activism
Feminist activists are not deterred by the daunting statistics so much as they're fueled by them.
To My Younger Sisters: If You Need to Go Camping at Any Time, I’m Here For You
I have a brain, and a heart, and a soul. I have a brain to reason with, to analyze facts and allow knowledge to grow. I have a heart to feel with, to form empathy with other people, to express my compassion for others.
By Hillora Lang4 years ago in Viva
Black Inside, (Not) Black Outside (Part II)
Recently, I published a text about job interviews in which I describe my experiences and share some tips. Afterwards, I realized that this article lacks nuances because it focuses only on the applicants. Getting hired doesn’t depend only on the applicant, but most often on different other factors, like the interviewer(s) backgrounds and biases, the whole corporative culture, the society values, and the applicant social and ethnical community.
By Marie Cadette Pierre-Louis4 years ago in Viva
The Stages of Emily Doe
Acknowledgments In order to tell this story properly, I must acknowledge those involved– All those who thread my pain together in the blanket that kept me hidden, to those who poked holes in the blanket’s thick wool to let the light hit my face. Some faces I still remember, and others will be burned in my hippocampus until my body meets the ground. It’s important to note that without those people who made me experience what hell feels like, I would not be who I am…but it is because of the people that made me see the possibility of heaven that I am still here.
By Thee Broken Venus 4 years ago in Viva
Black Inside And (Not) Black Outside
I never knew the word black was banished until I left Haiti, a country where most black people wouldn’t dare to forget the story of black people on this island. The word “black” has such an importance there, that even the Haitian Creole word for black (nèg for men, and nègès for women) is also used for referring to people in general. I always knew that there are several words to describe black people, and I have been thinking about them since my childhood. Nevertheless, I supposed that these terms were just used for special contexts, and the word black itself was the most neutral way to illustrate the color of a black person. My confusion over black identity started when people would avoid referring to my color.
By Marie Cadette Pierre-Louis4 years ago in Viva
The Dystopia I Feared Is Upon Us. Top Story - May 2022.
I am a writer. Words and the stories I create with them are my identity and my life's purpose. But every now and then I go through these "no writing" spells, where the stories and words just won't come. I'm starting to recognize that these spells coincide with world events, over which I have no control. I'm trying little tricks to fool myself into storying, like leaving my docs open to the next paragraph or feeding my brain inspiring stuff–books, movies, videos–to get over the hump. But this time, as we face the defeat of women's reproductive freedom in the United States, the words won't come. All I can see is The Handmaid's Tale in my mind, which leaves room for nothing else.
By Hillora Lang4 years ago in Viva
So Much to Lose
I've been thinking about all that could be lost in my life as a single woman who chose never to marry or give control of my life to a man, as the Republican Religious Right works to destroy the gains we've made as a humanistic society, wherein everyone deserves to be treated equitably and respectfully. I'm sure there are many things I haven't thought of yet. Please add your own concerns in the comments.
By Hillora Lang4 years ago in Viva
Him
Sophia woke up abruptly after tossing and turning and successfully rolling herself off the bed, crushing the remnants of last night’s takeout. Listening to the soft pounding of the music next door as she stared at the darkness above her, she briefly wondered if she’d ever have the energy to throw a party like the neighbors were again. She sat up groggily, shoving aside an empty bottle of cherry vodka and rubbing her tired eyes before focusing on the clock. It was only five o’clock in the morning. She hadn’t fallen asleep until after two. On the bright side, she’d slept more than she had the previous few nights. Maybe if she slept for five hours straight next time she would celebrate. Buy a bottle of fancy wine and a couple bags of Doritos.
By Shelby Larsen4 years ago in Viva
The Beauty and Power of Womanhood
What is a Woman? A woman is a female human being. The word woman can be used either generally or locally to refer to adult females. It is also sometimes used to refer to female human beings who are biologically female but who identify as women culturally.
By Nifra Nihar4 years ago in Viva
Be the change you want to see in the world
There's an old story. An young woman used to cut the end of a lamb roast before she puts it in the oven. One day her husband asked her, "Honey, why did you cut the end of the lamb roast?" And she goes, "Well I don't know. I do it because that's what my mom used to do. Then his husband said, "Ok then call your mom. I want to know the reason." The woman called her mom and asked the same. But her mom didn't even know the answer. She replied, "I used to do it because that's what your grandmother did." After that they also called the granny. Granny came with the answer, "Well, in our times the oven was not so big as today. So cutting the end was an option to make it fit in the oven."
By Tanvir Rashik Shafim 4 years ago in Viva
