"It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent."
-Madeleine Albright
Throughout history, a lot of time, money, and energy has been spent on keeping minorities in their "place." The widespread propaganda and psyops that have been carried out have produced full-blown wars as well as long-term thought shifts. For the first time in at least 50 years, we find ourselves confronting the very real possibility of going backward in the rights that for generations, have been fought to be claimed. We are no longer going to sit idly by.
We are the resistance.
Over the last couple months, we have watched people celebrating in the fact that whole groups of people - especially marginalized communities - are losing rights, services, and in many cases, are being placed in legitimate danger. To go further, the vast majority of people doing the celebrating are those who claim a religion whose teachings are so opposite their current actions that it's laughable they even consider themselves to be religious.
Because it's Women's History Month, we'll focus on that for the purposes of this post. Take a break and really think about the answer to this question:
Why are people so afraid of women?
If you think they aren't, you're deluding yourselves. Oppression can only succeed in the presence of extreme fear. The current party-in-power is doing a bang up job of pointing at everyone we should fear and everyone we should blame for our quality of life - but we should be placing the blame where it goes - and that isn't on the family down the street who needs food assistance or the veteran next door who relies on VA benefits.
We want to be very clear here - the women of ApothoGothic emphatically support diversity, equity, and inclusion. We support all people having equal rights, and that includes marginalized groups. We support women having bodily, voting, and financial autonomy. We support the LGBTQ+ community. We actively search out communities of many colors, genders, and religions.
We not only celebrate a World of Diversity - WE DEMAND IT.
Challenge yourself this month: actively seek out and listen to the stories of women. Honestly look at how women are treated through words and actions. Read about the mistreatment and suppression of women throughout history. Wake up and force yourself out of the bubble of comfort and gentrification. If you look around at what's happening and you aren't angry, you either aren't paying attention or you're part of the problem.
Wake up and stay woke.
March Media
Movies and Videos
Books
Women Who Run With the Wolves - by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot - by Mikki Kendall
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men - by Caroline Criado Perez
The Feminine Mystique - by Betty Friedan
Music
Women's History Month Playlist
Thank you for the light you put into our world!
You captured what is going on right now very eloquently. I love your thoughts and the resources you give us to read. It’s things like this that will help turn things around to creating a sane world again. Thank you.