Thursday, February 2, 2017

Time Capsule: Political Art in The New Civil Rights Movement

As mentioned in my last post, things that are happening in the United States right now are the same things that happened in the 1940s and 1960s. There is a civil rights movement rising, and one of my favorite types of art is political art.  Bold images, bold messages, and a lot of passion are put into these pieces.

It's a politically terrifying yet artistically inspiring time to be alive.

I have decided to share some of my favorite images and designs that have been circulating recently. Some of these are graphic in their nature, but all tell an important story that's worth sharing.
*I will credit artists if I am able; if not, they will go un-credited until I find the names.

Let's begin with the artwork from the DAPL/Standing Rock protests.  This has been a long fight, but it shall continue...#istandwithstandingrock #NODAPL






And I wouldn't be covering the new civil rights movement if I didn't show the art of Black Lives Matter activists.  #BLM
Please note that some of these images are disturbing - but, that's kind of the point.

Art by: Alex Nabaum

Photo taken as a man yells, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” in Ferguson, Missouri, 
while protesting
the death of Michael Brown in August 2014.

Cover from TIME magazine, May 2015


Art by: Ti-Rock Moore

This political cartoon was used to compare how the legal system treated the cases
of Tamir Rice and the Bundy Family trial.

Then, for the Inauguration Day and the Women's March, famous street & political artist Shepard Fairey, with the help of a KickStarter campaign called "We The People", created several images and collected others, waived copyrights and allowed free downloads to anyone who wanted to use them.

Greater Than Fear
Artist: Shepard Fairey
Photographer: Ridwan Adhami

Resilient
Artist: Ernesto Yerena
Photographer: Ayse Gürsöz

Indivisible
Artist: Jessica Sabogal

Defend Dignity
Artist: Shepard Fairey
Photographer: Arlene Mejorado

Protect Each Other
Artist: Shepard Fairey
Photographer: Delphine Diallo
The money they used to fund the campaign also went to placing full-page ads in local newspapers on Inauguration Day.
The Washington Post 1/20/17
Photo Credit: Jane Murphy

Other images were submitted to The Amplifier Foundation's Public Call for Art.  Several were used in protest either during Inauguration Day or the the following day in the Women's March(es) in DC and 600+ other locations all over the WORLD.


– LIZA DONOVAN, “HEAR OUR VOICE”


-VictoriA GARCIA, “RESPETA”


– JESSICA SABOGAL, “WOMEN ARE PERFECT”



– KATE DECICCIO, “EMBRACING EACHOTHER”


– JENNIFER MARAVILLAS, “OUR BODIES, OUR MINDS”


Our local "Sister March" (the one the Hubs and I attended) used this logo on their official page:



And protest posters created by the People:



Green Peace representatives climbed a construction crane to hang this "RESIST" sign.





Here are a handful of other pieces I enjoyed:

Art by Mark Bryan


Art by John Mavroundis




Art by Nikkolas Smith

Art by David Mack


Art by Mark Bryan

Art by David Mack


Art by Hayley Gilmore



And then there were the crafters...and the Pussy HatsYarn stores all over the world reported that they had run out of pink yarn (and felt) in the weeks and days before the march.











I love this. When you get mad, take a stab at a craft and make art!

And finally (for this post, at least), in response to the Trump administration putting a gag order on National Parks, NASA, demanding the deletion of all climate reports, and halting their funding:

Only You Can Prevent Alt Facts



Inspired by the alt social media accounts of the National Parks, America's greatest treasures. All designer proceeds will be donated and split between the National Parks Foundation and the National Forest Foundation to help protect those lands and the people that have devoted their lives to them.

Rogue NASA


Science is under attack in America, and we're here to lead the resistance (into outer space, if need be). All of Rogue NASA's proceeds from this sale will be split between Girls Who Code and the National Math + Science Initiative.

It's going to be quite and interesting ride, folks. Don't forget your seat belts. And protest art!

1, 2, 3, MARCH!

Skipping forward to real-time events for a moment...

I have been trying to write this post in my head for over a week now, and I don't know that I will ever be satisfied with how it is written. I can guarantee it will be re-read constantly until I finally get sick of reading the same words 1,230,810,470,123 times in a row and hit "Publish". Yep.

So, I decided to just put pen to paper fingers to keyboard and see what happens.  I need to write this while the experience is fresh.

I mean, my daughter will read this one day but no pressure, right?

Here goes...

I am a strong, intelligent woman. I try to embody positivity, because...that's who I am.  That's how I was raised. I like to listen and give the benefit of the doubt.  I like to make people smile.  I like to befriend the lonely and help those in need.  I was raised by a strong woman who was raised by a strong woman. I was raised to be fair, to care for others, and to treat everyone with respect.  People often refer to me as "so nice" or accuse me of being "too nice". Yes, I might be kind, but I am no pushover. And I educate myself. If it seems like only the angriest voices are heard, that's only because they are amplified. Sensationalism and propaganda will always be more "exciting" than facts. So please, don't ever assume someone's kindness and/or positivity indicates that they are ignorant to what is happening in the world. When enough of the "quiet" or "kind" or "nice" people get together, big things happen.
(Slightly off topic, stepping off soapbox...)

So, in the spirit of kindness and doing what is right, but also in the name of knowledge and the empowerment that comes with being a strong human being born from a strong woman: I (and my feminist/equality-loving Husband) joined 2.9 million PEOPLE, not just women, who marched on January 21, 2017.  We marched in DC, New York, Los Angeles, Denver...but also in every state of our Union. In Idaho, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Ohio.  There were 673 marches taking place WORLDWIDE, on all 7 continents. It was a "Women's March", but the message was clearly being sent by all genders, religions, colors, and every spectrum of sexual orientation. ALL of this was in protest of the new president and his divisive words and reprehensible views on equality, diversity, and science/climate change.  It was the largest and most wide-spread organized march in history.

Our local march organizer estimated 1,000-2,000 people would be attending, but we ended up being 12,000-14,000 strong.  The police had to shut down the streets. Cars honked, drivers high-fived and thumbs-up'ed in solidarity. We marched with love and unity in our hearts, and messages of unity and equality on our lips. We were standing up for the rights of all, even if they didn't agree with what we were doing.

Our original intention was to bring OG with us, not only for her to experience community action and to (hopefully) tell her that she was a part of a movement that made a positive difference in the world, but also because we are a family unit. We will always be stronger together. However, we decided at the last minute leave OG with Dedi since the attendance estimates continued rising - we didn't want to chance her getting lost in the crowd. She loves to run and play, but still can't tell you her full name or where she lives. So, we decided to err on the side of parental responsibility and that junk. ;)

Still, she wore an outfit made for marching!
-"Friend" (in multiple languages) shirt
-Heart pants
-Marchin' boots!



Here are The Hubs and I, sending OG our love from the rally:



And other than the 12k-14k people in the crowd, we also met up with some of our amazing friends at the rally:




Here are a few more images from that day:











Then, we began to march.




One of the big #hashtags of the day was #WhyIMarch and #ThisIsWhyIMarch.  People spoke out about why they decided to march, so I took it upon myself to ask several marchers why they came out. These were some of their answers:

"I am here for love. I love everybody, there's nothing they can do about that. But if you're wrong, I'm going to tell you so - Trump, I'm going to let you know. Love, sister!"

"I am here to support women's rights, climate change, and Black Lives Matter. And to spread LOVE."

"I'm here for all my ladies.  I'm here for my family, and I'm here for our future."

"Why am I here today?  Because I want my nieces and cousins to have equality. I want every woman to have equality - AND men!"

"I'm here for my mom and my aunty."

"I'm here to support everybody.  I get a lot of rights myself, and I'm here to stand up for the people who don't."

"I'm married - I'm here for my wife.  Power to women!"


I also asked my usually-not-politically-active Husband why he marched/his thoughts on the march, and he had this to say:

"I am glad to have taken a part in a peaceful rally for an issue that should not be one anymore. Men and women are created equally and that is how it should be. I'm always for the immigrants, especially being a child to 2 great ones, but also for healthcare because I worry about my moms future healthcare options. I don't think it's fair to deny insurance to anyone who gets diagnosed with any disease that they have no control over."

As for my reasons, this is what I wrote about #WhyIMarch:

For those who want to attend and cannot, I am going to be FB Live-ing the peaceful Sister March today.
I am marching for my family, friends, strangers, and people who need my legs and my voice, to be the checks and balances, ensuring equal rights for ALL Americans, affordable healthcare for all no matter their medical situation or financial status, allowing women to have control over their own bodies and decisions, and to ensure freedom of speech and assembly continue to be a cornerstone of American Freedom.
If you don't agree with me politically, that's ok. I am still marching for you and your family, your rights, and your right to have opinions. I march for unity, not division. I march for love, respect, empathy and understanding. I march for my daughter. xoxox
For anyone marching here and around the world today, be safe and know we are with you.
Peace, love and Power to the People of this great Nation.
xoxoxox

Friday, January 27, 2017

Thanks!

Hello, dedicated reader(s)! Thanks for tuning back in!

As this crazy world seems to keep getting crazier, my little family and I are getting more involved with making our voices heard, fighting the hate with love, and (as always) focusing on parenting our little lady lady so she can be wonderful, intelligent, strong-willed-yet-caring woman some day. Therefore I haven't been focused as much on my blogging duties. I'm sorry...but it's a worthy cause!

SO! Let's take a moment to be thankful for our freedom of speech and blogging (coughcoughwhilewestillhaveitcough), and recap....THANKSGIVING!

Ok...before I touch on our Thanksgiving adventures, I just want to say type that we had much to be thankful for this year, but it was also a very hard year for a lot of people I love. Although we were not well acquainted, I would like to take a moment to remember and thank the people we lost in 2016. They all played a significant roll in the lives of the people closest to me, and therefore they held a piece of my heart as well.  So, thank you Mama Luisa, Ricardo and Larry. May you rest in peace.

<3

As for our Thanksgiving day festivities, they ended up spanning a couple of days because Grandma was not feeling well. So on "real" Thanksgiving, we went to the Wolfsler's house!

OG wore:
-Raccoon Sweater Dress (Target)
-Purple Sparkle Pants

The "paparazzi" shot

Push. Food. In. Mouth.

YUMMY YUMMY!

OG, Daisy and EG (photobombing)
 And, at Thanksgiving #2, a few days later:

OG wore:
-Mint Polka-Dot top
-Black pants
-Neither of which I captured in a picture because I was too smitten by this moment of family cuteness


One of my favorite pictures of all time. <3

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Day Trippers, Yeah!

**ALERT***ALERT**
!!!This post is out of chronological sequence!!!
I thought I had posted about this, but apparently not...derp. Spoilers: it was one of the highlights of our year.

<<Rewind.

[ ] Stop.

> Play.

SETTING: A crisp and windy morning in early October.

We took a (long overdue) road trip to see the Taulbouts! With our kiddos being due-date twins, they are very close in age (10 days apart, to be exact) and it's fun to see them interact with one another. Or not interact, as I should more accurately describe. More like: they did lots of fun things by themselves in close proximity of one another.

Either way, it was a lot of fun.

OG decided to wear:
-Owly T-shirt Dress (with fall colors)
-Black Leggins
-(p)Leather Jacket
-A Fun Halloween Bow
-Spiderman Shoes

First stop: The pumpkin patch!


OG inspecting the biggest pumpkin she has ever seen

She really wanted to jump on The Jumpy Thing for Big Kids...

...but luckily we found The Jumpy Thing for Little Kids! :)

She could have stayed on that thing all day.

Bada$$ Betty over here on the train!  Rebel with a Cause! :)

Dada being silly <3

Looking at more pumpkins - and look!  Declan is in the background! 

 After the farm, we went back to Mr. D's house to napnap/play with all of his toys...

And ended up watching Mickey and Little Einsteins...

Look at them playing so well near each other!

Watching goths dance to the Little Einsteins intro song...yes, really.
The parents started talking YouTube videos/remixes of kids shows, so we had to...
see the confusion on their tiny faces?!

BUBBLE MACHINE!!!

I don't think that works the way you think it works... :)

Declan showing and telling us about his favorite tree - with his Momma and Mr. Sampson in the background.

There was only one group shot taken the entire time we were there, and that was in a dimly lit bar/restaurant.  And, in the 3 shots our waitress so thoughtfully took (in the hopes that "one of them might turn out"), they were all terrible. Terrible. Not the "Ew, I look so gross, guys! But you look cute..." kind of way, but in the "Are these human creatures or aliens? What IS this? Should we call Weekly World News?!" kind of way.  So, I have taken the liberty of correcting it so that it can be posted on the internet:

What a fine looking group!

Thanks again for having us down for the day!  We had SO much fun, and love you guys! xoxox








Tuesday, January 3, 2017

The After Party

Hello, reader(s)! I hope you are having a kind and loving 2017 thus far. Ours has been good...although I did manage to throw out my back yesterday.  And I accidentally locked us out of the house this morning. While it was raining. And I did also knock my 40oz cup of ice water all over my desk.  But, hey...it's only the 3rd of January!
...Which also means only 17 days until the new president (little "p" - he needs to earn the big "P") is sworn in.
Let us all embrace for a moment, shall we?!? Inhale....exhale....inhale...

Anyhow...

Picking up where I left off: the day after OG's birthday party (when everyone was feeling better - ehem, poor Declan), we met up with our favorite out-of-towers for some breakfast. It turns out Declan just had a case of random toddler pukes.  And...just happened to release those random toddler pukes all over his mommy.  (Mr. D, if you are reading this, go give your mom a big hug.)

Olive was slacking a bit on the outfit front, but let's go easy on her - she had such a great one for her Birthday! hehe

OG wore:
-Pink "Shapes & Animals" Shirt (hand-me-down)
-Teal Pants with Sparkle Dots

Hello there!

Looking at cars, talkin' toddler

Little Cutie Declan telling a tale (and just look at his fun shirt!)

OOP! Their arms touched! haha

Eh, They realized they touched. :)

We miss you guys! xoxox