The Newsletter of the Deeds Not Words Community

October 3, 2018 | Deeds Digest No. 118
Hello #Changemakers!

Last week, as we watched Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, I am sure that you experienced similar emotions to those that I was feeling. Across the country, Americans were glued to their television sets, as the tension between a sexual assault survivor and her alleged perpetrator played out -- a tension that plays out in one setting or another, multiple times a day, day after day, throughout the country.

It is likely that you, as I did, found Dr. Blasey Ford's testimony credible and compelling in stark contrast to the angry, defensive and evasive response offered by Judge Kavanaugh.  It is likely that you were horrified and shocked as you watched Republican Senators pay lip service to respecting and (in varying levels) believing that Dr. Blasey Ford suffered sexual assault trauma while reducing those experiences to meaningless in their decision making.  Senator Lindsay Graham ....??? Don't even get me started ...

I found myself feeling physically nauseous at the display, understanding that it takes place over and over and over again when survivors come forward.  I felt sick because, even though we profess to have advanced as a result of the #MeToo movement in the way that we receive survivors and the legitimacy of their experiences, here we still are -- with a bunch of white GOP men, sitting in their privilege and patting us on our figurative and literal heads while proceeding to either disregard or disbelieve our experiences.  As Senator Diane Feinstein so aptly put it, the "strategy is no longer attack the victim, it is ignore the victim."

Alexis de Tocqueville once said, "The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults."  The essential question before us right now is whether and how we will work to repair the existing fault line in America. 

Here at Deeds Not Words, we work to lift up and galvanize the power of women.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Because we believe in our ability as women to repair these faults and to create a country where equality, justice, freedom and liberty belong to everyone, not just a few privileged white men.  

When Maria Gallagher and Ana Maria Archila confronted Senator Jeff Flake in the elevator and demanded that he hear their stories and give respect to their experiences and concerns, they showed us what it looks like to be a part of repairing those fault lines.  They, you and young women like you across this country, my dear #Changemakers, are the healers we've been looking for.  Thank you for the gift of your wisdom, your energy, your truth and your light.  And please know that we're here to support you in every way that we can.

Much love,
-wendy
 
#TeamDeeds celebrated National Voter Registration Day! This important day brings #Changemakers from all backgrounds and political affiliations together to ensure that everyone gets the chance to exercise their right to vote. We were happy to participate in multiple events across Texas and help register students on high school and college campuses!

A big-shout out to Deeds at UTSA, who joined our friends at MOVE San Antonio and Texas Rising and registered over 1200 young #Changemakers in just one day!

In the next few weeks, our student chapters will be hosting Power-Generation 18 trainings on their campuses. Together, they will be turning out their peers to vote in the upcoming November elections!

Need more info on the upcoming elections? Make sure to visit: www.govotetexas.org

Stay tuned. We're the #Changemakers.

Claudia Yoli Ferla
Director of Student Outreach and Organizing
It's estimated that boards of directors for publicly traded companies are only 31% female, despite the fact that women make up half of the workforce. Often, women aren't even represented on these boards of directors at all.

In California, though, a new law seeks to change that by mandating that public companies with headquarters located inside the state must have at least one female serving on their board of directors.

There shouldn't have to be a law to make female representation a priority, but we'll take it!

Here's more of what's inspiring us...
By now you've undoubtedly seen some of the footage from the Brett Kavanaugh's angry performance before the senate judiciary committee last week, and maybe you've seen the SNL skit and Pulp Fiction meme parodying it (both are hysterical, btw, if you need a good laugh - and goodness knows we sure did).

While we are thankful that Senator Flake agreed with Democratic Senators in pushing for a further FBI investigation (which, fingers crossed, even in its limited scope will reveal a greater understanding of Brett Kavanaugh's past), we still don't see how anyone (especially our Senators) can ignore the verifiable lies that have already come from the nominee.

Here's more of what has us fired up ...
 
A progressive wave isn't a weather event. It's something that every one of us has to make happen.

We all need to commit to being the most prepared voter possible by:
✅ Knowing when the last day to vote in your state is.
✅ Having an absentee voting plan ready.
✅ Writing down your polling location
✅ Understanding your state voting requirements

Election Day will be here before you know it, so make your personal voting plan today!
 
Learn More >>

This Week's #Changemaker:
Ana Maria Archila & Maria Gallagher

As is often the case, our winning "#Changemaker" of the week is actually more than a single individual. Maria Gallagher and Ana Maria Archila, the dynamic duo who confronted Senator Jeff Flake in the elevator last week just minutes before the Judiciary Committee vote was scheduled to take place on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination, may have changed the course of history.

Each of them a survivor of sexual assault, these two women who had met only hours before, took their chance to confront the Arizona Senator just after he had formally announced his support for Kavanaugh's nomination. Through tears, they shared their stories and demanded that Senator Flake do the right thing and not ignore the voices of survivors. “Don’t look away from me. Look at me and tell me that it doesn’t matter what happened to me, that you will let people like that go into the highest court of the land and tell everyone what they can do to their bodies!”

Their actions may have made all the difference, because when Senator Flake returned to the Judiciary Committee he joined with Democrats in asking for an FBI investigation.  That investigation is taking place, even as you read this.  We hope it has not been limited in scope so much that it will fail to yield the truth. 

But, regardless, Maria and Ana showed all of us that you should never give up, even when you think the fight is over. We're so grateful for their efforts!
In 2017, our Deeds Not Words' trained student activists PASSED 7 pieces of legislation in the Texas Capitol to prevent sexual assault, protect survivors and end human trafficking. In 2018 our goal is to empower and reach even more students to enact real change in their communities, but we need your support!
 
Donate >>
Share
Tweet
Forward
Unsubscribe from this list     Update subscription preferences

Copyright © 2016 Deeds Not Words, All rights reserved.
Deeds Not Words
PO Box 6009
Austin, TX 78762