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January 21, 2019 | Deeds Digest No. 131
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Hello #Changemakers!
Yesterday's Women's Rally in Austin was a particularly special one for me, because it marked my 2 year-old granddaughter's first participation at a rally. As one reporter tweeted: "At the women's rally at the Texas Capitol, Wendy Davis' speech was interrupted when someone charged the speaker's stage. Wasn't a heckler. Just her 2 year-old granddaughter who wanted a hug."
Ellis (pictured with my daughter, Amber, below) and her baby sister, Sawyer, make this fight all the more important for me. When I think about the kind of world I want them to grow up in -- one where they will have the full opportunity to realize their potential, be free from sexual harassment and assault, be healthy because they have access to reproductive and other healthcare, be supported no matter who they choose to love or their gender identity -- it strengthens my resolve to push for the kind of change that will make that tomorrow possible.
And while Ellis and Sawyer are especially dear to me, I recognize that the stakes are even higher for young women of color who do not live the privilege of the white skin that my granddaughters were born into. That's why the Movement Mujeres project that we've launched alongside Jolt Initiative matters so very much.
This week, I had the honor of reading applications written by the young women of color who have asked to be part of our first fellowship class of 25 (we received almost 250 applications!). Every one of them was moving and compelling and it was so hard to make my final recommendations along with other members of the Movement Mujeres' team.
In one of those applications, which I read from at the rally yesterday, a young woman answered our "why you?" question by sharing an experience she had as a freshman in college when she was applying to be picked for a campus women's organization. In that instance, she was asked why, if the choice came down to her and one other girl, she should be the one chosen. Her answer brought tears to my eyes, because she simply said "Pick her." She went on to describe how every applicant likely had faced marginalization, discrimination and oppression and that each was extraordinary in their ability to rise above it. And she pointed out that such questions tend to divide us one from the other, rather than unite us.
I am inspired by this young woman's wisdom. She reminds us that, first and foremost, we are sisters. No matter the color of our skin, ethnic background, religious preference, sexual orientation or identity, economic background, etc, we share the common bond of what it means to be a woman and all the wonder and challenge that that entails.
Movement work is tough, dear #Changemaker. Let's all remember to approach it with love, unity and support. Because only when we are united can we drive the change we want to see.
Much love,
-wendy
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Notes From the Field
#TeamDeeds was proud to stand in solidarity with our sisters and the men who support us at the Women's Rally in Austin-- just one of many such rallies that took place across the country yesterday.
We heard from so many #Changemakers who are fighting the good fight. And what was clear from all of their stories and testimonials is that when united, we have the power to drive change.
As our headlines read, we are faced with the fight for an unnecessary border wall at the expense of a government shutdown, the separation of immigrant families and more forceful border militarization. We are also confronted with the lack of justice for survivors of sexual assault, the eminent threat to our civil liberties and bodily autonomy, skyrocketing maternal mortality rates, particularly of our black sisters, and we are united through these struggles that bring us together.
Despite this loud and hateful rhetoric, we choose to stay grounded in the root of our collective power.
So remember #Changemaker, you are resilient and brave. And together, we are powerful. Powerful enough to make the change we want to see.
En Solidaridad,
Claudia Yoli Ferla
Director of Student Outreach and Organizing
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Howdy #Changemakers!!
You’ve heard us talk about our legislative agenda these last few weeks but we’ve just been holding you under a perpetual tease about what exactly we are planning on doing. So mark your calendars, because we will be having our Deeds Advocacy Day on March 27th! Sign up for Action alerts for our FEM-Z agenda, give us your phone number and let us slide into your DM’s to talk about #legetoo stuff and how you can become involved this session. Our Generation Z #Changemakers are working to ensure that Women achieve Freedom from Sexual assault, realize Economic Opportunity, and Menstrual Equity. They're also fighting for the right to be healthy - from access to Reproductive Rights to Maternal Health improvements. We hope you'll become one of our #Changemakers and join the fight.
On another note, Deeds and Jolt Initiative will be announcing our Movement Mujeres fellows on Feb. 1st! Make sure you’re following our website and #movementmujeres on Insta to see who our first fellows class will include!
We look forward to making #Change together!
Andrea Reyes
Policy and Advocacy Coordinator
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This Week's #Changemaker:
Coretta Scott King
While most recognized for being the spouse of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, who passed away in 2006, has her own powerful history and legacy in the movement to end racial discrimination.
As a leading participant in the Civil Rights Movement, King understood the importance of women in the work and used her position to advocate for female voices. She urged, “Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I believe that you must become its soul.”
After her husband’s assassination in 1968, Coretta Scott King devoted her time and energy to developing social programs and building the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change as a living memorial to her husband’s life and dreams. For over forty years, she traveled throughout the world speaking out on behalf of racial and economic justice, women’s and children’s rights, LGBT recognition, the needs of the poor and homeless, and nuclear disarmament. Today, we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day not just because of what her husband fought to achieve, but also because of Coretta Scott King's tireless advocacy to ensure that our country respected the work of the 1960's Civil Rights Movement. She understood that we must continue to build on that legacy. If we truly want to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, we need to take up the torches they lit and recognize that it's now our turn.
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