Listen in on the Albany County Family Court Candidate Forum

If you weren’t able to come to the Albany County Family Court Judge Candidate Forum on Thursday last week, you can listen in to the recording here. Hope you will join us on Wednesday, July 24th at 7pm at the Rockefeller Institute, 411 State Street, Albany for the City of Albany Mayoral Candidates Forum!

trayvon martin/lynne stewart

trayvon martin/lynne stewart

trayvon martin/lynne stewart (naomi)   they talk of terror they who have all the drones but to kill you trayvon is not a crime they call it the land of the free but we the 2.3 million unfree, what land do we live in? terror, lynne, is when you aid and abet the escape of […]

What does it mean to be a “pro-woman” candidate?

What does it mean to be a “pro-woman” candidate?

Albany County Family Court Judge Candidate Forum Thursday, July 18th at 7pm RSVP on Facebook City of Albany Mayoral Candidate Forum Wednesday, July 24th at 7pm RSVP on Facebook Both events held at: Rockefeller Institute of Government 411 State Street, Albany NY This past election cycle, it seemed every politician wanted to be seen as […]

Celebrating DOMA, forgetting all else, same stuff, different decade

Celebrating DOMA, forgetting all else, same stuff, different decade

I really wish that, in the midst of all the rejoicing about DOMA being overturned, the local LGBT community leadership had paused for just a second to also acknowledge that the Supreme Court also issued some decisions disastrous to the civil rights of people of color and women by gutting the Voting Rights Act and […]

Close Guantanamo by Mabel Leon

Close Guantanamo by Mabel Leon

  Our Constitution is based on simple and powerful principles of justice and law as in due Process( Amendment 5 ), right to a speedy trial(Amendment 6) and no cruel or unusual punishment(Amendment 8). Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions guarantees that detainees  be treated humanely and prohibits cruel treatment and torture. Guantanamo prison violates […]

How Are Our Struggles Related?

How Are Our Struggles Related?

Address to May Day Rally Academy Park, Albany, NY May 1, 2013 How Are Our Struggles Related? People often talk about the intersection of oppressions. I propose that it is the intersections of violence that reveal the oppressed and best show how our struggles are the same. In the past five months the United States […]

Register Now for Holding Our Own’s Network Event!

Register Now for Holding Our Own’s Network Event!

Sell Tickets through Eventbrite

Mother Earth by Doreen Perrine

Mother Earth by Doreen Perrine

A few years back, I watched a movie, the title of which I can no longer recall, about a physicist who quit the field. But I’ve never forgotten the movie’s heartfelt message. The physicist moved to an island, a quiet, nearly deserted, place beside the sea, to raise her only child, a daughter. A male […]

Solidarity Fast with Guantanamo Prisoners

Solidarity Fast with Guantanamo Prisoners

Online Ticketing for Fast for Justice for Guantanamo Detainees powered by Eventbrite

Ladyfest Schedule of Events

Ladyfest Schedule of Events

What is Ladyfest you ask? Ladyfest is a community based, not-for-profit global music and arts festival for women identified, trans, gender queer and gender nonconforming artists. For the first time, local organizers are bringing Ladyfest to us here in the Capital Region! Below is the schedule of events. For more information go to www.ladyfestupstate.com You […]

Ladyfest is What’s Happening this Weekend!

Ladyfest is What’s Happening this Weekend!

“she, until then” by blkcowrie

“she, until then” by blkcowrie

(***trigger warning: references to sexual violence) * she envies spider webs their transparency, forever moist.  their embrace of gaps, corners and the forgotten, held within a network of countless delicate fingers.  strong enough to hold those that spun them, immune to their paralyzing poisons.  she covets that kind of love. she longs for this love, and […]

“irrigation” by blkcowrie

“irrigation” by blkcowrie

i was always absent in your eyes but you were caught in mine lodged between lid & sclera gathering salt. wasn’t it penance enough that holding you choked my blood? did you have to scald my cheeks as you left?   http://blkcowrie.wordpress.com/

“powdered milk” by blkcowrie

“powdered milk” by blkcowrie

unlike the phoenix, fertilized by fire or the iguana, ever cloaked in awaiting armor our shorn leavings won’t allow human beings to reemerge * that this is now without exception is too much for me to bear * my aries mother insists that her next passage be by fire thus, heralded by a blaze that will only douse […]

“‘so says naomi’ haiku” by blkcowrie

“‘so says naomi’ haiku” by blkcowrie

life is stringed lessons leading to unplucked questions: fiddle.     open.     test.   http://blkcowrie.wordpress.com/

“for g.m.” by blkcowrie

“for g.m.” by blkcowrie

so many doors you wedged to find me first sex to first love to shared home (to left on my own) you made me feel newly desirable and powerful. corazón, no longer tentative with every early creak, i danced to your bomba drum while, slowly, over our years your fingers spanned my chest     gripped its grooves […]

Let’s Talk About Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

Let’s Talk About Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

Okay, personally, I hadn’t given much thought to the legalization of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in New York State.  What does that have to do with me? I am not going to watch it. I am not going to let my three boys participate in it any more than I would allow them to participate […]

Letting Women Decide

Letting Women Decide

As a U Albany student and a young women entering her twenties, I have been paying close attention to the recent laws passed in Arkansas and North Dakota that would ban abortions as early as twelve weeks and even six weeks respectively. At the same time I am getting involved and excited as the number […]

On Her Shoulders, Amelia Whalen

On Her Shoulders, Amelia Whalen

On Her Shoulders—a valuable multimedia presentation to inspire unity and awareness By Amelia Whalen I was invited to meet Noelle Gentile last month when she was auditioning women for roles in her upcoming theater project. When I showed up to audition, all I knew about the project was it involved female veterans, and all I […]

Throw Shaving to the Wind

Throw Shaving to the Wind

The weather is warming up, the birds are dancing and chirping, the snow has finally melted and the sun is starting to shine brighter. All of this can mean only one thing: Summer is just around the corner. Swimming, hiking, biking, warm sunny days, thunderstorms, flowers, green grass, and driving with the windows down are […]

Honest Weight Food Co-op Review, Gail Halestone

Honest Weight Food Co-op Review, Gail Halestone

The cornerstone to any good diet is fresh ingredients to make delicious and nutritious meals, and the important thing is to get them from a trusted source where you can not only get more bang for your buck, but also answers to any questions you my have. When it comes to being vegan, many people […]

Rape and Mass Incarceration: Part 2, Naomi Jaffe

Rape and Mass Incarceration: Part 2, Naomi Jaffe

Note: In response to the (apparently male) poster who suggested castration for rapists: men’s preoccupation with revenge, punishment, and violence is the problem, not the solution. One more time: violence is the problem. “The master’s tools can never dismantle the master’s house.” (Audre Lorde) Also, thank you to the commenter who called on feminists to […]

Adventures in Teaching Women’s History, Sean Heather McGraw

Adventures in Teaching Women’s History, Sean Heather McGraw

    Adventures in Teaching Women’s History By Sean Heather McGraw   I am a European history adjunct lecturer at several local colleges and as part of my introductory Western Civilization classes I teach them about the waves of 19th and 20th century feminism. I teach my students about the progress and activities made by […]

No One Asks

No One Asks

  I never pictured myself wedding-planning. It never occurred to me that I might find someone I liked enough or had open enough communication with that I would want to make such a commitment. I never leafed through bridal magazines or designated my middle-school friends as future bridesmaids, and you would be hard pressed to […]

Rape and Mass Incarceration: the connection, Naomi Jaffe

Rape and Mass Incarceration: the connection, Naomi Jaffe

The conversation in our feminist and justice movements about violence against women and the conversation about mass incarceration seem to be happening in separate spaces, anti-sexism and anti-racism spaces respectively. The experiences and voices of women of color make it clear that sexism and racism are intersecting oppressions,  but how do they intersect, in this […]

Undocumented Students Will Keep Fighting for Education Equity (and We Should, too), Angelica Clarke

Undocumented Students Will Keep Fighting for Education Equity (and We Should, too), Angelica Clarke

Across New York, people are demanding policy changes to improve the lives of undocumented immigrants. On Tuesday, March 19, that demand rang in Governor Cuomo’s halls from New York City to Albany. The New York State Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC) gathered more than a hundred students, young people and allies to demand NY State pass […]

Passivity-An Invisible and Pervasive Thief, Lacy O’Brien

Passivity-An Invisible and Pervasive Thief, Lacy O’Brien

What’s difficult about communication is that most of the messages we receive are delivered through the words we do not speak.  Passivity is an invisible and pervasive thief, which robs us of a direct route to progress.  Sometimes, no- I think most of the time, we leave information out of our dialogue on purpose because […]

“imperfect perfect” by blkcowrie

“imperfect perfect” by blkcowrie

  they say: – Martin was a true philanderer – Bob and Marvin, too – Bayard was know to dilly-dangle bits of sons (& not just men) – Gil stitched needles like Trane when American lies were too much – Ntozake & Michelle W. drank away the vitriol over their truths – Billie would have said that’s how she softened the lies – Josephine and Nina left America to survive the […]

Poverty, Women and World Hunger

Poverty, Women and World Hunger

  By Joanne Kathleen Farrell When I think of spring I think of a time for rebirth. A time for seeding crops and clearing fields. I enjoy planting bulbs that will bring colorful flowers in the sunny days to come. For many around the world that life would be a fantasy. It is hard to […]

Badass Feminist Dilemma

Badass Feminist Dilemma

The siren has called.  I have been invited; I have a place at the table.  We are coming together to form our first outrageous, courageous, open mouth questioning and analysis of the patriarchal, colonizing racist and homophobic oppression dialogue and my question is, what do you wear to a badass feminist blog meeting? In my […]

“genesis 2: fictive ether” by blkcowrie

“genesis 2: fictive ether” by blkcowrie

my dream is fading faster than i can move this pen: * a wild child, not feral who runs into rooms laughing she talks back to adults pulls off yellow tablecloth to use as cape sending a few items flying to the floor and screams loud at potential violators lil pretty Black girl, curious, inquisitive […]

“genesis 1: sojourns” by blkcowrie

“genesis 1: sojourns” by blkcowrie

  x years after sojourner’s question       hung, in air met with nervous applause by white women and quiet murmurs by Black men Black women were seen as seals barking our selves to others’ jarred amusements noisy clappers       tossed the occasional dead fish never silent, never nourished, never understood: “ain’t […]

Report Back on “The Politics of Immigration,” Oakwood Community Center, Troy

Report Back on “The Politics of Immigration,” Oakwood Community Center, Troy

Immigration: A Growing Humanitarian Crisis On Friday, February 15, 2013 Jane Guskin, author of The Politics of Immigration: Questions and Answers, was invited to speak at the James Connolly Forum in Troy. The forum was held at the Oakwood Community Center and co-sponsored by the Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO and Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace. […]

X’s to O’s Vegan Bakery Review

X’s to O’s Vegan Bakery Review

Ever had the experience of eating a delicious meal out with friends, and when it comes time for dessert, the menu is compiled completely of things you can’t eat? I have, because I’m vegan. I am vegan because I love animals, my body, and the planet. Any vegan can tell you that even when you […]

Guest Post: Reflections on ‘Half the Sky’

Guest Post: Reflections on ‘Half the Sky’

Tonight, I attended a community conversation held by the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society, WMHT, and Holding Our Own. The topic was multifaceted and centered around human rights violations that by the nature of biology and culture are mainly perpetrated against women around the world. If you haven’t seen the PBS documentary […]

Half the Sky, Continue the Conversation

Half the Sky, Continue the Conversation

Did you attend tonight’s Salon Screening? See the film? What are your thoughts? Reactions? Rants? Inspirations? Kick off the conversation.

International Women’s Day by Sean Heather McGraw

International Women’s Day by Sean Heather McGraw

Holding Our Own has decided to launch our new blog on the annual International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8. The history of International Women’s Day is intertwined with the history of efforts to obtain suffrage for women as well as socialist party agitation to achieve fair conditions for workers in the years […]

“women’s work” (for asmaa mahfouz* and israa abdel-fattah**) by blkcowrie

“women’s work” (for asmaa mahfouz* and israa abdel-fattah**) by blkcowrie

  “habibti?”  “yes, mama?” “come.” she checks my hijab for glimpses, and says that we are to walk the streets with respect. we are to buy groceries, not sell ourselves. “today,” she adds, “we do women’s work.” * at the market, she pounds fruit for their secrets and examines vegetables for their lies. i am […]

Badass Feminist Blog Report Back

Badass Feminist Blog Report Back

Want to catch up on what happened at the 1st meeting to organize a local feminist blog? Check out the notes here. We will post the date for the next meeting shortly. You can plug in whenever you like! 1st Badass Feminist Blog Organizing Meeting Minutes

Half the Sky

Half the Sky

Salon Screening and Discussion Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide Friday, March 8th, 2013 6pm-8pm University at Albany Downtown Campus 135 Western Avenue, Albany, NY WMHT, the Center for Women and Government and Civil Society and Holding Our Own invite you to a Salon Screening of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression […]

30th/35th Anniversary Program

30th/35th Anniversary Program

Program With Cover

Celebrate Fabulous Feminists!

Celebrate Fabulous Feminists!

Online Ticketing for Holding Our Own and the Women’s Building 30th/35th Anniversary & Fabulous Feminist Awards powered by Eventbrite

Spotlight on Local Feminists Part 2

Spotlight on Local Feminists Part 2

Spotlight on Local Women Leaders Carmen Duncan and Naomi Jaffe In an effort to give Holding Our Own’s network members an opportunity to get to know each other just a little better, we will be spotlighting a couple of our members each month. We hope that this will help provide you with more opportunities to […]

Holding Our Own Offers Movement Building Grants

Posted on June 27, 2018

Holding Our Own, Movement Building Fund from Megajoule Media on Vimeo.

Holding Our Own invites applications to our new Movement Building Fund.  The Fund is an emergency grant fund that makes grants up to $1000 available on a rolling basis to fund or sponsor actions, activities, and organizing efforts community-wide to respond to the ongoing attack on basic human rights.  Organizers in the Capital Region are invited to submit requests for financial support for materials, trainers and experts, transportation, and any other resources needed to build a wall of resistance. All emergency funds will be distributed in a manner consistent with our principles which can be found here). We are trying to keep it simple and quick to make a request.

For more information on the Movement Building Fund or to submit a request go here.

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Posted in Activism, Economic justice, Environment, Human Rights, Immigration, Local Feminists, Local Issues, Militarism, Political Education, Poverty, Prison Justice, Social Justice, Uncategorized Leave a comment

Ancestral Vessels of Feminist Resistance

Posted on March 10, 2017

Ancestral Vessels of Feminist Resistance:  An Immersive Healing Experience for SurvivorsAncestral Vessels Image

In the series Ancestral Vessels of Feminist Resistance, Rosy Sunshine creates an immersive healing experience through video, song and color-filled Goddesses that explore the power to reclaim the physical realm and thrive after acts of gender-based violence. Exhausted by countless stories of objectification, gender policing, sexual abuse and harassment, as well as her own experiences with violence in many forms, Rosy Sunshine’s work builds a feminist tribe that forms an impenetrable fortress of delicate strength and fierce resistance.

Her art is a reminder that we have always been powerful, vibrant and present just as we are, no matter what we’ve survived. Centuries of ancestral strength and knowledge flow through us. We can and will continue to be vivacious, pulsating, and beautiful in our paths towards healing. We can and will continue to challenge and break generational patterns of silence that no longer serve us.
Please join us as we celebrate Rosy Sunshine’s debut exhibition for Troy Night Out!

RSVP on Facebook
About the Artist: Rosy Sunshine is a Queer-Dominican artist from the pre-gentrified, Lower East Side of Manhattan, currently residing in Upstate, NY. Her art seeks to uplift and inspire survivors of violence. Rosy Sunshine’s work also strives to heal former perpetrators of violence who are actively working towards peace, accountability and rebirth.

About the Gallery: Photographic Expressions is a woman of color operated studio and gallery that features artists working in photographically based mediums such as digital or film photography, digital or electronic media, mixed media and installation. Chief Photographer and Gallery Director, Pilar Arthur Snead, is an accomplished artist having had her own photographically based work featured in galleries in Albany, NY, Chicago, IL and Los Angeles, CA.

Limited Accessibility: Photographic Expressions Studio is on the 1st floor of the building. There are 4 steps on a stoop to enter, as well as one additional step at the top of the landing. The door to enter is narrow however, the gallery is spacious.

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Posted in Activism, Events, Gender-based Violence, Local Feminists, Uncategorized Tagged activism, capital district art, feminist events, holding our own, she breathes, troy night out, women of color Leave a comment

Holding Our Own’s Statement on UAlbany Bus Students

Posted on March 3, 2016

Holding Our Own stands with the young women of color from UAlbany who reported an assault on a bus on January 30th, and who are now being prosecuted for false reporting and assault. It is our unwavering position in all instances of gender-based violence, sexual assault, and racist violence to support those who are systematically violated by structures built specifically to protect patriarchy and white supremacy.

We trust and believe the experiences of survivors of oppressive violence because we understand the bravery it takes in coming forward when we live in a world dominated by those who immediately cast doubt on such experiences, particularly when vocalized by women of color.

We trust and believe the experiences of survivors because we know the risk that is taken when coming forward to a criminal justice system that is too punitive, misogynistic, racist, and violent to actually keep us safe from gender-based or racial violence, and that is frequently yet another source of abuse.

We trust and believe the experiences of survivors because we know, from our own lives, the trauma of enduring both micro and macro aggressions that the dominant power structures will never recognize as violence.

And we trust and believe the experiences of survivors because we know that to do otherwise is to gag all future survivors from speaking out, thereby perpetuating the very systems of oppression that we wish to dismantle.

We are disgusted by the media’s handling of this situation which has all too often assumed the guilt of Alexis, Ariel, and Asha, has accepted the narrative of the police and public officials without question, and has allowed platforms for misogynistic and racist commentary. Those of us committed to anti-racist feminist social justice must not let this stand. Now is not the time for distance or silence. It is times like these when we must reaffirm our commitment to trusting survivors and to trusting marginalized voices, because to do otherwise harms us all.

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Posted in Activism, Local Feminists, Social Justice, Uncategorized Tagged #defendblackgirlsualbany, albany ny, Black lives matter, feminism, gender-based violence, holding our own, racism, she breathes, women of color Leave a comment

Open Letter To UAlbany Bus Students – [#DefendBlackGirlsUAlbany]

Posted on March 2, 2016

From Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration’s People of Color Caucus. This is a cross-post from here: CAAMI.org

Dear Alexis, Ariel, & Asha:

While the circumstances compelling us to write this letter have no doubt been taxing to your well-being, we hope to find you all in good physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

Late last month, when news of the now infamous UAlbany bus incident began to circulate, those of us familiar with the grim realities of race and gender based violence were overcome with a desire to extend our support. We knew that any and all abuses endured would likely leave painful and lasting impressions on each of you. We also knew the importance of simply believing your accounts. Believing women who’ve survived assault is essential to dismantling the systems and practices which allow these assaults to persist. But we also believed you because absolutely nothing about your account was unbelievable. We respect, value, and trust your experiences as Black women.

In light of recent events, we’d like to take this opportunity to once again affirm our unabashed and unwavering support.

Many of us who rallied behind you from the beginning did so in an attempt to offer comfort and reprieve in the immediate aftermath of the attack. We also understood that by coming forward you were opening yourselves up to an additional onslaught of calculated violence from members of the general public; as well as members of the UAlbany student body and faculty, social and news media, and local law enforcement. The false notion that violence can only be measured in kicks and punches is a convenient mainstay of patriarchy and white supremacy. It is clear to those of us who endure the never ending barrage of insults, micro and macro aggressions, thinly veiled threats, personal slights, media mischaracterization, and double standards in law enforcement that violence knows many forms. And while these affronts cannot always be quantified or freeze framed for those privileged enough to evade them, we want you to know that we wholeheartedly understand and empathize with the challenges you are currently facing, and will continue to face for the foreseeable future.

While the media and the public were clamoring for evidence to invalidate your experiences, we anticipated that if and when video was released it would be devoid of all context, and likely show only select portions of the altercation. This past Thursday, those expectations were confirmed. Predictably, those who’ve questioned the incomplete nature of the footage have been demonized for pointing out the obvious.

As city and university officials encouraged citizens not to “rush to judgment” in believing three Black women, they wasted no time in attempting to discredit your account via inconclusive recordings and selective witness testimony. To some, the lack of clear audio capturing racial slurs during the melee is enough “evidence” to conclude no slurs were uttered at your expense. Those of us who are subjected to racist language on a near-constant basis have an understanding that it is rarely, if ever, caught on tape. In magnificent irony, many of the individuals decrying your accounts of racism have resorted to calling you all manner of racist verbiage publically, and on social media.

District Attorney Soares has even gone so far as to use your 911 emergency calls as grounds to levy criminal charges against you. The aggressive nature in which the DA’s office has pursued these charges stand in stark contrast with their handling of recent and even fatal abuses perpetrated by white police officers. Sadly, we’ve come to expect this type of blatant misconduct and prejudicial incompetence from DA Soares.

While skeptics and naysayers wade through the minutiae and superficial details of this incident in order to satiate their own dissonance, we remain focused on the bigger tasks at hand. These tasks include ensuring your safety and the safety of Black and Brown women everywhere; holding arbiters of abuse and discrimination accountable for their actions; and empowering Black and Brown people existing within the suffocating confines of white supremacy. The trauma you all experienced on the morning of January 30th is only unique in that it has garnered substantial attention. The unrelenting racism and sexism that permeates throughout cities and campuses around the country are commonplace, and we remain committed to actively and deliberately combatting that oppression.

Lastly—Alexis, Ariel, and Asha—we’d like to thank you for inspiring so many of us with your resilience, dignity, strength, poise and grace amidst such adversity. You should all hold your heads with pride in knowing what you have already overcome and accomplished in your lives.

We’ve got your back.

Sincerely,

People of Color Caucus, Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration

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Posted in Activism, Gender-based Violence, Local Feminists, Social Justice Tagged black women, caami, racism, she breathes, supportblackgirlsualbany Leave a comment

SAY HER NAME, Part II: Women, Violence, and Incarceration

Posted on March 2, 2016

SAY HER NAME, Part II: Women, Violence, and Incarceration

(Part I is here)
“The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today is my own government.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., 1967

“I am convicted of murdering my ex-husband who abused me for years. I have done 33 years of my 25-to-life sentence. I am 68 years old, and disabled.  I was just denied at my fifth parole board hearing. My hearing was horrendous, focusing almost entirely on the instant offense. [A parole board member] told me that I was not abused. Actually, the hearing relitigated my case.” – K.E., Taconic Correctional Facility, 2015

The pervasive presence of violence against women and gender-based violence is a threat to women’s and all people’s wellbeing, a leading indicator of the ill health of our society, and a marker of dangerous times in the U.S. and the world.

We cannot understand violence against women without understanding the role of violence in our society as a whole.

Mass incarceration is a system of violence – the deprivation by force not only of freedom, but of much that makes life worth living, imposed by those more powerful on those less powerful. The beatings, humiliations, and various forms of torture that anyone who has spent time behind bars can describe are not incidental but fundamental to this exercise of power. The justification that this system is necessary to enforce social safety and security is transparently false to any of us who have seen its ugly underbelly – arbitrary, unaccountable, senselessly cruel, and completely ineffective at doing what it says it is set up to do. It is part and parcel of an overall social system which needs violence to maintain gross inequalities of wealth, power, and life chances. White supremacy, capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy are its root. War, destruction of the environment, police brutality, and incarceration are its manifestations.

Violence is a trickle-down social phenomenon: it starts at the top, with global warfare, racism, and mass incarceration, and ends up at the bottom, with neighborhood violence and the abuse of women, children, and other vulnerable people. Ta-Nehisi Coates, in his 2015 book, Between the World and Me,  describes how, in the Black neighborhood of Northwest Baltimore where he grew up, violence is the product of fear, structural neglect, and deprivation, the “correct and  intended result of government policy.”

Every stage of the criminal justice process involves violence, from stop and frisk to post-prison discrimination – whether the violence is physical, verbal, economic, or legal.  All this official violence trickles down into over-incarcerated communities, prison guards, communities dependent on prisons for economic livelihood, and society at large.  So our starting point for gender-based violence is the violence of the system – but it is not our ending point.

Violence is a trickle-down social phenomenon: it starts at the top, with global warfare, racism, and mass incarceration, and ends up at the bottom, with neighborhood violence and the abuse of women, children, and other vulnerable people.


For women, and for transgender and other people whose sexuality lies outside society’s norms, violence comes in multiple forms. Racism, as an essential form of violence in the U.S., subjects women of color to both the same and different forms of violence as those experienced by men of color. Police brutality may come in the form of shooting or beating, and it may come in the form of sexual assault. Incarceration, disproportionate by race, subjects women to the same humiliations and deprivations as men, and also to such sex-specific ones as shackling during pregnancy, gynecological interventions that reproduce sexual trauma, and sexual abuse by people in positions of power. Economic violence – social policies that cause poverty, lack of health care, poor education, neighborhood deterioration, urban neglect, gentrification, environmental destruction, joblessness, homelessness – hits women especially hard because of their caregiving responsibilities. Transgender people are targets of additional forms of violence and abuse, both in and out of prison.

And derived from the structural violence but experienced very differently, is the personal physical and sexual violence women, trans people, and other sexually non-conforming people  experience at the hands of individuals, usually men, who are not in official positions of power. More often than not, these men are family members, partners, community members, acquaintances, or dates, rather than strangers.

The overwhelming majority of women in prison are survivors of domestic abuse or sexual assault; the majority of women in prison for killing someone killed their abuser. One in three women are the victims of intimate partner violence in their lifetimes. One in five women are survivors of rape or attempted rape. Statistics say that fewer than half of incidents of domestic violence and rape are reported to law enforcement – but the reporting is almost certainly even less than that.  Poor women are four times more likely to experience violence than wealthier women. The parade of numbers is endless. In real life it means that virtually all women live with trauma or fear or restricted activity informed by trauma and fear for much of their lives, especially those most disempowered by race, poverty, non-normative sexuality or other disadvantaged statuses. It is a hidden and saddening truth that men, too, are often subjected to sexual violence, especially as children and especially as a precursor to and during incarceration. Violence is the air we breathe.

How do we achieve safety for women without calling in the criminal justice system and thus increasing the power and reach of mass incarceration?


In both the anti-incarceration movement and the movement against violence against women, we are confronted with a dilemma. Women and other people who are targets of violence have a right and an urgent need to be safe. Incarceration is brutal and racist. How do we achieve safety for women without calling in the criminal justice system and thus increasing the power and reach of mass incarceration? A person in danger may have no choice but to rely on the criminal justice system. When called, the system may do more harm than good, failing to protect the person who is in danger and prosecuting them for protecting themselves.  In many cases the racist and oppressive nature of the criminal justice system means women and other targeted people find themselves with no recourse at all, ensuring that violence will continue.

These dilemmas can only be addressed by a movement that combines these concerns and is informed and led by the experiences of women, trans people, prisoners, communities of color, and all who are most impacted by both incarceration and violence.  As we build community in our work for justice, we also build the potential for solutions that take gender-based violence seriously and develop alternatives to incarceration for responding to it. The better we grasp the bigger picture, the more we see demands for a living wage, better health care, jobs, education, environmental justice, and other basic life needs as part of defeating both mass incarceration and gender-based violence. No one group or individual can do all these things but we can work toward coalitions, alliances, collaborations, and cooperative strategies that create, out of our scattered pieces, a larger whole fighting for the wellbeing of humans and the earth.

From NetWORKS, the monthly column of the New York State Prisoner Justice Network

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Posted in Gender-based Violence, Local Feminists, Prison Justice, Social Justice, Uncategorized Tagged feminism, gender-based violence, holding our own, intersectionality, mass incarceration, naomi jaffe, prison justice, racism, she breathes, victim-blaming, women Leave a comment

Why We Need a Black Lives Matter Movement

Posted on February 19, 2016

Letter to the Editor
Written in Response to Charlie’s Angle: Black lives don’t need movement, published in The Saratogian, and the Troy Record, Jan 31, 2016
Saratogian Article
We were shocked and offended by the Opinion piece written by Charlie Kraebel denying the need for the Black Lives Matter movement. As managing editor of The Saratogian and the Troy Record, he has a leadership platform in the Capital District and with it, commensurate ethical responsibility to present an opinion based on unbiased facts.
A newspaper’s most vital assets are accuracy, integrity and truth. It behooves Mr. Kraebel to base his pronouncements on real knowledge rather than stereotypes. Black Lives Matter is not an external group who moved in, it is an authentic outgrowth of community outrage and frustration, a grass roots movement to save the lives of our children. There are members of the Black Lives Matter movement of all races who live in every part of the Capital District. Mr. Kraebel disenfranchises all of us and the black communities we are trying to save. Surely this is not good for the newspaper’s bottom line in the context of declining readership and questions about the viability of print journalism in the future.BLACK LIVES MATTER-cropped for web
Did he interview one person from the Black Lives movement before he passed judgement? Did he research the context and the history of police violence towards the black community in Albany, including the killing of an unarmed 14 year old boy with disabilities, playing with matchbox cars on his living room floor in the 1990’s?
Has he read the Jan. 30 report by the United Nations which found, “The persistent gap in almost all the human development indicators, such as life expectancy, income and wealth, level of education, housing, employment and labour, and even food security, among African Americans and the rest of the US population, reflects the level of structural discrimination that creates de facto barriers for people of African descent to fully exercise their human rights.” Among the numerous problems noted in the findings is “the alarming levels of police brutality and excessive use of lethal force by law enforcement officials committed with impunity…” In fact, 1,134 young black men were killed by US police in 2015, five times higher rate of death for them than for white men of the same age (January 2, 2016 Alternet.org Civil Liberties).
When he criticized the education of black children, did he remember that the Pataki administration was SUED by the federal government because of its failure to fund urban schools compared to suburban schools? Pataki’s failure to comply delayed the State budget for months and because of his refusal, thousands of businesses, not for profits, and their employees were at dire risk. Did he know that by its own report, the Federal government found the Saratoga Springs City School District was disproportionately sending kids of color to limited special education classrooms, not only slashing the child’s lifetime opportunities, but generating additional funds they receive per child?
Did he read, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander which documents the criminalization and entrapment of young men of color, and the new plantation where jails were the economic development plan for the North Country?
It is not Black Lives Matter that is ignoring the “millions of black Americans who live in poverty” by ignoring the unequal funding for schools, discrimination by employers, the city’s neglect of poor neighborhoods, banks redlining; inner city Albany declared a food desert. It is people like Mr. Kraebel who exert the ultimate white privilege by refusing to see documented facts and deciding to say it is the fault of the victim. This neatly absolves him from any complicity in systemic racism and denies the ways in which he both benefits from, and is himself harmed by racism. The problem is that kind of “blindness” perpetuates the legacy of racism. We hope The Saratogian and Troy Record hold investigative journalists to higher standards.
In fact, Black Lives Matter exists IN RESPONSE to these conditions because the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 and the schools are now MORE segregated than they were then. There is a LARGER economic gap than there was before. Black Lives Matter became necessary because people of “European descent” have failed to act in the face of blatant discrimination, violence and state sanctioned murder. Black Lives Matter exactly because Mr. Kraebel and his peers have turned away. His denial of the structural discrimination denies his own accountability and ability to change. It is necessary to name racism in order to undo it; in the face of white denial, naming it is a radical act.
Describing the murdered men as thugs and criminals reveals Mr. Kraebel’s inherent prejudice. Violence rests on a foundation of prejudice which become beliefs and behaviors, when acted upon become stereotyping and dehumanizing, leading to discrimination, harassment, violence and genocide. Mr. Kraebel’s use of pejorative labels and his blame the victim attitude construct an ideology that allows owners of a white pick-up truck to cruise around Saratoga, flying a big Southern Cross Flag down Broadway, acting on their beliefs without reprimand. It is the foundation of the white privilege/power exerted by white college students who decide to beat up black students, committing criminal acts. What do our children learn when they read Mr. Kraebel’s editorial? It is frightening to think of the lens he uses as Managing Editor when deciding what news to print and how to present it.
In his Opinion piece, Kraebel complains that Black Lives Matter “hijacked” the State of the City speech. In the face of 500 years of oppression, was 15 minutes of peaceful demonstration too much to ask?
We have a right to expect better than this.
Nancy Weber, Saratoga
Jean Fei, Board Member, Social Justice Center, Albany

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Posted in Gender-based Violence, Local Feminists, Prison Justice, Sexual Assault, Social Justice, Uncategorized Tagged Black lives matter, holding our own, kathy sheehan, kraebel, racism, saratogian, she breathes, troy record Leave a comment

Say Her Name: Women, Mass Incarceration, and Violence – Part I

Posted on January 11, 2016

Fewer than 5% of those incarcerated in the prisons of New York State are women. Therefore, our movement for justice in the criminal justice system should devote less than 5% of its time, energy, and resources to issues of incarceration and women — right? Wrong. But it often seems like that’s what we do. Here are some reasons why we should do it differently, and some thoughts about how.
“Women hold up half the sky” is like “Black lives matter.” Your first thought is, well duh. And your second is, Wait, there must be a reason why there is an urgent need to say something that should be so obvious. If we are not looking at the full range of the criminal justice system’s impact on women, then we are seriously not understanding its disastrous effects on public wellbeing – and we will not be able to challenge it effectively.
Approximately 2300 women are incarcerated in New York State prisons on any given day, 4000 over the course of a year – a substantial and growing number. Women in local jails are about another 1500. Women, particularly women of color, are the fastest-growing segment of the incarcerated population.  But the issue of incarceration and women goes beyond numbers. It encompasses the  particularity of suffering experienced by women in the criminal justice system, the multiple negative effects of the criminal justice system on women who are not incarcerated, and the resulting destabilization of  entire families and communities.
Women in the criminal justice system suffer the same deprivations, injustices, cruelties, and humiliations as men do, plus many others specific to their situation as women.  A report released this year by the Women in Prison Project of the Correctional Association of New York is  entitled, “Reproductive Injustice: The State of Reproductive Health Care for Women in New York State Prisons.” Its 200+ pages detail some of those special horrors — from shackling during pregnancy, to lack of sanitary napkins (a majority of women do not receive enough each month), to a single gynecologist for a 1000-bed women’s prison, to re-traumatizing experiences for survivors of sexual abuse (9 out of 10 women in prison are survivors).

Nearly 75% of women in prison were primary or sole caregivers of a minor child prior to their arrest.

Some of the heart-wrenching, long-term consequences of that separation on both mothers and children are recounted firsthand by children of incarcerated parents via videos made by the children themselves in a group called Echoes of Incarceration (echoesofincarceration.org). Women’s role as caregivers of children, elders, and other dependent family and community members is even more important in low income, disadvantaged, and people of color communities – those most disproportionately incarcerated —  than in more privileged communities. So the incarceration of women reverberates far beyond the prison walls.
And what of the rest of the women who come from the same targeted communities as those who are incarcerated? Prison impacts those outside as well as those inside. Family members often say, “We are doing time too.” On any given day in the visitor room at any given New York State men’s prison, the overwhelming majority of visitors are women, and the overwhelming majority of those are women of color. Your reporter has seen days when all the visitors were women. And who are  the visitors in women’s prisons? Also women. Women of all ages and relationships to prisoners make the long trek to visit their loved ones, at great cost – financial, psychological, and physical – and often with small children in tow.  Many live in communities and families where incarceration has left a profound void of youth, elders, parents, partners, teachers, and wage-earners. These are some of the impacts of prisons on women which will help to better understand the role of the criminal justice system in the destabilization, impoverishment, and disempowerment of communities.

The powerful forces that created and maintain mass incarceration claim the criminal justice system exists to protect society from harm. By examining its impact on women we can better understand how far from the truth that claim is.
In Part II we will look more carefully at all forms of violence against women, one of the leading indicators of the status of women and perhaps the greatest threat to their wellbeing. We will look at the ways sexual assault and domestic violence are increased by the criminal justice system; how the criminal justice system itself perpetrates violence against women; and the multiple forms that violence against women takes in addition to direct physical violence – poverty, lack of health care, poor education, neighborhood deterioration, urban neglect, gentrification, environmental destruction, joblessness, homelessness – all factors that degrade the quality – and quantity — of life for women. How does the prison system fit into this grim picture?  And what can we do about it? Tune in next month.

From NetWORKS, the monthly column of the New York State Prisoner Justice Network

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Posted in Gender-based Violence, Local Feminists, Prison Justice, Social Justice, Uncategorized Tagged albany ny, feminism, gender-based violence, naomi jaffe, nys prisoner justice, prison justice, she breathes, women of color Leave a comment

adaku utah: healing resources to support us as we rise up

Posted on July 17, 2015
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<3

“being oppressed in this world means endlessly having one’s heart break on many fronts simultaneously —

yet a healed heart that reopens again and again after it has been broken

is larger, stronger, and takes on the lessons of resilience.”

~ blkcowrie

http://blkcowrie.wordpress.com

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“Contributed with fierce, magnanimous Black love from fellow Black healers and healing justice workers Adrienne Maree Brown, Autumn Brown, Mark-Anthony Johnson, Naima Penniman, and myself, in solidarity with ‪#‎BlackLivesMatter‬ and ‪#‎BaltimoreUprising.  Here are additional resources to support us as we rise up :: Practices for Moving Through Grief, Emotional and Physical Safety in Protests, and Self-Care for Trauma, Grief and Depression.  Check them out here https://justhealing.wordpress.com/resourcing-the-work/ and please share far and wide.  Love you fam.  ‪#‎Blackloveismedicine“

~ Adaku Utah

<3

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Posted in Activism, Political Education, Social Justice Tagged activism, Black lives matter, blkcowrie, body image, feminism, feminist events, grief, healing, local feminism, love, mental health, power, protest, protests, safety, self care, she breathes, solidarity, spirituality, sustainability, trauma Leave a comment

interstitial stitching: checkin’ for real womanist solidarity with trans kin

Posted on July 17, 2015

cover

from genesissy

& on the eighth day, God said let there be fierce & that’s the story about the first snap, the hand’s humble attempt at thunder, a small sky troubled by attitude // & on the ninth day, God said Bitch, werk & Adam learned to duck walk, dip, pose, death drop, Eve became the fruit herself, stared lion’s in the eye & dared to bite // & on the tenth day, God wore a blood red sequin body suit, dropped it low, named it Sunset // & on the eleventh day God said guuuurrrrrl & trees leaned in for gossip, water went wild for the tea, & the airtight with shade // & on the twelfth day, Jesus wept at the mirror, mourning the day his sons would shame his sons for walking a daughter’s stride, for the way his children would learn to hate the kids // & on the thirteenth day, God barely moved, he laid around dreaming of glitter; pleased with the shine, sad so many of his children would come home covered in it, parades canceled due to rain of fist & insults & rope & bullets // & on the fourteenth day God just didn’t know what to do with himself

[http://yesyesbooks.com/store/book/0000023/]

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“today, being Black and gay is an armor, a gospel i love dearly. i love Black queers. i love who and how we are. it’s taught me how to love; how it can surprise you with its leaps and failures.”

~ both poem and quote by Danez Smith

[http://www.lambdaliterary.org/features/01/26/danez-smith-on-his-new-poetry-collection-writing-about-gay-sex-and-the-power-of-blackness/]

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fb friend (lesbian-identified white feminist commenting on my facebook post promoting Danez Smith’s new book): yes. Black lesbians and gay men.

me (blkcowrie): uh huh, ‘n Black trans, including genderqueer, two spirit, and…

fb friend: i agree…but i fear many become trans cuz of homophobia…i validate all. but i wonder…and the only reason i wonder is cuz of lesbian feminist space. we need it.  i will say that i notice, Black transwomen, seem to be feminist and white ones are MRAs (male rights activists)…wish we were all more like Leslie…this particular poet is just beautiful.  maybe my feminism has taken a wrong love turn…i feel a poem.

i need help on this issue. don’t give up on me yet!

me: 😉

headzup that i don’t believe that it is the responsibility of oppressed folx to educate those of privilege/dominant culture about the lived realities of oppressed folx. i believe those genuinely interested should initiate that education on their own with the wealth of resources available.  oppressed folx have enough to deal with in organizing and advancing liberation for our survival — but for you i will make this exception.  i’ll try to convey my evolving perspective and “not give up on you yet” but i’m gonna give it to you straight/no chaser:

*

your feminism has taken a turn that i could never fall in love with, unfortunately. a) not only does it not incorporate ALL trans persons, including genderqueer, gender non-conforming, two spirit, intersex, et cetera, et cetera, but b) trans folx, especially those of color, are catching far too much very real hell for the expressions of their inner journeys to be regarded as an aberration chalked up to oppression. this is offensive, negates their power of self determination, and reinforces the already misogynistic and heterosexist gender binary.

just as my fellow queer femmes, trans and cis, are not simply an aberration of misogyny. just as all lesbian/bi/queer women aren’t so because they “haven’t slept with the right man” or “had to have been abused” or as a political stance to misogyny.  re: the latter two examples, no doubt there are those of us who have woefully experienced gendered brutality (of course, any is too many) and no doubt that some women DO see lesbian identity as the sole legitimate expression of feminism — altho that perspective may be aging out from its 1970s/80s heyday due to the dawning realization of *intersectionality — but even those folx, those who are not asexual that is, possess very real attractions. very real desires. very real identities (and this includes asexuals).  it is offensive to negate their agency, and again reinforces the misogynistic and heterosexist gender binary. in my view, it is offensive to invalidate on its face the self determination of any oppressed communities.  besides, we are all so beautifully diverse and always have been.

 [* = as you may recall, the Combahee River Collective was founded by Black feminists partially out of frustration with white feminists who demanded Black feminist/queer sistas leave the bruvs behind in favor of separatist (and racist) so-called feminist communities and spaces.]

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identity does not bequeath consciousness. consciousness does not bequeath identity. they operate separately as forces, chosen and unchosen, that shape our earthly existences.

it is sloppily simplistic, dangerous, and risks trust to make presumptions that deny the complexity of any of our souls, collectively or individually. even, or especially, when it comes to how we determine our personhood (e.g., gender) within OR outside of socialized norms. in this case, it denies the history of two spirit existence in indigenous communities as well as those of gender diversity in other communities of color transnationally.  their embraced and elevated roles in communities (often as spiritual leaders) had (and may still have) a non-eurocentric perspective on gender roles and relationships. plus, it diminishes and dismisses any folx who arrive at an expression of identity that “feels good, feels right” to them — one that may incorporate such great risk. an expression that anecdotally may have been arrived at in childhood. an expression that is no more and no less subject to conditions of oppression than any other identity. are we really in a post-liberation context where we can say for certain which gender identities (if that would even be a classification) are legitimate? HELL NO.

*

i had to express solidarity with my trans kin just this week in a “womanist” facebook group after posting an article about Lamia Beard’s gender identity being disrespectfully erased by the media following her being horrendously murdered [http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/transgender-woman-murdered-media-refuses-honor-her-gender-identity].  K. E. M. left a comment stating that while she “felt sorrow for this person,” she “still did not consider them to be a woman.” a one-liner. just like that.  sprayed shit and left.  >:(

this was my response:

“K. E. M.: on THIS article??? that’s your comment.

“well then, thank goodness their identity and autonomy don’t rely on your fucking consideration. unfortunately for their safety, the climate of violence does rely on your attitude (perhaps the VERY attitude that has led to the murders and suicides of Lamia and other trans/gender non-conforming folk).  with your lack of solidarity and respect, your sorrow is meaningless.  it is meaningless to the truth of Lamia Beard & ALLA her SISTERS and dangerous to those of us who actually give a shit about the lives of ALL women. TRANS women — like Lamia. women OF COLOR — like Lamia. neurodiverse women. female sex workers. gender non-conforming women. poor women. intersex women. queer women. women with disabilities. women across borders.  ALL women.

“but hey, we have YOU to police the binary!  sooo…  does a piercing still make me a cis woman? a tattoo? breast surgery? hysterectomy? what alteration determines or jeopardizes my womanhood? what if i’m intersex? clearly my self-determination, my IDENTITY, is not the measure.

‘destroying the self esteem of my sisters through the horrific language chosen to describe our experience. our safety isn’t cosmetic.’

‘standing by is an act of VIOLENCE. you are supporting the genocide of Black trans women.’

~ both quotes by Black Trans Media re: media erasures of trans people’s autonomy even in death

“of what use is your grief??? so WHAT.”

below is the response to K.E.M.’s comment by one of the group’s moderators:

“not cool. such a comment does not build solidarity or trust amongst women — it only divides and separates — what kind of feminism is that? that’s not what we gather here for. death is not a time for a political agenda to negate or erase someone’s Truth, or better yet, death IS the time for a ever deeper show of political unity, a time to express and show solidarity in our collective interest of humanity. ‘i’m sorry but [insert erasure of Truth commentary here]…’ sounds like liberal-speak for outwardly sounding nice and humane to get the populist votes with apologies and good sounding rhetoric all the while holding a boot firm on the neck — and not willing to do a damn thing about that boot. perhaps the problem is we have not outlined more explicitly in the About Us section what solidarity and trust and DECOLONIZING feminism looks like and requires our labor in. we likely have many in the group who are looking for greater guidance and support in how to better stand in solidarity with all women, of the globe, and how to decolonize the eurocentricism from our ideas and political work of feminism and the myriad of oppressive ideology born from eurocentricism…

“our work is only beginning.”

indeed.

*

me: so that’s that. no chaser.

fb friend: I’m taking it all in. I agree you shouldn’t have to teach me about my status as oppressor in this. And my grief is absolutely meaningless when people are trying to live free.

me: 🙂

*

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Alice Walker’s definition of a WOMANIST from ‘In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose’ (1983):
1. From womanish. (Opp. of “girlish,” i.e. frivolous, irresponsible, not serious.) A Black feminist or feminist of color. From the Black folk expression of mothers to female children, “you acting womanish,” i.e., like a woman. Usually referring to outrageous, audacious, courageous or willful behavior. Wanting to know more and in greater depth than is considered “good” for one. Interested in grown up doings. Acting grown up. Being grown up. Interchangeable with another Black folk expression: “You trying to be grown.” Responsible. In charge. Serious.
2. Also: A woman who loves other women, sexually and/or nonsexually. Appreciates and prefers women’s culture, women’s emotional flexibility (values tears as natural counterbalance of laughter), and women’s strength. Sometimes loves individual men, sexually and/or nonsexually. Committed to survival and wholeness of entire people, male and female. Not a separatist, except periodically, for health. Traditionally a universalist, as in: “Mama, why are we brown, pink, and yellow, and our cousins are white, beige, and black?” Ans. “Well, you know the colored race is just like a flower garden, with every color flower represented.” Traditionally capable, as in: “Mama, I’m walking to Canada and I’m taking you and a bunch of other slaves with me.” Reply: “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
3. Loves music. Loves dance. Loves the moon. Loves the Spirit. Loves love and food and roundness. Loves struggle. Loves the Folk. Loves herself. Regardless.
4. Womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender

<3

~blkcowrie

http://blkcowrie.wordpress.com

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Posted in Activism, Body Image, Creative Writing, Gender-based Violence, Human Rights, Political Education, Relationships, Social Justice Tagged autonomy, blkcowrie, body image, community, feminism, gender, gender non-conforming, gender queer, gender violence, heterosexism, identity, self determination, sexual identity, she breathes, solidarity, trans, transgender, transphobia, womanism Leave a comment

alla dem gag at serena’s brilliance & resilience

Posted on July 17, 2015

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Serena-goddess, Serena-sis, please know i am still in a ruby red rage cloud over the racist, misogynistic, BESTIAL treatment you received on July 11, 2015 at the hands of The New York Times.

fresh off the court where you left your latest historic notch, i can’t imagine how you must have felt to have to court this latest attempted assault on your skill, beauty, and fire.  i know you have armor to protect your sensitivities, and shields to safeguard your confidence.  i know you are able to handle acrid onslaughts in poisonous ink.  i know.  i know.  but you/we should never have had to do so.  it is SHAMEFUL that, even after all these years, this foul tripe is the only media/corporate reception you’ve ever known.  it’s not right.

it’s never right.  the ability to cope is not consent.  we will never truly know the geography of all of your scars ~ scars you were never meant to wear, dear sister.  they shamefully bind the full brilliance of your soul scintillation.  you. are. extraordinary.  clearly, suga, you were always meant to shine.

you know this.  i know you know this.  but i also want you to know that you are not alone.  we too know what it is to be force-fed a rotten fecal stew of ugly bigotry.  we read the article and cried with you.  we still ache and fume fire with you.  we may not know your fame (and therefore the international reach of this intended humiliation) but we know your pain.  it echoes the oppression that permeates our daily realities.  it haunts our dreams.  this too we know to be intentional: to convince us that even in the midst of our extraordinary excellence we are not worthy of embrace.  >:(

hell.  fuck ’em.

you are loved and adored.  you are a superhero ~ even to this non-sports fan.  alla we, your sisters/brothers/spirits/fans/&kin, firmly hold you close, both virtually and physically.  our pride in you and the Williams sisters’ legacy is undimmed.  we can help shoulder your pain.  we do that for each other so that we can survive.  then, once again, when you are ready, we’ll strut together steeped in *sparkling Black gurl magic*: we’ll stomp their swamps. giggle and preen at their stares. we’ll leave them in our dust, gagging yet again at our wondrous resilience.

((( <3 )))

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for more on this topic:

http://www.msnbc.com/melissa-harris-perry/watch/nyt-slammed-for-serena-body-image-story-483050051691

http://www.salon.com/2015/07/13/stop_body_shaming_serena_williams_its_time_to_break_this_absurd_and_insulting_habit_once_and_for_all/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

http://www.alternet.org/gender/why-serena-williams-so-important?akid=13305.211807.AgqXAQ&rd=1&src=newsletter1039390&t=7

http://www.thenation.com/article/serena-williams-is-todays-muhammad-ali/

http://www.vibe.com/2015/07/serena-williams-body-image-ny-times/

http://thegrio.com/2015/07/12/twitter-slams-new-york-times-for-serena-williams-body-image-story/

http://link.huffingtonpost.com/4ecda7ae015761c9c231b70c2tpz7.sok/VaQ70EmO4NLmKj6VB8afb

http://bluenationreview.com/serena-williams-wins-her-6th-wimbledon-title-and-white-people-lose-their-collective-sht/

@serenawilliams  #SerenaSlam  #BlackTwitter

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here is the vile NYT article by Ben Rothenberg being referenced in this post:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/sports/tennis/tenniss-top-women-balance-body-image-with-quest-for-success.html?ref=topics&_r=0

please note that many have found it deeply offensive — proceed at your own risk.  >:(

‘n when you’re done check out Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Letter to My Son” as a powerful palate cleanser for the soul:

“Here is what I would like for you to know: In America, it is traditional to destroy the Black body—it is heritage.”

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/tanehisi-coates-between-the-world-and-me/397619/

🙂

~ blkcowrie

http://blkcowrie.wordpress.com

 

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Posted in Body Image, Creative Writing, Gender-based Violence, Political Education Tagged blkcowrie, body image, feminism, gender noncomforming, gender violence, misogyny, racism, sarah baartman, serena williams, she breathes, sports, transphobia, venus hottentot, women, women of color Leave a comment
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