In late May I joined Deb Reger as co-host on her radio program Moccasin Tracks on WRUV/University of Vermont to discuss plants, healing, and justice with Linda Black Elk. Linda Black Elk was coordinator of the Oceti Sakowin Prayer Camps' Medic and Healers Council at Standing Rock. She is an ethno-botanist, healer, herbalist, teacher, mother, Water Protector and so much more. During our conversation she talks about the ongoing Water Protector Camps and support that has been building for the Mni Wiconi Clinic which will be a free wholistic clinic at Standing Rock. She also shares about restoration ecology work being organized for the area of the former camps in N. Dakota. Later during the program, I speak with Deb about my recent visit to the Arizona/Sonora border, doing humanitarian aid work supporting those crossing the desert with No More Deaths/No Más Muertes, People Helping People, and Kino Border Initiative/Iniciative Kino para la Frontera, We also talk about ancestry, herbs for emotional support, mutual aid, rural organizing, and give a shout out to Migrant Justice/Justicia Migrante and their Milk With Dignity campaign. The theme of the program and our time together was reciprocity and relationship. May we continue to cultivate relationships with each other and create reciprocity with the plants that nourish us and our movements for justice. Our conversation with Linda Black Elk here:::
The conversation felt like a tea party, the station felt like an electric garden! I brought along Restorative Moons at the station. This remedy is burnout prevention/repair in a bottle, with rose, milky oats, a collaboration by Dandelioness Herbals and Wake Robin Botanicals.
When you hear the word 'Spa' what do you think? Privileged people with tons of money wrapped in white towels, relaxing while throngs of people tend to their every wish and smear them with mud and honey? That's what I used to think a spa was. Til I went to one with a friend. And then another. I've been to two and we *worked it*! $40 a day may seem pricey if you don't have loads of money kicking around, but if you go for 8 hours, that's only $5/hour! And if you go with friends where everyone brings a homemade bodycare product or two for the group, gives each other shoulder massages, and brings food to share (I recommend finger food over soup and crumbly chocolate cake!), then you can get a full spa experience on the cheap. But you can only get to the spa so often. And that's what we were brainstorming about, at the spa in deep winter when just being in a 70 degree space felt luxurious, even without the cucumber water and warm waterfall. How can we take the spa out of the - well, spa, and put it (back) in the hands of the people? So many folks we know that really should be there can't take the time off work or school, get childcare and transportation, spend the $40, etc. And that's when the People's Spa was born. We brainstormed a spa based on mutual support and respect. Accessible and affordable - maybe even free?! Where everyone serves and is served. Where ingredients come from ethical sources, from the abundant plants growing in gardens and fields close to home, or from farms far away where the people and land are treated well. Where the relaxation practices are grounded and culturally respectful (rather than recklessly profiting off of the cultures and resources of communities of color near and far). Where all body shapes, sizes, colors, genders, and abilities are welcomed and honored. I see the People's Spa, practiced collectively or in solitude, as an important aspect of encouraging a culture of self-care, collective-care, and community health. I do understand when people say that we need to take care of ourselves in order to be able to take care of others. That we need to put the oxygen mask on ourselves (to use the airplane analogy), before helping others with theirs. But this message just seems to reinforce that some people are meant to be care-givers and endlessly put their own needs last. I don't want to feel that I have to justify taking an evening for myself to unwind and give myself a foot bath, by saying it's so that I'll be able to work harder tomorrow. I think it's important that we value self-care for self-care's sake. Obviously I'm not going to just stay home forever and indulge in a 24-7 herbal spa. But I don't think the far-too-common flip side of this, of not knowing how to stop, of going non-stop and not taking time to celebrate our victories and accomplishments, of tending to everyone else's needs first, is healthy either. Giving ourselves and each other the space and encouragement to take a rest every now and then, and having the self-awareness to know when we need a break, can help us to rejuvenate so that we can be in it for the long-haul. Yes, it makes us better community organizers/ activists, herbalists/health care providers, parents/caregivers, etc. And it also steps away from the capitalist, ableist, workaholic culture where time is money and there's never enough of either, we're forced to work far beyond our physical and emotional limits, and the meaning of life is to be productive every waking moment. Cultivating a culture of care extends beyond our personal good-feelings (being grounded, relaxed, inspired, etc), and builds stronger community organizations and neighborhoods, and allows us to be more present with each other and ourselves. Nurturing an atmosphere that balances work and play, that values relationships and the process/journey (rather than just numbers) helps to prevent burn-out and sustains us for the long haul. We don't need to pay loads of money to go to a fancy spa or take a trip far away at a resort in order to relax. We don't have to wait til the revolution comes, or even til the next big event/ campaign is finished. We can take a moment this evening, or maybe even right now. Using supplies that we may already have access to, we can create a simple spa right in the space that we're at. Here are some recipes for relaxation concoctions that you can make yourself, or get together with some friends/family and do it together! (You can also purchase some of these products through my online DandelionessHerbals Etsy shop). These recipes are intended to spark ideas, not be requirements for your at-home spa! Feel free to keep it simple. Water is healing, nothing more is needed for a relaxing footbath. Open your cupboards and spice rack and experiment with what you have. Get together with friends and family to make relaxing creations together, or come to a hands-on workshop tomorrow and bring some spa items home with you! Along with the recipes, there is also a report back with photos from our first People's Spa held in Spring 2012 in Montpelier, Vermont (U.S.). Spa Recipes (aka Spaaahhhhhh Recipes) : -Bath Fizzies -Bath Salts and Salt Scrub -Eye Soothers: cucmber slices, chamomile tea bags, and chilly spoons -How to do a Foot Bath or Hand Soak Bath Fizzies
1 cup Baking soda ½ cup Non-GMO Cornstarch ½ cup Citric acid (often available at coops. and pharmacies) 4 tablespoons Coconut, Grapeseed, Almond, Olive, or another oil 2 tablespoon Distilled Water or Hydrosol (flower water) Essential oils, 10-20 drops Dried herbs, optional Flower essences, optional Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix liquids, and then drizzle onto dry ingredients little by little, slowly while stirring together. Fizzy! If the texture is too crumbly to stay together, add more of the oil/water mixture, little by little, until it holds. Shape into balls or press in oiled molds. Let them sit on waxed paper for 2-3 hours, reshape if needed. Let them harden 24-48 hours, depending on the weather. Store in a closed container. Use a fizzy in your bathtub or footbath. I like to use coconut oil in this recipe, which in this climate, usually needs to be warmed to turn from solid into liquid. The balls seem to harden faster than with other oils, and it leaves your skin feeling really silky. If you'd like to use dried herbs, such as rose petals (in the photo above), I've found that it's easier to form balls if you moisten the dried herbs in the oil/water mixture and incorporate them when adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. (You may know Bath Fizzies as Bath Bombs. Demilitarize our language! Demilitarize the Border! Demilitarize the Bathtub!) Bath Salts and Body Scrubs
You can make your own bath salts with sea salt, Epsom salts, baking soda, and herbs, individually or in combination. People have bathed in these minerals for many generations for their soothing, cleansing, and drawing properties. It’s really nice to prepare bath salts and keep them in a jar near the tub, so that after a long day when you need to slip into a bath or unwind with a footbath, they are ready and waiting for you. Crush, grind up, or leave whole your favorite bathing herbs and add them to your salts. Add two to four tablespoons of dried herbs per cup of salts. If using fresh herbs and flowers, simply layer the plants and salts. Chamomile, Calendula, and Roses soothe and soften the skin. Ginger, Rosemary, and Peppermint relieve sore muscles and are potent, especially when dried, so start with less in your bath. To use, simply add a handful or two of your herbal salts to your bathwater, and relax. When you are finished with your bath, it’s best to bundle up and keep warm.
(Do remember that everyone’s body is different, and these salts may be drying and the herbs may be powerful, so if you have sensitive skin, or a sensitive constitution in general, begin by using just a tablespoon or two of your herbal bath salts at first. If the herbs are messy or you have sensitive drains, you can sift out the herbs from the salts (after they’ve infused for a few weeks) or put your bath salts into a pouch or sock.) Relaxing Bathing Salts 4 parts Sea Salt 1 part Baking Soda Lavender essential oil (10 drops per cup or so) Fresh or dried whole Calendula flowers or Rose petals (optional) Flower essences, optional Put sea salt into a glass or ceramic bowl and add in the lavender essential oils. Add in the baking soda and mix it all together, also stirring in the Calendula flowers or Rose petals. If you’re using fresh blossoms, place them between layers of salt and let infuse for a few weeks before adding in the other ingredients. Add a handful or two to your bath. (Note: 4 parts Sea Salt can be 4 tablespoons, 4 handfuls, 4 cups, any amount. This recipe is included to give you a starting point for proportions. Feel free to experiment!) Body Scrub You can create a Body Scrubby placing sea salt (or sugar) into a jar, and pouring in olive, sesame, almond, and/or coconut oil. Some like to add just enough oil to moisten the salt or sugar, some like to pour the oil to the top and have a really oil-rich scrub. It's up to you. Experiment and see what you like. You can add herbal infused oils (see directions in the (Im)migration and Lip Balms for Social Justice?! post), dried herbs (such as rose petals or a bit of ginger powder), or keep it simple with just the sea or sugar and oil. Scrubs give us the opportunity to massage ourselves, make tick checks fun, and help us to reconnect with our bodies, especially when they’re buried beneath winter wool and long johns. Scoop out a fingerful of the scrub and rub it all over your body, starting from your extremities and moving in towards your heart and back out again, avoiding the sensitive skin of your face and breasts. Chests are okay to gently scrub. Rinse off in the shower or slip into a bath. The salt/sugar exfoliates your skin and is rinsed away by the water, and the oil moisturizes, especially with the shower’s heat. (Glass jars look nice, but if you’re concerned that it may break in the shower, use a plastic container. Note that oil is difficult to contain, even when your jar is sealed closed. If you’re traveling with or mailing body scrub, use less oil when making it or place the jar in a sealed plastic bag so that it doesn’t make a mess. Using a blend of oils that is primarily coconut oil will give you a more solid, less spill-y oil base (unless you live somewhere where the temperature is consistently over 76°F, as this is coconut oil's melting point). Whichever oil you choose, do make sure you use soap to wash the oil off the floor afterwards so that it isn’t slippery!)
Eye Soothers To soothe tired, irritated, or overworked eyes, put a cooling Cucumber slice or a moist Chamomile tea bag on each eye. You can also place four teaspoons into a mug of ice water. Place a spoon over each eye, with the rounded part of the spoon facing out. When these spoons warm up, replace them with the spoons in the ice water, and continue for up to 20 minutes. To the right are hand-made eye pillows - silky material filled with flax seeds/rice and dried lavender. These eye pillows can be used at room temperature or put in a resealable plastic bag and kept in the freezer to cool hot, irritated eyes or to place over the forehead to ease a headache. How to do a Foot Bath or Hand Soak If submerging yourself in a full body bath is not possible or desirable, you can make yourself a foot bath or hand soak. Pour hot or warm water into a container (metal pot, glass bowl, plastic bucket) that's big enough to fit your hands or feet. No containers big enough? You can use two smaller containers. Add a handful of your bath salts. Be sure not to burn your paws! Have some cold water handy to add in case the bathwater’s too hot, and if you like long soaks, you can keep a full hot kettle handy for when the water cools down. Hand soaks are especially relaxing for those who type on computers and work with their hands all day. They are also a kind and comforting gift to those who are bedridden. Calendula is soothing to dry, irritated, or cracked hands. Peppermint both invigorates and soothes tired feet. Lavender and/or Rosemary foot baths help relieve headaches, drawing your energy down. Treat your hands or feet to a massage with oil or creme after their soak for deeper relaxation and more restful sleep.
Ideas for relaxation: unplug the phone/computer/television, have an electricity-free evening (if possible), light a candle, surround yourself with good smells (fresh plants, massage oil, scented candle, home-cookin'), massage: back of neck, hands, ears, jaw - where do you hold tension?, make a big batch of relaxing tea and then drink some and soak your feet/hands/whole body in some as well, smear some honey on your face and relax for 10-20 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water (honey is good for all skin types and promotes circulation). Not sure where to track down certain ingredients? Check out your local herb shop or food Coop (Central Vermont resource listing here), or mail-order through Mountain Rose Herbs. Putting it into Practice: The first ever People's Spa! This spring a group of herbalists and other community healers/healthcare providers collaborated to create the first People's Spa in Central Vermont. Our communities had recently faced very trying times, with tropical storm Irene in the autumn, and May floods before that, damaging homes and businesses. Mobile home parks, often located in flood planes, were hit particularly hard. Flood survivors and recovery workers had been working for many months not only save what was left of their homes, but also battling with public officials and insurance agencies for their basic rights and needs. Through their community organizing, the Mobile Home Park Residents for Equality and Fairness was created, and with support from the VT Workers' Center, they achieved great victories. Our group of herbalists and healers came together out of a desire to give back to our community members who'd been through so much, to show our support, and to share relaxation techniques and herbal remedies.
Not victims, but SURVIVORS! Press conference organized by
the Mobile Home Park Residents for Equality and Fairness
Many survivors and recovery workers had been experiencing respiratory and immune issues, trouble sleeping, and other negative effects of the storm and the stresses following it. From the beginning, our group was clear that we were coming together in solidarity, not charity (thank you for the phrase, Commonground Health Clinicof New Orleans, LA). All the practitioners that were part of organizing the People's Spa watched the film Strength of the Storm, which documented the impact of hurricane Irene and the grassroots organizing by those most affected. Here are our guidelines for those who wanted to be practitioners at the People's Spa: 1) See the film “Strength of the Storm” which was made by the residents of the Weston Mobile Home Park and the Vermont Workers Center. The 2011 flood survivors are the inspiration for the first People’s Spa event. The community activism group that emerged last year, Mobile Home Residents for Fairness and Equality, operate from a social justice and community organizing framework. 2) Health justice, body justice and “solidarity not charity” are central to the People’s Spa’s baseline mode of operation. What that looks like and exactly means we will create together, with intention. The second expectation of practitioners is to participate in the People’s Spa organizers meeting, where we will be planning the event and coming up with ground rules and The People’s Spa Manifesto.
We created guidelines for our time together, so that the space could feel safe, inclusive, and relaxing for all participating, and posted it for the event:
People arrived to a table filled with snacks. We had an array of food - including hummus and chips/veggies for protein to prevent blood sugar crashes, as well as decadent chocolate-raspberry bark (thank you Suki!) and herbal adaptogen balls (thank you, Marie!) for the spirit. (Adaptogens are a class of herbs that help the body adapt to change.)
We also provided herbal teas made with relaxing herbs that not only nourish and calm the nervous system, but that also support the immune and respiratory systems, such as Lemon balm and Tulsi (thank you, Joann!). On the left, Tulsi-Chamomile-Lavender tea and to the right - People's Spa Tea: Tulsi (aka Holy Basil), Milky Oats, and Lemon Balm.
Folks then entered the main room, where we had placed comfortable chairs in a circle, with extra blankets and pillows accessible. There was relaxing music as people settled in. We went around with introductions and shared a bit about the medicinal plants we'd brought into the space that day, and the remedies that would be going around. There were Evergreen branches and homegrown, hand-harvested Rose petals for the foot baths. There was Lavender essential oil to add to the bath or simply breath in, for its relaxing and immune-supporting effect. Fragrant Peppermint, Rosemary, and Fir foot cream could be massaged in after the baths. And there were sprays made with essential oils and flower essences. (We kept the fragrances plant-based - no synthetics - and did check in with folks to see if anyone was sensitive to scents). As people sat in their chairs, we brought tubs of warm water and various ingredients for the bath water - Sea salt, Epsom salt, Plants, and Essential oil. We also brought trays of food, as well as cups of the herbal teas, for people to enjoy as they soaked. We returned with rounds of more food and warm water (especially in cool weather, you want to be sure to keep the foot baths warm so that people don't catch a chill), and when they were finished with the bath, we came around with the foot cream to offer for self-massage, or to receive a massage from one of us. In addition to the footbaths, which folks really enjoyed, there were art supplies out for all to use. There were pastels, colored pencils, and images for collage. People could create a protective symbol, an affirmation, or anything else they'd like to make and take home with them.
We also brought in some other show and tell items: Herbal/health books. Shown here: Dr. Jarvis' 'Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor's Guide to Good Health' which sings the praises of the people's folk remedies, namely apple cider vinegar, and Susun Weed's 'Healing Wise.'
We also introduced and passed around a few relaxing and grounding remedies. Here with the books is Rescue Remedy - flower essence blend for anxiety and trauma, great for home and first aid use!
To the left: Post-Trauma Stabilizerflower essence blend for trauma, grief, relief work. Heart Elixir(with an alcohol-free version) to open, heal, and protect the heart. Ladies of the Mist (by Fearn and Genevieve) healing sprays for body and space - blends of essential oils and essences of flowers, trees, mushrooms and gems. And last but not least, the powerful, gentle Lavender essential oil - to waft under our nose for relaxing aromatherapy, to add a couple drops to our foot baths, to massage a drop into each earlobe, the uses are endless!
And we bagged up some bath salts for everyone to bring home with them so that they could do another foot bath, and share it with their partners, parents, kids, and others in the community.
Our hope is that relaxation spaces such as this will sprout up in other communities as well. This first People's Spa was truly a labor of love and solidarity - volunteers coming together to support other community members in the spirit of mutual aid. The event was free, thanks to the generosity of the organizers, as well as others who couldn't physically be with us for the event, but shared food, medicinal herbs, and more.
Please feel free to be in touch by commenting below or sending an email to dandelion778 (at) yahoo (dot) com with additional ideas, recipes, thoughts, feedback, report-backs... Like to make herbal concoctions in community?! Come to a hands-on workshop and bring some remedies home with you! Happy spaaaaahhh~ing!!!
Much appreciation to Danilo, Sarah, Mercedes, Natalia, Denise, and Megan – representing the Vermont Migrant Farmworker Solidarity Project and Vermont Workers’ Center- for creating this videoblog to document their experiences at the 2011 Allied Media Conference. Check out how they're bringing their experiences from the gathering - through the skills they learned and connections they made - back to our communities and creating empowering media for the people! Way to report back and bring it home!
Today I parked in front of the Statehouse planning on doing some computer work nearby. But the golden dome called. I've been meaning to go on a tour forever, as I believe it's important to go there other than just for Healthcare is a Human Right rallies and HIV/AIDS Awareness Days. I went in to speak with my legislators about H.202, the healthcare bill that will hopefully make Vermont the first state to lead the country in providing universal health care to its people. "Its people." When I write this I mean everyone within the created border of this state. Regardless of age, color, ethnicity, religion/spirituality, ability, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, legal status, etc. It is this last example here that I am particularly concerned with today. Legal status.
The healthcare bill H.202 passed the house, however in the Senate an amendment was included that would exclude undocumented Vermonters. This means that the people who crossed a desert not only with the threat of death by dehydration and exposure, but also the threat of being caught by immigration officials, or worse, shot at by "Minutemen" (anti-immigrant vigilantes who patrol the US side of the Mexican-US border), the people who crossed an entire continent to reach the Northeastern US, those people who work so hard (as in 12.5 hour shifts 6 days a week, for example) to keep our Vermont dairy farms running would not be included in "healthcare for all." But they're here illegally, people say. When I hear this I try to keep a straight face and cool head, but this is the image and emotion that comes to mind:
My Pilgrim ancestors did not receive an invitation before departing aboard the Mayflower. And that may seem like ancient history to some, but 400 years in the big scheme of things is not a long time. I do not claim this land as mine. There were people here long before my ancestors arrived and I don't feel as though I'm more entitled to live here than someone who's just recently arrived. The term "illegal" makes my skin crawl (as well as referring to someone as "a Mexican," "an Indian," etc. It usually implies a male gender and it lumps people together in a faceless mass. Likewise, when I am outside the US I don't like being referred to as an American - which excludes our neighbors both to the North and South - and when I speak of my nation of birth I specify that it's the United States of America, not just America.) I'm not the only one bothered by people being referred to as "illegal," there is a campaign asking people to pledge to stop using the I-word and encouraging the media to do the same.
"You wouldn’t call someone a w*tback, or the n-word. Saying “illegals” is just as bad. The I-Word creates an environment of hate by exploiting racial fear and economic anxiety, creating an easy scapegoat for complex issues, and OK-ing violence against those labeled with the word. People are not illegal. Let's stop feeding the hate machine. Drop the I-Word." - Colorlines
I just signed my pledge to drop the I-word, and they ask you to write why you're doing this. I wrote "I pledge to drop the I-word and encourage others to do the same not only because this language is dehumanizing and perpetuates misunderstanding and inequality, but also because besides indigenous people here in what is now known as the United States, we are all immigrants, including my Pilgrim ancestors." You can sign on to Colorlines' Drop the I-Word campaign.
Back to the Statehouse... I went in search of my representatives to talk with them about the Brock-Sears amendment. I got sent all over the place trying to find the conference committee meeting, since all meetings in the VT Statehouse are open to the people, as they should be. However, this particular meeting hadn't started yet, I found out later. As I searched for the room, I told everyone who directed me about why I was there. I ran into one of my Reps and one of my Senators, both of whom were in support of the bill and in opposition of the amendment (Thank you, Sen. Pollina and Rep. Hooper!). Eventually, I picked up a pile of pink "while you were out" slips to leave notes that the pages would deliver to my other Reps and Senators, as well as the people who are most likely to be appointed to the committee discussing the amendment. I figured a good old-fashion note might receive more attention than a quick email.
As I was looking around for a comfortable spot to sit and write, I overheard a conversation about healthcare and butted in. All but two men dispersed and I got talking with one of him, telling him that I was there in support of H202, but in opposition to the Brock-Sears amendment. I was talking with Senators Sears. As in the Brock-Sears amendment Sears. We had an interesting conversation (that was a bit confusing to me at times) and though we seemed to disagree on many points, I think we listened well to each other for the most part. As our conversation died down I found out that the other man standing there (I hardly know anyone at the Statehouse, so I just figured everyone was a legislator or lobbyist) was a reporter from the Associated Press. Right place at the right time, aye?!
Sen. Sears said that the same wording that was in the amendment has been part of the bill all along. When asked why the amendment was necessary then, he said it was just to make it clear. (I'm paraphrasing here. Note to self: get a recording device. Pink "while you were out" slips certainly do not provide sufficient space for taking notes for passing on accurate information, sorry.) He also said that the response to the amendment has been misconstrued by "these people" to raise money. He was referring to good people at The Vermont Worker's Center who have been working tirelessly over the last three years on the Healthcare is a Human Right campaign to make healthcare accessible to all. They are very outspoken about their political stance - directly challenging corporate control of our healthcare, as well as racism, homophobia, classism, and other forces both within the movement and in mainstream culture in general that keeps us divided and fighting amongst ourselves for crumbs while the powers that be hold a majority of wealth. They are also member-based, supported by donations. They've lost funding because of their strong stance of solidarity (i.e. losing a big grant because they refused to make anti-abortion statements in terms of healthcare). They are not raising awareness about this amendment for financial gain, they are doing this as a matter of integrity and solidarity.
Migrant farmworkers support a Vermont way of life by doing work that most people born here are unwilling to do. They pay state and federal taxes, Medicare, and Social Security, supporting services that they do not themselves benefit from. They are providing our communities with sustenance, yet they are almost entirely cut off from the community. They often fear leaving their farms to shop, attend church, or get medical care (if there's access to it) because of the possibility of being reported. This fear is quite valid, in the 2nd whitest state in the U.S. where people of color and/or those who speak another language stand out so much. Unfortunately there are those in our communities that believe migrant farmworkers don't belong here and take it upon themselves to report them to officials. This simple act of picking up a phone and making that call can lead to arrest, detention, and deportation. This act breaks up families, hurts dairy farmers and VT agriculture, and in the big picture, negatively affects us all. This fear and vindictiveness perpetuates the cycle of racism.
I need to double check this statistic, but I was recently at a Central Vermont Farm Worker Coalition where I learned that VT having the highest per capital deportation rate in ... the US? Northern US border states? I'll correct this statistic once I find out for sure. Regardless, the rate is high and the risk is real.
"De qué me sirve el dinero
Si estoy como prisionero
Dentro de esta gran nación
Cuando me acuerdo hasta Iloro
Aunque la jaula sea de oro
No deja de ser prisión"
"What good is money
If I am like a prisoner
Within this huge nation
When I remember I even cry
Although the cage is golden
It's still a prison"
This quotation is from the Golden Cage, an exhibit of portraits and interviews with migrant farmwokers and dairy workers, showing at the Amy E. Tarrant Gallery at the Flynn Center in Burlington, VT until June 10, 2011. As debates rage with the recent anti-immigration/pro-racial profiling legislation passing in Arizona and Georgia, the Golden Cage documents these issues that are playing out on our farms right here in rural communities in Vermont, amongst a population that is often hidden from sight and kept silent.
In December 2009 migrant farmworker José Obeth Santiz Cruz was killed in a farming accident here in Vermont. Migrant Justice sent a delegation to Mexico to return his remains and document his family and community coming to terms with his death and sharing stories about the causes, effects, and their experiences of migration. Their stories draw attention to the conditions and economic policies that force migrants from their homes in Mexico and suggest a need for a new dialogue about the root causes of migration. This journey was documented in the film "Silenced Voices."
Though Senator Sears tried to dismiss his amendment as a non-issue and say that there was no story there, it's really just the tip of an enormous iceburg having to do with access to health care, immigration policy, human rights, farming, racism, and community. For those of you in the area, I hope to see you at the Healthcare is a Human Right Rally this Sunday May 1st at 11am at City Hall, and then over to the Statehouse. There will be an Herbal First Aid and Street Medic Contingent, come find us! I also hope that you contact your legislators to let them know that you support healthcare for ALL in Vermont by signing this petition and giving them a call/email/visit. (To read more about No More Deaths/No Más Muertes, a humanitarian aid organization that provides water and first aid care/supplies to those crossing the desert from Mexico into Arizona, herbal lip balm-making, and a popular education activity to trace workshop participants’ ancestry across oceans and borders please read (Im)migration and Lip Balms for Social Justice?! )
…Healthcare is a Human Right May Day Rally organizers and other community members were at the Statehouse from 8am until past 9pm to be present for the conference committee meeting that would be discussing the healthcare bill. There was a press conference at noon on the Statehouse steps in support of Universal Healthcare for ALL – with no one excluded. Signs read “Universal = Everybody: Strike the Brock-Sears Amendment” and “Everybody In, Nobody Out!” That night the Brock-Sears amendment was struck down! Thank you so much to all the people who have been in touch with their representatives in recent days to bring about this positive change! Thank you to the Representatives and Senators on the committee (Fox, Ayer, Mullen, Larson, Fisher, and Copeland-Hanzas) who listened to the people and took a stand to help ensure healthcare for all! I’d like to also thank Senator Sears, who listened to the people and decide to not only oppose his own amendment, but also called for Federal Immigration Reform. And a HUGE Thank you to the organizers of the Vermont Workers Center and theMigrant Justice for all your work in bringing the people together to make this happen! The future is indeed shaped by the people that show up. Thanks for showing up, y’all! And for those who’d like to get involved, please contact these organizations to learn more.
When we look at what the factors are that make life so miserable for young gays and lesbians, it’s tempting for progressives to point the finger at religious traditions that are hostile to sexual pluralism. But the young men in American high schools who are beating up other boys whom they suspect of being gay are rarely doing so in order to comply with a misunderstood dictate from the Torah or the Pauline epistles. It’s not faith that drives the hate as much as it is an overwhelming desire to establish masculine bona fides. “I torment faggots, therefore I can’t be one; I beat up queers, therefore I’m a man.” That toxic equation may be aided and abetted by conservative religion, but it isn’t rooted in it. Rather, the hateful behavior is rooted in the rigid rules of American masculinity, a masculinity predicated on a contempt for and a paranoia about even the slightest whiff of femininity among the be-penised. ~ "Homosociality and Homophobia: Why the Distorted Rules of “Manhood” are the Real Problem" by Hugo Schwyzer As a little one, I adored pink and covered myself with it.And then at some point, I started to hate it.Perhaps it had to do with being outnumbered by brothers?I don’t know.Later, I started distancing myself from masculinity.I straight-up ran away from it after leaving home, surrounding myself almost exclusively by other women during a time when I equated masculinity with violence and power-over. Now, I crave spaces made up of all kinds of genders. And I love to hear male-identified folks discussing masculinity in a way that is conscious of and challenges misogyny (women-hating), homophobia, and power dynamics. I also enjoy observing what kind of masculinity attracts me. At the Reproductive Rights Conference that I recently attended, I sat in on the Masculinity panel where I bore witness to four masculine-identified folks talking about their relationships, favorite music, childhood, privilege, and their vivid gender expressions. (To see projects that some of the panelists are apart of creating, check out Interseqtion and The Brown Boi Project)My assumptions were challenged in many ways by hearing the stories of folks who may feel most comfortable with a hyper-masculine presentation and who also use a female pronoun. Or folks who choose a masculine identity that challenges their upbringing, who also love their toenails painted and love glitter and faerie wings. I love this both/and (rather than either/or mentality) and the space felt really liberating to me. I've been reflecting since on the conversation about masculinity as separate from domination and misogyny, disentangling these in my mind.
As thoughts of masculinity have become more present and rolling around in my mind these past days, pink keeps coming up, as well as the theme of community response.I recently read the article Brazil Stadium Turns Pink After Faggot Chants Shock Community.In response to homophobic chants targeted at Michael Santos during a game, his volleyball teammates showed their support by wearing rainbows and pink. The larger community responded as well...
Michael Santos and his teammates
Community response - a pink stadium! and "Vôlei Futuro Against Prejudice" banner
Soon after reading about this brillant community response to homophobic targeting, my friend sent me this clip: Stand Up! - Don't Stand for Homophobic Bullying by the BeLonG To, an organization which supports gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth in Ireland.
Again, positive, strong, and loving community response! More and more in the media and sometimes in our schools, workplaces, and even our own homes, we're surrounded by people on ridiculous and hateful tirades about topics that really have nothing to do with them, besides feeling threatened by their own insecurities, as ifthose seeking basic human rights are personally attacking them.Writing them off silently or with sarcastic remarks doesn't really do anything to make our world safer for all of us to be who we are and love who we will without fear or threat of violence, homelessness, being disowned, etc. We need to take action.And I love creative community responses like the one above.
Another public homophobic and transphobic attack has taken place recently. Targeted at a 5 year old! JCrew recently included a photo of designer Jenna Lyons giggling with her son. The scandal - her son's toenails are painted! Pink!!!!!
Media Research Center, which claims to be America's Media Watchdog whose mission is to bring balance to the news media, published J.CREW Pushes Transgendered Child Propaganda:Women's clothing company highlights pink nail-polish wearing boy in promotional email, where they write that JCrew is "targeting a new demographic - mothers of gender-confused young boys. At least, that's the impression given by a new marketing piece that features blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children." Lyons is "exploiting Beckett (the son) behind the façade of liberal, transgendered identity politics.... Propaganda pushing the celebration of gender-confused boys wanting to dress and act like girls is a growing trend, seeping into mainstream culture."
I was speechless when I first heard these claims. How someone can see this image and instead of feeling warm and mushy inside and/or have the urge to paint their toenails pink, see gender-confusion and transgender propaganda only shows how our rigid gender-roles keep us all confined. Boys and men must stay withinsuch a narrow pathof the ever-changing rules of what it is to be a man, otherwise they are called names (often accused of being queer - as if this is a bad thing - which shows how linked sexism, misogyny, and homo/transphobia are), assaulted, even killed. When I've traveled in parts of Canada and Ireland I've been struck by some the interactions between men that I’ve witnessed - standing closer to each other, dressing nice without this calling into question their sexuality - and realized how suffocatingly limiting the rules for "manly" behavior here in the U.S. are.
When my nephew was 2, he loved pink, just like his big sister. They'd get into some pretty intense fights over who got to use the pink cup atsnacktime and when I painted my nieces toenails pink, he wanted his done as well. I definitely was not going to tell my 2 year old nephew that his sister was allowed to have pink toenails, but he couldn't, or why some grownups might get bent out of shape at the appearance of his new paint job. So I went ahead and painted them. And gave them the Girls Will Be Boys Will Be Girls genderific coloring book (also available: Sometimes The Spoon Runs Away With Another Spoon and Girls Are Not Chicks coloring books), and I hope that they know that whoever they choose to be, whoever they choose to love, I will support them. Whatever pronoun they wish to be called by, whatever gender expression they choose, whoever they want to date, they have my blessing and my only concern is that they are happy and healthy and growing. And I've got a new little OOMS on the way, soon to arrive. My nephew just came up with this gender-neutral term, OOMS = Offspring of My Sibling. I thought of nephiece. His was better. (Just another part of theTransgender Propaganda Machine!) And as always, Jon Stewart's had a hilariousresponse to this whole pink toenail fiasco:
Psychiatrist Keith Ablows' article on Fox News is actually even more frightening that what's included in the above clip. Responding to the text in the advertisement, he writes "Yeah, well, it may be fun and games now, Jenna, but at least put some money aside for psychotherapy for the kid—and maybe a little for others who’ll be affected by your “innocent” pleasure. This is a dramatic example of the way that our culture is being encouraged to abandon all trappings of gender identity—homogenizing males and females when the outcome of such “psychological sterilization” [author's word choice] is not known."
He goes on,
Well, how about the fact that encouraging the choosing of gender identity, rather than suggesting our children become comfortable with the ones that they got at birth, can throw our species into real psychological turmoil—not to mention crowding operating rooms with procedures to grotesquely amputate body parts? Why not make race the next frontier? What would be so wrong with people deciding to tattoo themselves dark brown and claim African-American heritage? Why not bleach the skin of others so they can playact as Caucasians? ...These folks (at JCrew) are hostile to the gender distinctions that actually are part of the magnificent synergy that creates and sustains the human race.
First of all, who amongst us couldn't use at least a little bit of therapy?! Especially in a mainstream culture that is so brainwashed by and obsessed with the idea that heterosexuality is "normal" and that all else should be dismissed, belittled, or destroyed. Unfortunately, even for those of us that can access therapy, psychiatry as a field creates a hostile environment for those whose gender and sexual identities lay outside what's considered "normal." Transgenderism (called "gender identity disorder") is still listed in the DSM - The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association- as a mental disorder. Homosexuality was listed as a mental disorder as well, up until 1986. So, in terms of seeking out therapy to explore gender identity, unless a practitioner has done their work to explore gender both personally and systematically, and in a liberating way, rather than what is sanctioned by the field, we've got a case of trying to dismantle the master's house using the master's tools, which, as Audre Lorde writes, can not be done. That a psychiatrist, so soon after the recent suicides by youth who endured constant bullying about their sexualities, insists on using such inflammatory language to create a vicious environment is completely unacceptable, unprofessional, and dangerous. That professionals who are supposed to support our overall health are so caught up in projecting their own personal judgments and obsessions that they refuse to accept their clients' life choices that cause no one any harm is psychologically abusive. This is a form of violence.
Ablows’ claim of “crowding operating rooms with procedures to grotesquely amputate body parts” is not only completely medically inaccurate, it clearly shows how fear-based his entire argument is.He isn’t talking about the anatomy of those with vulvas being amputated, but he doesn’t specify his personal horror at the thought of being de-penised.Clearly, he has no clue about gender confirmation surgery, sometimes called gender reassignment surgery.This irrational claim sounds quite similar to medically-inaccurate, fear-based abstinence only sex ed programs that claim to be based on morals, but instead are completely out of touch with reality and end up actually causing more sexually transmitted infections and pregnancies.These are just the tangible results of such programs and the mentalities they’re based on – they also encourage an atmosphere of shame, secrecy, and ignorance about other’s bodies and our own.This creates fertile ground for abuse.Ablows’ comments similarly create such an atmosphere and does a disservice for not only those questioning their gender, but also the family members, friends, religious leaders, co-workers, health care providers, and other community members who care for and about them.For those interested in learning how to better support their friends and loved ones who are going through gender transition and/or confirmation surgery (specifically “female-to-male” top surgery), see Jacoby Ballard’s zines (booklets) listed on this site’s product list page.Also, the organization RU12? leads trainings for health care providers and community members focused on improving patient care to queer and transgender clients/patients.
As for Albows’ use of the term "Psychological sterilization" - With this country's long history past and present of genocide through sterilization of indigenous, Puerto Rican, Black, Japanese, and other women of color, homosexuals, and people with disabilities (though of course sometimes these identities overlap), referring to this non-event as a form of "psychological sterilization" is completely disgraceful.Dr. Ablows is drawing on his manufactured authority as an educated, upper-class, straight, white male to again speak about something he clearly knows nothing about. White people who grasp for racial parallels to bolster their own argument completely out of historical context only contribute to misunderstanding, racism, and white supremacy. Attempting to connect painting a boy-childs toenails with changing one's skin color to pretend they're members of another race is problematic in numerous ways. First, race, like gender, is socially constructed, but he talks of these like they are biological categories that threaten the whole human race if defied. Also, Caucasian is a fictitious categorization of light-skinned (white) people who wanted to create a non-African place of origin for themselves. (Details, details, but I think it's important when discussing "race" and racism to remember that much of what we've been taught, and the language that we've been given to discuss it, is confusing at best and usually perpetuates racist ideas of people being broken up into distinct races in the first place.) And it's just plain irresponsible and ignorant for a white person in the U.S. to bring up the topic of skin color without doing their homework to understand and pass on to others accurate information about the history of skin color in terms of economics/employment, class, racism, and slavery, and how it affects us still today.
It's up to us to educate ourselves because Fox News is not about giving us empowering information to understand the world around us, and to be able to see through weak and selfish arguments such as the one from Ablows, who seems to lack any integrity at all.
He was also wrong about the pink nail polish. It was not an attack on masculinity. It was a transformation of masculinity, a fabulousization of masculinity! And if we don't want his type of masculinity, which attacks people, stigmatizes gender exploration, and perpetuates homo/transphobia, then we have to change it! It is easy to write off a wealthy white man on Fox News. However, homophobia and transphobia could not thrive if it wasn't upheld daily in a million different ways - ways that we ourselves within our families, schools, homes, workplaces, places of worship, doctor's offices, organizations, and other communities act out oppressive dynamics that we were taught.
Oh, and the Ultimate Fighting Champion, Chuck Liddell, that Jon Stewart refers to? Here are his sweet feet:
Pink and black! To the Masculinities panelists, Interseqtion, The Brown Boi Project, BeLonG To, Girls Will Be Boys Will Be Girls coloring book creatrixes, Jenna Lyons, the players of Vôlei Futuro and all you lovely people with your pink noodles in the crowd, Chuck Liddell and his toenails, and all the others who transform masculinity daily just by being your beautiful pink-toenail-polished (if you like) selves: Thank you! You give me hope.
I’ve recently offered to all my male-identified friends and family members to paint their toes pink with non-toxic nail polish, along with an herbal footbath and foot massage.I’d love to offer the same here, but I know some of you are reading from quite far away, so I’d like to encourage you to team up and make this happen yourselves - I’ll post some herbal spa self-care info and recipes soon.
P.S. My toenails are painted pink right now. In solidarity and because I'm reclaimingthe color...
