Tag: activism
What are we asking for men to do when they hear another man say something inappropriate? Say “hey, whoah, that’s not cool,” IN THE MOMENT. Don’t come up to women afterwards and say “man, that was weird, wasn’t it?” or “I’m so sorry he said that, I could tell it made you uncomfortable,” or … Continue reading What Should Men Do?
One of my professors said something to me that I hated when I first heard it. He said, “learning spaces cannot be safe spaces.” I resisted that concept initially, because it seemed counterintuitive and unfair. I should always be able to ensure that my classroom, that the online groups where I moderate, that meetings with … Continue reading Learning Spaces Cannot be Safe Spaces
Important reminder for anyone working in software development, IT, data analysis, or any other field where you’re looking at data about humans or creating computer/AI tools: If someone asks you to create a tool or report that gathers people by category, you NEED to ask yourself “what harm could be done if this information got … Continue reading Responsible Data
Something many white people don’t understand is the desire by black people to spend their money in black-owned businesses. It looks insular and unwelcoming. “Why do you care if the person who owns the shop is black?” we wonder. “You need to buy a thing, buy it in the best place to get it, right?” … Continue reading Black-Owned Businesses
Political action! You may have heard that the horrifying tax bill passed in the Senate. This is true. However, remember your lessons from Schoolhouse Rock and note that this bill is NOT YET A LAW. The version that the Senate passed is different from the version that the House passed, so now they have to … Continue reading Fight the Tax Bill
“So-and-so is the latest person to be accused of sexual assault/harassment/abuse.” “Gross, I never liked him anyway.” That’s honestly zero percent helpful, guys. It doesn’t matter one teeny tiny bit whether or not you liked this dude who has been accused of sexual assault. Society likes this dude, or the media does, or he has … Continue reading I Never Liked Him, Anyway
A quick rundown on the difference between equality and justice: A lot of people say that they treat everyone equally. Everyone gets treated the same. Now, a) I don’t believe you, because biases are unconscious and we frequently don’t notice when we treat people unequally, but also b) even if you DO treat literally every … Continue reading Equality vs. Justice
I’m not sure how best to phrase this, but: While we’re focusing on sexual assault and trauma and harassment as survivors, please remember to spare some time and effort to fight against racism this week. I know we’re overwhelmed and experiencing PTSD and flashbacks and trauma and exhaustion. I know it. Believe me. Just, if … Continue reading Don’t Forget to Fight Racism
My dear activist friends: When posting images in defiance of White supremacy and antisemitism, please remember the reaction that your Black and Jewish friends may have to seeing confederate flags and swastikas. I can’t speak for Black folks, so I’ll refer just to swastikas after this, but keep this in mind when posting either image. … Continue reading Stop Posting Swastikas!
This status contains my thoughts today on the ACLU, as well as a form letter you can use to send to the ACLU to explain their loss of your monthly donation, if you wish to use it. The status is a long one, and is highly subjective. So. The ACLU is the American Civil Liberties … Continue reading Discomfort with the ACLU
