Uckfay Upyay Ethay Atriarchypay
Because, the patriarchy is the problem here.
Lorem ipsum fuck up the patriarchy sit amet.
I wrote the above as placeholder text last night when I didn’t know what I was going to write about today. Now I have so many things swirling around in my head, that I think I’m going to have to just hold onto that as the theme.
Lorem ipsum fuck up the patriarchy sit amet.
It’s kind of like that excellent meme that was going around but with the added absurdity of fake Latin.
So what’s going on up in that brain of mine? A lot of things. First, Tuesday. Good Lordess, what a roller coaster that was! Did we do well? Did we not do well? Is it enough? Could it have ever been enough? And then Ivanka’s Dad fired Sessions. And RBG broke her ribs. And Kellyanne Conway’s husband wrote a rip-snorter of an op-ed in the New York Times accusing his wife’s boss of violating the Constitution. The “president” and his team revoked Jim Acosta’s press credentials and justified it with a seriously doctored video. A guy with mental health problems legally purchased a gun and killed 12 people. And I cannot stop thinking about that misogynist who gunned down women in a yoga studio down in Tallahassee.
Lorem ipsum fuck up the patriarchy sit amet.
Because, the patriarchy is the problem here. I went to a New York Women’s Foundation event tonight, announcing the results of their latest Blueprint for Investing in Women report, focusing on the most vulnerable women — age 25–59 — living in New York City; the poor, immigrants, LGBTQI, parents. When I got home, my husband asked me if I had had a fun night. It was hard for me to answer. How do you explain to someone asking you if you had fun that you feel like you’re full of a hive of very angry hornets, and that he — his race and gender — are at the core of that anger? It’s a sticky wicket, I’ll tell you that much.
I encourage you to read the full report, or at the very least the executive summary, but I also want to share a few of the notes I took tonight.
- Women of color and immigrant women are the ones to step-up and volunteer at the grassroots level. They are natural-born leaders, but frequently are not given the chance to lead in a meaningful way.
- Early childhood education and care needs to be seen as a public health challenge that isn’t being met.
- Women are saving this country.
- Passing laws is Step 1. Funding enforcement and education around these laws is Step 2.
- We have to be united in understanding how body policing of the TGNC community is the same as the policing of women’s bodies.
- We have become such a cruel country.
- Community accountability.
Lorem ipsum fuck up the patriarchy sit amet.
When I look at the number of white women that voted for Ted Cruz, the number of white women that voted for Brian Kemp, when I look at how the racial breakdown of women in New York City falls, and I see that it’s 31% white, 27% Latina, 23% Black, 16% Asian, it drives home to me how much more there is for me — a white woman — to do. I have been too complacent. I have to do better. I have to do more.
From advocating for affordable housing, affordable childcare, sane school schedules (more on that below), and flexible and reliable work schedules, I, as a white woman have the opportunity to raise hell around systemic barriers that keep a huge percentage of my siblings struggling at or below the poverty line.
I vow to continue to use my voice on behalf of my fellow women, regardless of gender assigned at birth. It is going to get harder. Ivanka’s Dad is going to see to that. The more he is backed into a corner, the more dangerous he will become.
Lorem ipsum fuck up the patriarchy sit amet.
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.
This essay first appeared as the intro to Pallas List email number 26.
The Pallas List is a bi-weekly newsletter of the Pallas Network. Our goal is to connect women one-to-one with people that can refer them to the job of their dreams. As a side benefit, we also hope to add a little motivation! If you feel so motivated, please send along any job opportunities you may have. My inbox is always open: ann@pallasnetwork.com xo — Ann
