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Threads Equality Agency
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25.01.2022 "To the other adults in the room this is fine. A grown man looms behind my three-year-old daughter. Occasionally he will poke or tickle her and she responds by ...shrinking. Smaller and smaller with each unwanted advance. I imagine her trying to become slight enough to slip out of her booster seat and slide under the table. When my mother views this scene, she sees playful taunting. A grandfather engaging with his granddaughter. Mae. My tone cuts through the din of a familiar family gathering together. She does not look at me. Mae. I start again. You can tell him no Mae. If this isn’t okay you could say something like, Papa, please back upI would like some space for my body. As I say the words, my step-father, the bulldog, leans in a little closer, hovering just above her head. His tenebrous grin taunts me as my daughter accordions her 30-pound frame hoping to escape his tickles and hot breath. I repeat myself with a little more force. She finally peeks up at me. Mamacan you say it? Surprise. A three-year-old-girl doesn’t feel comfortable defending herself against a grown man. A man that has stated he loves and cares for her over and over again, and yet, stands here showing zero concern for her wishes about her own body. I ready myself for battle. Papa! Please back up! Mae would like some space for her body. My voice is firm but cheerful. He does not move. Papa. I should not have to ask you twice. Please back up. Mae is uncomfortable. Oh, relax, he says, ruffling her wispy blonde hair. The patriarchy stands, patronizing me in my own damn kitchen. We’re just playin’. His southern drawl does not charm me. No. You were playing. She was not. She’s made it clear that she would like some space, now please back up. I can play how I want with her. He says, straightening his posture. My chest tightens. The sun-bleached hairs on my arms stand at attention as this man, who has been my father figure for more than three decades, enters the battle ring. No. No, you cannot play however you want with her. It’s not okay to ‘have fun’ with someone who does not want to play. He opens his mouth to respond but my rage is palpable through my measured response. I wonder if my daughter can feel it. I hope she can. He retreats to the living room and my daughter stares up at me. Her eyes, a starburst of blue and hazel, shine with admiration for her mama. The dragon has been slayed (for now). My own mother is silent. She refuses to make eye contact with me. This is the same woman who shut me down when I told her about a sexual assault I had recently come to acknowledge. This is the same woman who was abducted by a carful of strangers as she walked home one night. She fought and screamed until they kicked her out. Speeding away, they ran over her ankle and left her with a lifetime of physical and emotional pain. This is the same woman who said nothing, who could say nothing as her boss and his friends sexually harassed her for years. This is the same woman who married one of those friends. When my mother views this scene, she sees her daughter overreacting. She sees me making a big deal out of nothing. Her concerns lie more in maintaining the status quo and cradling my step-dad’s toxic ego than in protecting the shrinking three-year-old in front of her. When I view this scene, I am both bolstered and dismayed. My own strength and refusal to keep quiet is the result of hundreds, probably thousands of years of women being mistreated, and their protests ignored. It is the result of watching my own mother suffer quietly at the hands of too many men. It is the result of my own mistreatment and my solemn vow to be part of ending this cycle. It would be so easy to see a little girl being taught that her wishes don’t matter. That her body is not her own. That even people she loves will mistreat and ignore her. And that all of this is okay in the name of other people, men, having fun. But. What I see instead is a little girl watching her mama. I see a little girl learning that her voice matters. That her wishes matter. I see a little girl learning that she is allowed and expected to say no. I see her learning that this is not okay. I hope my mom is learning something, too. November 21, 2018 Fighting the patriarchy one grandpa at a time By Lisa Norgren Connect with her here: https://www.facebook.com/lisanorgrenwriter/
24.01.2022 "the majority of black fathers do, in fact, live with their children [and]... are more likely to feed, bathe, diaper, dress and play with their children on a daily basis than their white and Hispanic counterparts."
24.01.2022 This fight is for all of us #blacklivesmatter #AllLivesMatter #whitelivesmatter https://medium.com//dear-white-protesters-you-are-not-supp
21.01.2022 all in favor??
18.01.2022 A photo from the London riots that should be seen
16.01.2022 "We believe in constructively changing the system, rather than "burning it down". We believe in having strategies and policies, informed and researched targets, open and safe debate. Let's keep talking about systemic racism, cultural misappropriation, unconscious bias, access and inclusion."
15.01.2022 England was once claimed by an Aboriginal man. Burnum Burnum. January 1988. 200 years since the first fleet arrived in so called Australia. These where his wor...ds: Transcript: "The Burnum Burnum Declaration England, 26th January, 1988 I, Burnum Burnum, being a nobleman of ancient Australia do hereby take possession of England on behalf of the Aboriginal people. In claiming this colonial outpost, we wish no harm to you natives, but assure you that we are here to bring you good manners, refinement and an opportunity to make a Koompartoo - 'a fresh start'. Henceforth, an Aboriginal face shall appear on your coins and stamps to signify our sovreignty over this domain. For the more advanced, bring the complex language of the Pitjantjajara; we will teach you how to have a spiritual relationship with the Earth and show you how to get bush tucker. We do not intend to souvenir, pickle and preserve the heads of 2000 of your people, nor to publicly display the skeletal remains of your Royal Highness, as was done to our Queen Truganninni for 80 years. Neither do we intend to poison your water holes, lace your flour with strychnine or introduce you to highly toxic drugs. Based on our 50,000 year heritage, we acknowledge the need to preserve the Caucasian race as of interest to antiquity, although we may be inclined to conduct experiments by measuring the size of your skulls for levels of intelligence. We pledge not to sterilise your women, nor to separate your children from their families. We give an absolute undertaking that you shall not be placed onto the mentality of government handouts for the next five generations but you will enjoy the full benefits of Aboriginal equality. At the end of two hundred years, we will make a treaty to validate occupation by peaceful means and not by conquest. Finally, we solemnly promise not to make a quarry of England and export your valuable minerals back to the old country Australia, and we vow never to destroy three-quarters of your trees, but to encourage Earth Repair Action to unite people, communities, religions and nations in a common, productive, peaceful purpose. See more
13.01.2022 On another post the terms disabled and differently abled came up. As a disabled person I don’t mind the term disabled and have seen it bring awareness, es...pecially to some of the invisible illnesses. I would love to hear your thoughts of this, and as always people who are disabled deserve to be addressed by their preferred term. It took me a while to use the term disabled because on a typical day I dont feel disabled, BUT when it comes to doing things that imposes a significant amount of pressure like school or work on me I do need accommodations, once I acknowledged that, navigating through those environments have been less stressful. It is totally ok to have limitations and asking for help or assistance is not a sign of weakness.
13.01.2022 Pretty simple really (and also exhausting)
06.01.2022 Love this brilliant comic from Lunarbaboon about the power of encouraging girls in all their interests -- including in the skilled trades! Whether she wants to ...become a home repair DIY expert or pursue a trade professionally, by supporting our girls when they're interested in learning to build, wire, or weld, parents and educators can help ensure that Mighty Girls know their possibilities are limitless! For several fun picture books that show girls and women in roles as builders and skilled tradespersons, we highly recommend "Building Our House" (https://www.amightygirl.com/building-our-house) for ages 3 to 8, "Three Cheers for Kid McGear" (https://www.amightygirl.com/three-cheers-for-kid-mcgear) for ages 4 to 8, and "How A House Is Built" (https://www.amightygirl.com/how-a-house-is-built) for ages 5 to 8. Tween readers will enjoy "The House that Lou Built," for ages 9 to 13 at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-house-that-lou-built There is also a great new building / tool guide aimed at girls ages 13 and up, "Girls Garage," at https://www.amightygirl.com/girls-garage To encourage her in construction-based pretend play, check out the DIY Tool Belt Playset (https://www.amightygirl.com/diy-tool-belt-playset), the Kids’ Wooden Tool Box Set (https://www.amightygirl.com/kids-wooden-tool-box-set), and the Master Tool Workbench Play Set (https://www.amightygirl.com/master-workbench-play-set), all for ages 3 to 6 And, to get her started on real-life building, we recommend the Build and Paint a Birdie B&B Kit for ages 6 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/build-paint-a-bird-house), the Around the House Tool Set for ages 8 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/around-the-house-tool-set), and a 3-Pocket Tool Belt for ages 10 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/3-pocket-tool-belt) To see more of Christopher Grady's Lunarbaboon comics, check out his book, "Lunarbaboon: The Daily Life of Parenthood" at http://amzn.to/2rkPMw0
