Friday reflection
The day after
Hello friends -
Cheating alert: I’m writing this on Wednesday since I’ll be traveling this weekend. So it’s actually a Wednesday reflection. I promise I will never betray you in this way again.
I hope you had a lovely holiday, and if you didn’t, boo, I hope today can be better. And if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving as an act of political protest/expression of support for Native Americans, I applaud you for living your values. For now, my version of this is to call out the false history of Thanksgiving as part of my family’s celebration, and name the Native American people whose stolen land is the site of my family’s gathering. I’m not sure I’m satisfied with this approach but for now, it’s where I’m at. I encourage you to read this piece that Sikowis, aka Christine Nobiss, wrote for Bustle a few years ago: Thanksgiving Promotes Whitewashed History, So I Organized Truthsgiving Instead.
In today’s reflection: using your voice to talk about the war, voting with your wallet this Black Friday, women’s climate campaign Project Dandelion, a personal essay exploring a Jewish woman’s identity, and a documentary about women’s relationship with money. Let’s get to it!
As I talk to women all over the world, it’s clear that the war is weighing heavily on us, because, of course it is. I am particularly troubled, as I know so many of you are, by the hackles-up energy people are bringing to the public conversation about the war. It’s heartbreaking that we can’t find a way to show up at our best in these moments, rather than at our worst. One thing we all have the power to do, even when things feel hopeless, is to use our voices with intention, sometime I wrote about last month.
Continuing with the theme of using our voices with intention: How we spend our money is a form of self-expression. With that in mind, consider where your dollars go this Black Friday. If money is tight and you really need the discount that somewhere like Amazon is offering, could you also find a way to support a local business? Could you use the feature on Amazon that allows you to filter your results by “Small Business” or “Climate-pledge friendly”? If everyone filtered their purchases in this way, what message might that send to Amazon?
Here are some ways in which the women in our community have recently raised their voices:* ”PROJECT DANDELION is the first global, women-led campaign for climate justice. For all those who choose hope, we choose you.” One of my role models, Pat Mitchell, is part of the Connected Women Leaders group that launched this campaign (here’s our conversation about it from last year), and as it picks up steam, I invite all of you to get involved (+ their website notes they are in active conversations for funding; if you have leads or ideas, please email emily@projectdandelion.com). Here’s a video that shows you some of the amazing women who have pledged their support:
* My beautiful friend Mirit Cohen has written a breathtaking essay that links together her name; her first life experience of overtly personal antisemitism (recently, in an Uber); the poetry of Leonard Cohen, lamentation; and so much more. It is a beautiful, deeply moving read.* Advocate for growing women’s economic power Beth Bengtson recently hosted a screening of the film $avvy, which showcases how persistent gender roles around money leave women particularly exposed. As she shared on LinkedIn, eight of ten women in the US will be solely responsible for managing their finances at some point in their lives; yet 56% of women and 61% of millennial women still abdicate major financial decisions to the men in their lives. Oof. Learn about Beth’s organization, Working for Women, and watch $avvy.
We can be the change, ladies, whether we’re launching or joining campaigns, hosting screenings, publishing powerful essays, or simply and profoundly being more mindful of how we spend our dollars.
As I like to say, the status quo is just a shitty opening offer. And as we all know, you never accept their first offer.
Wishing you joy this weekend, along with the strength that comes from knowing you’re part of a community of mighty women -
Amanda