Over the last two weeks we have gathered with community members and rested. We traveled across the East Coast from Virginia down to Georgia working on racial justice and mental health advocacy and education in conjunction with a few organizations. My personal favorite interaction was with multiple children who were ecstatic to learn about disability aids and why intersectionality is racial justice. One of the kids in particular waited all day until my service dog was off duty to snap a picture and snag a belly scratch and he was so happy to tell his parents about how patient he was.
The learning was not mutually exclusive to the kids, as the adults were just as eager to learn when they saw the gathering of the kids. Combining animals or art with active education combatting white supremacy creates and easy segue-way for newcomers to racial justice. It also makes the lessons tangible and engaging.
In a few weeks we will be teaching at a few more events and are extremely excited to continue exploring this facet of our teaching methods. Please enjoy the stories we have cultivated below.
- Abiola Agoro, Executive DirectorDisruptor Institute:
The last two weeks we have fielded information on social media, continuing our online education campaign. Slavery and its history are the main topics we will be diving into this upcoming week.
As we further develop our institute and online education campaign, we are still calling for educators, speakers, or otherwise that are interested in collaboration in any capacity to reach out!
Please drop us an email of interest at learn@disturbinginequity.com!
Disruptor of the Week Highlighting the People Making a Change
Every Monday, we will be highlighting disruptors in or communities across various disciplines.
This week as we return from recess, we want to remind our community members to submit nominations for people who are doing this work. Recognition, while not the goal, is essential for visibility and inspiration to the upcoming generations of advocates.
Submit a nomination now.
Standout Pieces from the Week
The real reason why Keke Palmer and Black women’s bodies are constantly policed
The truth is, the Keke Palmer video sparked so much conversation because the patriarchy hates it when a woman, especially a Black woman, has any power at all. This sentiment dates back to slavery, when our bodies were bought and sold for physical labor and forced into motherhood.
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The Link Between a lack of Reproductive Rights and Domestic Violence
Long before the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion, researchers noticed a link between women having abortion access and a reduced risk of violence from men. Now, in the wake of the court's decision, the opposite is happening, both anecdotally and in the data.
Abortion restrictions have led to a significant uptick in intimate partner violence. The National Domestic Violence Hotline reports seeing nearly 100 percent increase in calls.
"[An] abuser could sabotage contraception, could intercept birth control, could otherwise just hinder a person's ability to control their own — have control over their own body. In my reporting, I came across a story of a woman who was in an abusive relationship and could not leave her home, but she could receive birth control. She got it through the mail and was able to keep control over that much of her life, until her abuser discovered that she was receiving her birth control through the mail. He began intercepting her mail, got her birth control. Eventually, she became pregnant, and she was in a state where she could not access abortion.She also didn't have the financial wherewithal to go somewhere else where she legally could. So, that — and that terrible story, it's not a one-off. According to experts who I have been talking to, it's happening again and again and this country. And it's getting worse after Dobbs."
Read More. Black Lives Matter turns 10
"If the first decade of Black Lives Matter largely emphasized police brutality, a confluence of political factors might be coalescing to stir bigger, maybe even harder, conversations across the country ... among these conversations: financial reparations, affirmative action, housing and tax policy."