Sunday links, 12/21/14

#BlackLivesMatter
–Why #BlackLivesMatter actions aren’t stopping.
-“We are connected online and in the streets. We are decentralized, but coordinated. Most importantly, we are organized. Yet, we are likely not respectable negroes. We stand beside each other, not in front of one another. We do not cast any one of ours to the side in order to gain proximity to perceived power.”
-Powerful pictures from #ChanukahActions around the country, including the one I attended in Brookline.
–26 ways to be in the struggle beyond the streets.
–“Some of the worst racist tragedies in history have been perfectly legal”: Kimberlé Crenshaw on Eric Garner, Broken Windows and police impunity.
–When we talk about police shootings, we need to talk about gender.
-This makes my heart happy: two women who met at the protests in Ferguson are getting married.

One of the pictures I took at the Brookline Chanukah Action

–Angela Davis: “There is an unbroken line of police violence in the US that takes us all the way back to the days of slavery.”
-It is beyond disturbing to learn about how the Cleveland police treated the family members of both Eric Crawford and Tamir Rice after they were killed.
–Policing is a dirty job, but nobody’s gotta do it: 6 ideas for a cop-free world.  In the meantime, Richmond, CA is an example of how a police department can do better.
–Being a cop showed me just how violent and racist the police are. There’s only one fix.
–From Michael Brown to Assata Shakur, the racist state of America persists. You can read more about Assata’s situation here and here, and sign a petition asking Obama to pardon her.
-This is great: Product Review: The Invisible Backpack of White Privilege from L.L. Bean.

Fa(t)shion
-Glitterinthedirt interviews Tracy of Domino Dollhouse and Shawna of Chubby Cartwheels about the small business side of plus size fashion–very relevant to what I was talking about in this post.
–Fashion and feminism: Taja Lindley of Colored Girls Hustle.
-The new issue of Skorch is awesome as always.
–33 plus size dresses for New Year’s Eve–because what better night to channel Beyoncé?
–17 bizarre Nicki Minaj outfits, because she knows how to make costume-wear look incredibly cool.
-The Fab Fatty Wonderland clothing swap looks amazing!
–The next big plus model is also a master’s grad, philanthropist, and all-around bad-ass.
-I’m drooling over the Marchesa gowns that Nicolette got to see up close in NYC.
–11 inspiring holiday outfits from our favorite plus-size bloggers.

Fat Acceptance
–Women of color and the myth of the “plus size pass”–why stereotypes linked to weight and race are so harmful.
–Is “obesity” a disability?
-Nancy’s mom almost forced her into weight loss surgery.

Climate and Sustainability
-A major win: New York state bans fracking.
–5 things you need to know from the UN climate agreement in Lima, Peru.
-I’m sharing this piece about climate change, overpopulation, and family planning access with a few caveats, because I’m wary of the discourse around overpopulation–it tends to overlook both the long history of white people coercively sterilizing people of color, and the fact that a very small percentage of the world’s people (i.e., the US) are using the vast majority of the world’s resources. This piece does acknowledge those issues, and I agree with the author that increasing access to family planning is a win-win for women, children, and the environment–but I also think that we have to be very careful about how we in the Global North talk about overpopulation, and that we should support activists in the Global South rather than trying to impose our own solutions on them.
–Naomi Klein interview: “A three-day week will help to save life on Earth.”

Everything Else
–14 women of color who rocked 2014.
-Personal statements on #ThisTweetCalledMyBack from @BlackAmazon, @so_treu, and @ChiefElk.
–23 years later, Kurt Cobain’s comments on rape are more relevant than ever.
-As someone who fiercely loves Amanda Palmer’s music, loathes many of her actions, but also feels that much of the criticism of her is sexist and disproportionate, I found these two explorations of the dynamics of that criticism interesting and nuanced.
–Would people transition in a better world?
-Great news: New York state Medicaid will finally cover trans healthcare, and Eric Holder announces that transgender people are covered by the Civil Rights Act.
-“Truth is a fire I couldn’t hold“: the toll of working for a rape crisis program.
–Young women shouldn’t have to talk like men to be taken seriously.
–North Korea is not funny. As Jenny Trout points out: “If we aren’t going to do anything about Kim Jong Un’s government, what purpose does our satire serve, beyond providing American audiences with cheap laughs at the expense of people who are suffering tremendous injustice?”
–Why I don’t want to hear about your vacation to Cuba.
-Jenny has posted a list of fundraisers for people in need of food, shelter, medical procedures, etc. I really hate that we live in a society where people have to beg strangers on the internet to get their basic needs met–but in the meantime, donate if you can, signal-boost, and if you’re in need, send Jenny your own fundraiser.
–Collective punishment of 1.8 million human shields in a prison–Newsweek (European edition) dares to publish the truth about Gaza.
–Is pop culture making us “meh” about torture?
–When is torture torture? A thought experiment.
-Everything is terrible, so, have some pretty flowers! Also some more pretty flowers. (Sometimes I really wish I were a florist so I could work with flowers like these all day…)