Yesterday, while we biked home from summer camp my 8 year old daughter, asked me: “Why do men get to vote about women’s bodies?”
My stomach tightened and I couldn’t come up with an answer for her. At times in these last weeks I have felt my breath quicken, like I can’t find oxygen to disuse the feelings of overwhelm. I worry for her future choices as I watch her sleep, peacefully curled in her bed.
And I know most of my worries have backup plans, literal Plan B’s and c’s and d’s that we have access to because of geography and privilege. I also know that we are all connected (though some are more aware of our interconnection that others). When some of us suffer, we all suffer. Too many women are already suffering and especially black, brown and indigenous women of color who have already had to fight so hard to get the care they need in a system that so frequently fails them.
I’ve sat down to write to this community so many times this week and stopped overwhelmed with what to say. I remembered art and felt through my feelings in the painting above. Afterwards, I could sense how overwhelm is helpful to those who wish us to follow along with a larger plan that benefits a small few at the expense of the rest.
And then I came across this quote that felt so true:
“It can be overwhelming to witness/experience/take in all the injustices of the moment; the good news is that they’re all connected. So if your little corner of work involves pulling at one of the threads, you’re helping to unravel the whole damn cloth.”
Ursula Wolfe-Rocca
This is something we can all do. Something we all must do. Here are some offers from my corner:
• Prints of the My Body My Choice piece with all proceeds being directed to Sister Song Women of Color Reproductive (order by midnight Friday night as my store is closing for the next month)- or if you don’t want a print, just donate to them directly.
• Free downloads of My Body My Choice and other free coloring pages on the website for you to print out.
• An invitation: Scribble your feelings on a piece of paper and then color in the shapes the intersecting lines create. You can see my own version of this at the top of this email. Take time to notice how you feel before hand and how you feel afterwards.
So what’s your corner? What thread are you pulling at to reveal the light in this world? We need you.
