Recycled holiday cards and inspiring new book
I received an unexpected gift this week, a guidebook of sorts, The New Bohemians Handbook by Justina Blakeney. One chapter, entitled Flow, encourages the removal of obstacles and protecting and enhancing the environment to support daily routines. I thought of it as empowerment to live an authentic life and going with natural flow.
However, barriers of perception about women have remained to the detriment of our society. In a recently published article from the Atlantic contributed by Mettle Fatigue, The Women Who Saw 9/11 Coming, were dismissed but it didnʻt stop these women who worked for the CIA. They went with the flow, kept at it and finally were empowered.
When the hunt for bin Laden was reinvigorated nearly 10 years after 9/11, a team of targeters—strikingly female—proved key to the mission’s success.
How long will it take Israelʻs male dominated culture to recognize the competence of women. Case in point, Israeli women soldiers' surveillance reported Gaza border activity training for Oct 7 were dismissed by male commanders for months.
One high-ranking Israeli officer who visited Nahal Oz base this year was explicit: “I don't want to hear another word about this nonsense,” he said. “If you [bother] me again about this, you will stand trial.” ... [They are told] " ‘You’re our eyes, not the head that needs to make decisions about the information.” ...
Not going with the flow contributed to the death of 15 unarmed women soldiers stationed at the IDF’s Nahal Oz lookout base on October 7.
It took the CIAʻs culture a decade to finally empower female employees. How many years will it take Israel? The world is watching.
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The political will is changing. We are facing our obstacles but we are still treated with imprisonment or worse, death. Absolutely Not submitted by Tara the antisocial worker, demonstrates the war on womenʻs reproductive health. ...Two of the Republican presidential candidates used their wives’ miscarriages to defend their anti-abortion extremism. This will backfire as they loose all credibility.
New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily waived the statute of limitations on sexual misconduct claims for civil suits is taking these vile acts seriously. Axl Rose is next on the chopping block.
Since the law was passed, women have come forward with civil suits alleging sexual misconduct by such prominent men in music including Steven Tyler, the producer LA Reid, the rapper and producer Sean “Diddy” Combs, the former Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow and the late Atlantic Records founder, Ahmet Ertegun. The window for the Adult Survivors Act closes at midnight on Wednesday.
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Elsewhere...
In India, women are also creating pathways to empowerment. It is a steady uphill battle but it does give me hope. Take-aways, I gleaned from this article in a series, contributed by ramara are:
1. Change can happen with skilled negotiations with family and small steps to break free from the patriarchal society.
2. Mothers who work to fund their daughtersʻ education
3. Fathers who agree to delay marriages
4. Relocating to new city
5. Enlightened husbands who support their wivesʻ ambition
6. The mother-in-law who extends her years of housework and childcare to enable daughters-in-laws to work outside the home.
“Whatever changes ahead for India as a country, itʻs future will be shaped by itʻs daughters… who believe in a promise of bigger lives and will work tirelessly to make them a reality.”
Here is evidence of womenʻs empowerment provided by mettle fatigue, from illuminative.org;
ILLUMINATIVE STATEMENT ON THE CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
...we are devastated by the violence, the taking of hostages, loss of life, and the suffering of innocent people as a result of the Israel-Hamas war. We have had numerous conversations internally and externally with our partners to determine how IllumiNative can best use our voice to have a positive impact on this international humanitarian crisis given our U.S.-focused mission.
IllumiNative is an organization dedicated to building power for Native peoples by amplifying contemporary Native voices, stories, and issues. We do this work to advance justice, equity, and self-determination for Native communities and Tribal Nations here in the U.S. Our work is rooted in the values of equity, justice, dignity, and love within our foundational belief that we are all related.
Based on these core values, we join and support the calls for:
- A ceasefire
- Safe return of the hostages
- Humanitarian aid
- Peace
We also want to take this moment to voice our firm stance against the alarming rise in Islamophobia, Anti-Semitism, hate speech, bullying, and harassment the current crisis in the Middle East has driven here at home. As we organize towards building a collective movement for justice, equity, and a multiracial democracy, where all communities can thrive and be safe, we pray that diverse communities can come together in good ways to listen respectfully to one another in support of nonviolent political solutions in the Middle East and for transformative change here in the U.S.…
National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, (NIWRC) is committed to empowering Native women. Check out what they have been doing as their go with their flow.
www.niwrc.org
www.pouhanaonw.org (Hawai-based)
We can be hopeful, Jezebel is rising, Jezebel readers can come out of mourning: The iconic feminist website is already set to be revived under new ownership, Confider has learned.
And for more empowered reading check out Sister Scifi, I love the tag line, “Casting spells to uplift literature written by Black and indigenous women.”
Sojourners, recently featured a new book written by Mallory McDuff, Love Your Mother: 50 States, 50 Stories, and 50 Women United for Climate Justice. In it she features women who are on the frontlines of addressing the effects of climate change. Their flow is based on relationship building in their communities. The connections these empowered women make is between climate change and gender equality. “There are two powerful phenomena unfolding on Earth,”... “The rise of global warming and the rise of women and girls.”
We women are exceptional. We collectively have the power to go with the flow and use it wisely to traverse the obstacles.
Katharine K. Wilkinson, the co-founder and executive director of the climate leadership organization The All We Can Save Project states the truth:
There are two powerful phenomena unfolding on Earth,” she said. “The rise of global warming and the rise of women and girls.”
“IMUA!”, the battle cry of Hawaii means, FOWARD!
Aloha,
Others who contributed to this story are elenacarlena and Angmar.
