November 4, 2010

Eradicate the H8! March On!

Originally posted at Elephant Journal.

Get Ready To Be Inspired.

Why do so many people look for heroes outside themselves and outside their communities? March On! reminds us that we are the ones we’ve been waiting for. March On! features the stories of individuals and families that made the conscious decision to take time off work and other “householder” responsibilities to dedicate their time, energy and resources to march for equality at the National Equality March on October 11, 2009.

Not only do their stories inspire, they serve as important reminders that we are all connected in a seamless yet diverse tapestry. Our lives and and our stories are connected as are our burdens and sorrows. The courage, bravery and the spirit of the activist resides in us all. This film and the lives it showcases serve as a wake-up call and a beacon of light for all people interested in equality, from the still unpassed Equal Rights Amendment for women to repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell etc. Our voices matter and the collective is powerful!

March On! Their Stories Are the Reasons We March premieres in Los Angeles on Friday, November 12, 2010 at 7:30PM at the Renberg Theater. If you’re in LA, join us. If not, spread the word and look out for future screenings.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igDVtlFh59Y&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Photo courtesy of March On! Their Stories Are the Reason We March film.

November 7, 2008

Wings to fly

Filed under: Politics — Tags: , , , , , — Melanie @ 4:44 pm

Wendy sent this to me this afternoon:

The other day I got an e-mail message saying simply this: Rosa Parks
sat in 1955. Martin Luther King walked in 1963. Barack Obama ran in
2008. That our children might fly.

Thanks 😉

September 11, 2008

Don't Know Much about (Womyn's)History

The Los Angeles Times and numerous other outlets featured photographs of supporters carrying signs with Sarah Palin’s head superimposed over that of the iconic feminist symbol of Rosie the Riveter. I received countless emails and comments from outraged women in the last 24 hours.  The Feministing community posted a comment that expressed the reaction that so many of these woman, including myself, felt upon seeing this bizarre merging of images that are so diametrically opposed.

Any person that knows anything about womyn’s history knows full well that Sarah Palin does not embody the core beliefs and values that guided the fearless suffragettes during the first wave of feminism, the line workers during WWII or their feminist sisters of the second wave or any of the women that recognize their struggle within the larger stream of women’s issues that has persisted for centuries.

I find it outright insulting and appalling to see the face of a woman that is blatantly anti-women’s issues photo shopped on an icon that represents female solidarity and strength. Rosie the Riveter and the women that worked in the factories experienced new levels of freedom and independence.  Sarah Palin does not support the freedom of choice for women of any social supports that would bolster their success in the workplace.  The woman that Rosie the Riveter represents defied conventional gender norms while Palin benefits from feminism but seeks to reproduce and support all of the traditional gender constraints that have impinged on women’s ability to benefit in the ways Palin has.

The foundation of this country and the heart of feminism is freedom.  Plain and simple.  Palin represents the  repression of freedom.  The fear tactics the Republicans spew sends the mainstream public running for order.  As the woman were sent back into the home after the men returned from WWII, the gendered constraints tightened and provided order in an unstable war filled with foes, enemies, McCarythism and the Red Scare.

Sound familiar?

Most people don’t know the names of our fore-mothers in the endless struggle for women’s rights.  The icons and symbols are vapid and empty.  The Riot Grrls were co-opted by The Spice Girls and the collective movement was transformed into a meaningless slogan without solidarity or group force.

Girl Power.  Sarah Palin.

Vapid. Empty. An image/slogan that is sold to a public that has lost it’s sense of collective history.  A rich history that is mired in collective amnesia.

The only connection I can make between Sarah Palin and Rosie the Riveter is the fact that both images are propaganda.  Yes, Rosie the Riveter is a true icon but, at her inception, she was used as a tool to recruit women to work knowing full well these women would get the boot once they had served their purpose in the war cause.

Sarah Palin is a similar tool used to lure in votes and then kick those individuals to the curb once the right-wing agenda has been served.