Kamala Harris and the political power of Black sororities | US elections 2024 | The Guardian

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. annual convention during the 71st biennial Boule at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Wednesday, 10 July 2024. Photograph: LM Otero/AP

…AKA was founded in 1908 at Harris’s alma mater, Howard University, as a support network for Black women, who at the time faced increasing racial discrimination. Harris’s aunt was a soror in 1950. Among the sorority’s alumna were Coretta Scott King, Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou. For her Vogue cover in 2021, Harris was photographed in front of a background of draped fabric in AKA’s colours, salmon pink and apple green, and wearing its signature accessory – a pearl necklace.

In the two weeks since Biden stood down, and then became the presumptive nominee, Harris has spoken at two more Black sorority events. Last week, at the Sigma Gamma Rho’s 60th International Biennial Boulé, that she addressed Trump’s comments earlier that day questioning her race.

“When I look out at everyone here, I see family,” she said.

The political power of Black Greek letter organisations is not lost on Harris. She is in many ways proof of their influence: when Biden endorsed Harris as his choice for vice-president in 2020, AKA members raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through individual donations of $19.08, an amount that refers to AKA’s founding year. They helped get out the vote among Black voters – famously organising the “Stroll to the Polls” campaign, in which sorority members filmed themselves dancing and walking to polling stations – a demographic that was crucial to getting Biden elected…

Source: Kamala Harris and the political power of Black sororities | US elections 2024 | The Guardian

11 Reasons Why You SHOULD Workout – Belladonna’s Flashlight

It’s number 4 and 5 for me!

  1. You’ll feel good
  2. You’ll be in a better mood
  3. You’ll have more energy
  4. You won’t feel like choking out your husband/wife
  5. Your kids will look cute again
  6. The need to body slam your neighbor will disappear
  7. You’ll feel like taking care of your hair nails and skin
  8. You’ll live longer
  9. You can get that revenge body
  10. You’ll get away with more attitude
  11. You’ll piss people off

And that’s all on

You could have chosen any blog to read but you chose mine and I’m honored!

Source: 11 Reasons Why You SHOULD Workout – Belladonna’s Flashlight

Trump took a private flight with Project 2025 leader in 2022 – The Washington Post

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts with former president Donald Trump on a private plane in April 2022. (Obtained by The Washington Post)

Trump took the flight to speak at a Heritage Foundation conference, where he said, “They’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do.”

Source: Trump took a private flight with Project 2025 leader in 2022 – The Washington Post

Do nó cego ao bordado na alma – O Outro Lado

Na minha lista de mulheres que me fizeram o que sou, ela não é a primeira.  Mas, é o meu modelo e teve grande influência em tudo que sou. Talvez ela nem saiba que dentro da mulher que sou existe o espelho da mulher que ela é.

Da primeira lembrança, tenho um registro para mostrar: uma foto em preto e branco. Ela vestida de caçadora para uma apresentação da escola. Eu tinha cinco anos e ela… quinze. Eu via a minha irmã mais velha como uma rainha.

Anos mais tarde, a imagem da normalista transformava-se em deusa. O uniforme azul claro – com saia plissada, sapato de verniz, meia três quarto, camisa branca e a gravata – me encantava.

Eu reconhecia o barulho do ônibus que a trazia para casa, todo fim de tarde. Ficava com olho comprido, aguardando que surgisse na estradinha de chão batido para correr até ela e saber tudo que ela havia aprendido durante o dia. Ela não sabe, talvez desconfie… que foi inspiração para a minha poesia, a minha arte e o meu coração porque eu queria ser igual a ela ao crescer.

Vi minha irmã acompanhar a nossa mãe na luta pela vida. Acompanhei a descoberta do amor por um homem e o nascimento dos filhos. Eu sabia que ela era forte, corajosa e precisou ser valente para superar as perdas sofridas. Tempos difíceis que foram se acumulando. A vida exigiu muito dela e ela nem sabia de onde tirava as forças.

Mas eu sabia, era do seu coração. Aprendi com ela o que era cuidado ao vê-la lidar com o nosso pai como se fosse um filho.

Bordadeira e desbravadora. Consciente e sonhadora. Senhora dos rituais da nossa família. Da bá a avó Mariana que não conheci. Mulher da lida com a terra e com os ciclos: do plantio à colheita.

Em nossa linhagem ancestral… é a Matriarca que se vê refletir nos risos das netas. Que aprendeu a cerzir os erros, alinhavar os sonhos e costurar as lembranças em abraços.

E quando pega a tesoura, tecidos e linhas parece consciente de seu papel no mundo… Inspirar!

Quando nos encontramos, ela ainda é a minha “Mia” e quando canta para Manu, Maria e Bianca eu me misturo a elas e completo esse nosso ciclo, de mãos dadas, repetindo cantigas que aprendemos juntas.

Mariana Gouveia
Texto publicado no Coletivo Clube do livro Artesanal Ciranda – De quantas mulheres somos feitas.
Scenarium Livros Artesanais

Source: Do nó cego ao bordado na alma – O Outro Lado

Utah outlaws books by Judy Blume and Sarah J Maas in first statewide ban | Books | The Guardian

Books by Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume, Rupi Kaur and Sarah J Maas are among 13 titles that the state of Utah has ordered to be removed from all public school classrooms and libraries.

This marks the first time a state has outlawed a list of books statewide, according to PEN America’s Jonathan Friedman, who oversees the organisation’s free expression programs.

The books on the list were prohibited under a new law requiring all of Utah’s public school districts to remove books if they are banned in either three districts, or two school districts and five charter schools. Utah has 41 public school districts in total.

The 13 books could be banned under House bill 29, which became effective from 1 July, because they were considered to contain “pornographic or indecent” material. The list “will likely be updated as more books begin to meet the law’s criteria”, according to PEN America.

empty shelves at a library
Book bans in US schools and libraries surged to record highs in 2023

Twelve of the 13 titles were written by women. Six books by Maas, a fantasy author, appear on the list, along with Oryx and Crake by AtwoodMilk and Honey by Kaur and Forever by Blume. Two books by Ellen Hopkins appear, as well as Elana K Arnold’s What Girls Are Made Of and Craig Thompson’s Blankets.

Implementation guidelines say that banned materials must be “legally disposed of” and “may not be sold or distributed”. PEN America Freedom to Read programme director Kasey Meehan said that such “vague” guidelines will “undoubtedly result in dumpsters full of books that could otherwise be enjoyed by readers” and that while they stop short of “calling for book burning, the effect is the same: a signal that some books are too dangerous”.

Let Utah Read, a coalition of organisations, librarians, teachers and parents among others, has started a petition to “fix the ‘sensitive materials’ law”.

“It is a dark day for the freedom to read in Utah,” said Meehan. The list of banned books “will impose a dystopian censorship regime across public schools and, in many cases, will directly contravene local preferences. Allowing just a handful of districts to make decisions for the whole state is anti-democratic.”

Source: Utah outlaws books by Judy Blume and Sarah J Maas in first statewide ban | Books | The Guardian

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