Empower those around you to act in love.

A big part of my work is empowering people. I work to empower children and teens to speak for themselves, to feel confident in the bodies, beliefs, and actions, and to create the relationships that they want. I work to empower parents to advocate for themselves and their children. I work to empower coworkers to create the most positive and supportive environments possible for the youth.

In recent months we have seen an increase in people being empowered in the wrong way: to act in hate and fear. I almost wrote the wrong people, but that is incorrect-I want all to be empowered, but to act in love and support of others. Words are important, people!

While many continue to fight the good fight, there are far too many people trying to turn back the clock on human rights. It is showing up in big and small ways-one petty way is exemplified in the experience of my mom and stepdad in North Carolina.

They are as liberal and outspoken as I am, and therefore stand out a bit in their condo association. I'm lucky to be largely surrounded by people who feel as I do, so rarely feel that I am taking a risk in speaking out (though that has been the case at times). They are not so lucky.

Mom and Alvan have had this sign up in their yard for a while now, and were recently told they had to take it down as it violated the HOA rules-that signs cannot be displayed in "common areas". Management said they could have it up in the window-where obviously it is significantly less visible.

A neighbor had this sign up and was told to remove it as well. However, other signs, flags, and lawn decorations of neighbors have remained without comment from the HOA. During the election, there were many political signs throughout the neighborhood. These were present from both sides, but unfortunately you can probably guess which way it skewed. No comment was made about these-I'm guessing because it would have been far too obvious to tell only people with signs supporting Hillary that they were not allowed.

While they have moved the sign into the window for now, they have informed the HOA that unless all other signage/flags in "common areas" come down, their sign will be going back up. I can't believe they have to have this fight, but there it is. These small actions-on both sides-add up, and the side of love and equality will overcome.

Please do your part to empower people in the right way and toward actions of equality. This is the only way we will overcome those acting from selfishness, hate, and fear.

xoxoxo
Emma

Pittsburgh Shenanigans

I've been making a concerted effort to take a weekend trip every month, and so far it is definitely working out! I recently visited my friends Alexa and Jack in Pittsburgh, a city I had no idea was such fun until I went for the first time last summer. That visit had only been about 13 hours-a pit stop on my drive down to visit my mom and that whole side of the family in North Carolina-so I knew I needed to make it back for a full weekend. Alexa and I were roommates her first summer (my second) working at camp, so we've got about seven years of memories and friendship.

Given our shared love of craft beer, she invited me down to attend the Pittsburgh Winter Beer Festival (thankfully held inside the Convention Center there). Boy oh boy was it fun-which is clearly indicated by the lack of photos I took. However, we did take a before and after...I'm pretty impressed at how well we held it together! Apart from the delicious variety of beers, a highlight was definitely the silent disco. They had three channels available on the headphones, so we weren't all dancing to the same music at all times, though there were certain songs we ensured everyone heard! Nobody else was quite as excited for "Footloose" as I was though, ha.

A lot of our time was spent enjoying delicious food, of course-brunch and all other delicious food is a priority for all three of us. I'll save that for another post, though, for those of you more interested in the city than pictures of everything I ate.

If you do visit Pittsburgh, I highly recommend a walk through the Mt. Washington district. There is an option to ride the trolley up and down the mountain as the miners did, though we just opted to drive up and walk around. There are numerous beautiful views of the city, though Alexa was quick to point out that they are much better when the vegetation is green-the end of winter is maybe not ideal. She was full of fun facts everywhere we went, including that Pittsburgh has the most bridges of any city in the world, including Venice! This area also includes some really interesting architecture and demonstrations of the class divide. The houses and buildings overlooking the river were beautiful, well maintained, and obviously very expensive. When we walked two blocks over the houses were significantly more run-down and clearly inhabited by those not in the 1%. Gentrification is real, people-it's only a matter of time before those two blocks change.

While Jack had to work Sunday night, Alexa and I attempted to see the tour of Book of Mormon-unfortunately there were no tickets to be had, either legitimate or scalped. We thought about going to a comedy show, but given her cold and the excitement of the night before, we decided to pick up a couple hot chocolates and head home to do some yoga and watch a movie. I'm so happy to finally have seen Brooklyn-and not just because Alexa and I had a good laugh about how I would have been the same person as the main character had I been living in that time period. It was a truly lovely story with the most beautiful cinematography-I think it has earned a place in my go-to movies.

While it can be difficult to live far from so many of my friends, I am beyond grateful to have them in fun cities and the opportunity to visit them and try new things. I'm already looking forward to my next trip to Pittsburgh-and theirs to Boston/Providence!

xoxoxo
Emma

No Ban. No Wall.

Another day, another protest. Is this going to be our reality in this new administration?

Friday's executive order regarding immigration is (not even) the latest horrifying action taken by the Trump administration since he was sworn in just over a week ago. There's only so much I can say without merely parroting others-so many have spoken out in beautiful and moving ways. It's also simple in some ways-simply wrong. We are a nation of (mostly) immigrants.

And nowhere was this more evident than in the protests across the country this weekend. I had friends at numerous events (though not quite as many as at the Women's March), including so very many at DTW (the Detroit airport), about 15 minutes away from Dearborn.

I was lucky enough to be in Boston on Sunday and able to be a part of the protest at Copley Square, from Trinity Church to the Boston Public Library. There were chants of "hey hey, ho ho, President Trump has got to go", "no hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here", and of course "no ban, no wall". The signs were simple and straightforward-the best was possibly one that simply said "uuuggghhh". Agreed!

While I am heartbroken we have to continue this, I am inspired by others' swift and decisive action. The protests came together quickly and successfully. Lawyers are volunteering their services. The ACLU has received over 6x their average annual donation-in less than a month. Sally Yates, who until a few hours ago was the acting Attorney General, refused to enforce this unethical, immoral, and  illegal order.

This is our reality. We will keep protesting, we will keep fighting back. And we will keep taking care of ourselves and each other.

xoxoxo
Emma

P.S. As usual, ways to keep fighting.
       And ideas to take care of yourself.

How do you love yourself?

This question has been at the forefront for me since Friday. Between the inauguration and all that has followed-daily horrifying executive orders, continued reports of emotional and physical violence by those validated by our leadership's dangerous example, the individual tragedies of friends, and my own personal sadness, frustration, and exhaustion, I have to ask myself and others: how do you love yourself? When individuals and society tell you that you are not worthwhile, that you are not valued, and that they do not care-how do you convince yourself they are wrong?

I read. Anything that will help me escape from the current reality, even if it seems a little too relevant (I'm looking at you, 1984, Animal Farm, The Handmaid's Tale...). I'm lucky enough to have access to the digital library Overdrive through my library card, so I never run out of books to read-even if I don't think they are they highest quality literature. I'm also blessed in my friends-of-friends. I was at a gathering Sunday night and talking to a friend when the lovely hostess came up to me with two books. She said, "I don't know exactly what's going on, but I think you need these." They are two completely different books, but she was right. The (much) lighter read is Shit Rough Drafts by Paul Laudiero. You can read his blog here, but I recommend going ahead and ordering the book from Amazon-or even better, your local independent bookstore! 

The other is a book of poetry and prose, milk and honey by Rupi Kaur. Warning: do not read this on the commuter rail or coffee shop. You will cry in public and you will get weird looks. It is writing to savor, to read as you are swaddled in blankets drinking your favorite tea (or wine, no judgment here). Again, do yourself a favor and just purchase it here or go back to your equivalent of Literati Bookstore, one of my favorite places in Ann Arbor, MI. 

I listen to music. Whether I want to wallow, rage, or pull myself up, music can do it. This post will never end if I write about all the music I've been listening to, so I'll just name one-ok two-for each need. 

Embracing the sadness: Joshua Radin. Anyone who knows me can't be surprised by this-I've loved his music since high school and while I will always enjoy and appreciate it, his ability to speak to pain is amazing. Tristan Prettyman. Her album Cedar + Gold just has too much to relate to right now-even if the details are different, the emotions are the same. 

Fighting back: the soundtracks from Hamilton and Wicked. These may be cliche at this point, but oh well! Singing along to "Defying Gravity" and "My Shot" energize me on a personal and political level to keep going. We will win.

Simple cheer: this is when I get nostalgic. 90's pop, the a cappella music I listened to in high school, classic Disney...pure fun, and of course songs to which I can sing along.

Oh, and "No Man's Woman"...combines nostalgia (thanks mom!) and ass-kicking. :) 

The power held and imparted by art is truly amazing. There are other forms of self-care I engage in which I will come back to another time...but I never tire of finding more.
This is not a rhetorical question: how do you love yourself? Even if you don't want to share, take some time to think about it. And do it. 

You are worthy. You are loved.

xoxoxo

Emma

P.S. Don't forget to continue taking action: Rolling Stone has some ideas. 

Speak. Inspire. Act.

I was privileged to attend and engage in the Boston Women's March for America on Saturday. The speeches, signs, and individuals were inspiring in their creativity and call to action. Boston's march felt gigantic-and it wasn't even in the top 3 for attendance. However, all 175,000 attendees fit into the Boston Common and that was pretty amazing.

The speakers were wide-ranging in their styles, foci, and identities. Savannah Fox Tree-McGrath, a First Nations woman of Arawak descent, performed one of the most beautiful and moving renditions of Amazing Grace I have ever heard-first in Cherokee, then in English. Of course Mayor Marty Walsh had some strong words for the new administration, informing them that Boston-and Massachusetts-will not give up on the legacy of forward-thinking and social justice that has formed the area. Attorney General Maura Healey's closing line of "We will see you in court" rang true-we must not allow our rights to be trampled and rallies are just the beginning. I was incredibly moved by the President of the Boston Branch of the NAACP, Tanisha M. Sullivan, Esq. and her call to continue to work toward justice in all arenas, while acknowledging the work done by men and women of color before. There were many more speakers and performers, all of whom had important words to impart.

One of the most significant challenges to the success of this march, and so many others, was inclusivity and intersectionality. As people began to plan for the D.C. rally and beyond, there was an early call out to not just include women of color, but to collaborate with them in leadership. Feminism without the specifier of intersectionality often lacks awareness and acknowledgement of the complex-and not entirely affirming-history and current challenge in ensuring all who identify as women are being advocated for and supported by it. I saw a lot of success in some ways; a racially diverse group of performers, speakers, and attendees (though a significantly higher presence of white women than any other), a number of people with both visible and invisible disabilities, and a general respect for each other within the crowd. However, it does not serve individuals or the movement to dismiss the challenges; language excluding trans women from the conversation, continued racism, body- and slut-shaming of women on the other side(s) of the political spectrum (ex. Melania Trump), and the self-congratulations of "doing protesting right" without awareness of the privilege afforded to this movement.

The work doesn't stop there-but I won't say it's just beginning. People have been fighting for their basic human rights since time immemorial-and many of us are just waking up to it. Please fight back-by calling legislators, standing up for those whose rights are being taken, donating to and volunteering for organizations doing this work on a larger scale, and spreading love in the world. Don't give hate a platform. Practice radical empathy, for yourself and others. Show up-in every sense. I plan on it.

10 Actions. 100 Days.


xoxoxo
Emma