Sunday links, 12/14/14

I realized I haven’t posted any food pictures in a while. So here is some delicious Indonesian fried rice.

#BlackLivesMatter
-Absolutely gut-wrenching: Eric Garner’s daughter staged a “die-in” at the same spot where her father was killed.
–Eric Garner said “I can’t breathe” 11 times–now activists are making 11 demands in his name.
–The civil rights movement came out of a moment like this one.
-Must-read profiles of DeRay McKesson, one of the organizers behind the Ferguson protests, and Frankie, a protester.
–Today in solidarity: incredible women and girls of Ferguson.
–Police violence happens to black women, too.
–Whose lives matter? Trans women of color and police violence.
-“We live in a country full of racism, but no racists; rape, but no rapists. And the common denominator is power.”
–Black poverty is state violence, too: why struggles for criminal justice and living wage are uniting.
-“I’ve been attending and observing protests for thirty years, and I’ve never seen anything quite like what I’ve experienced in New York City over the last week.”
-These pictures document the unprecedented scale of the protests. You can also see powerful pictures from a few of Boston’s actions here, here, here, here, and here.
-A list of concrete ways that white people can act accountably within the movement.

An important sign I saw at a recent protest.

Sunday links, 12/7/14

Thursday night’s protest on the Boston Common.

Eric Garner/Mike Brown/#BlackLivesMatter
(I know this is an overwhelming amount of links, but 1.) this shit is important and 2.) there’s been so much necessary and powerful writing, I couldn’t pick just a few pieces.)
–Can you breathe? Reflections on non-indictment, activism, and black life.
–White America’s scary delusion: why its sense of black humanity is so skewed.
-This is painfully true, and be forewarned that the painting at the end of the post might make you cry: The 10 stages of what happens when there’s injustice against black people.
-Katherine Cross writes about why she was not surprised by the Eric Garner decision, as a trans woman of color who has seen her sisters regularly face brutality from the NYPD.
–Meet the BART-stopping woman behind “Black Lives Matter.”
–This country needs a truth and reconciliation process on violence against African Americans–right now.
-Another incredibly fucked-up decision: charges were dropped against the police officer who shot 7-year old Aiyana Stanley-Jones while she slept in her own home.
-In a rare example of someone (although not a cop) being held accountable for killing a black person, Renisha McBride’s killer was found guilty of murder.
-“Twelve years after getting my Vassar College faculty ID, I sit here and know that the nation can’t structurally and emotionally assault black kids and think they’re going to turn out OK.”
–This stops today: seeking strategies to end discriminatory policing. A key point: “support [solutions] that take power and money away from the cops, and those that give power to the people.”
–Police “reforms” you should always oppose. Likewise: Body cameras won’t stop police brutality, and Eric Garner is only one of several reasons why.
-An important analysis of public space and power: After Ferguson, we have to ask: who owns the streets?

It just never ends.

“I can’t breathe.” – Eric Garner’s last words, illustrated by Shirin Barghi (source)

Last night, a grand jury declined to indict Daniel Pantaleo, the NYPD officer who choked Eric Garner to death.

I don’t have words.

But I follow a lot of brilliant and thoughtful people on Twitter, so, read their reactions.

Here in Boston, there will be a protest tonight at the tree lighting on the Common. If you live elsewhere, check the Ferguson Response Tumblr to find an action in your area.

Now, because all of the news lately has been so intensely horrifying and painful, here are some snuggling puppies:

source

Support black activists, projects, and organizations for #GivingTuesday

Etang and Tammy of Your Body Raks

One of my friends posted on Facebook that she’s looking for black-run projects to donate to today, which I thought was a great idea. Here’s a list of suggestions:

–The Girls Raks Bellydance and Body Image Program: a body-positive bellydance course for young women in Oakland, CA, taught by fabulous fat dancers Etang Inyang and Tammy Johnson (pictured above).

-Janet Mock is running a book drive to get books by trans people of color to trans prisoners around the US.

–Black Girl Dangerous, one of the blogs I read regularly, “seeks to, in as many ways possible, amplify the voices, experiences and expressions of queer and trans* people of color.”

-Another regular read: HoodFeminism, which you can donate to here.

–The Black Youth Project (BYP) “is committed to producing research about the ideas, attitudes, and experiences of young black people; providing a platform for their voices and perspectives; and mobilizing young people and their allies to make positive change and build the world within which they want to live.”

Sunday links, 11/30/14

This video is a must-watch–Jay Smooth is fucking brilliant. You can also read the transcript here.

Ferguson/#BlackLivesMatter
–The Ferguson Masterpost: how to argue eloquently and back yourself up with facts.
-Feministing covered Boston’s protest!
-There’s been some disturbing news coming out that Boston’s police targeted queer and trans activists at the protest.
–Ain’t I a human? Ferguson and the neglect of black women, femmes, and girls.
–Barack Obama, Ferguson, and evidence of things left unsaid.
-Sarah Kendior’s reporting from St. Louis has been so necessary. Her latest piece, Burning Ferguson, explores how Ferguson police selectively protected the stores owned and frequented by middle-class white people while letting poor black people’s property burn.
–Black & Jewish–from Ferguson to New York.
–Telling my 10-year old son about Ferguson.
-“When President Obama says he wants us to adhere to the rule of law—he means the lynch law. And when he advises us to practice restraint he means for us to bow down to white rage.”
–On Ferguson protests, the destruction of property, and what violence really is (and isn’t).
–Why it’s impossible to indict a cop.
-A very succinct explanation of why white people invoking Martin Luther King, Jr. to condemn rioting should stop, right now.
-“To the disabled black folks that can’t be out there in the streets, yall matter.”
–Ferguson protesters guard stores from looters.

Fa(t)shion
–50 plus size holiday dresses under $150.
-I love all of these gold sparkly pieces from SimplyBe.
–Curvily deal alert: Small Business Saturday.
-“We forget how the lack of plus size clothing means people aren’t even able to find adequate coats for the winter.”
–The Tiny Hobo’s t-shirts are now available! I especially love the “Chub Club” and “Cupcakes and Curves” ones.
-Betty went to the British Plus Size Awards 2014, which looks like a ton of glamorous fun.
–Facebook, the new online plus size thrift store.
–This is Black Friday in Bangladesh.

#IndictBoston and more Ferguson links.

Marching to shut down the Mass Ave connector.

Last night, I joined over a thousand Bostonians calling for justice for Mike Brown. It was heartening to see so much of my city turn out, and when I got home and went on Twitter, the protest was still going strong. You can see some great pictures from the evening here and here.

One of the most powerful moments was when we marched to the South Bay House of Corrections and chanted to the incarcerated men, “We see you.” They stood at the windows waving, flipping their lights on and off, banging on the windows. One man used small pieces of paper to write “Mike” on his window.

Outside the South Bay jail.

This is what I’ve been reading:

-“If we were talking about the murder of my child, I would not be dignified. I would be naked and hideous with my grief. I would rage. If I were murdered in such a manner, I would want people to rage on my behalf.” – Roxane Gay

#BlackLivesMatter: a #Ferguson reading and action list

From @CoonKingdom on Twitter

I am outraged and heartbroken, although sadly not surprised, by last night’s announcement that Darren Wilson would not be indicted for killing an unarmed black teenager. I don’t have much to say that hasn’t already been said more eloquently by other people, so here is a roundup of the most important things I’ve read.

There will be protests around the country tonight; please, please consider going if you at all can. I’ll be at the one in Boston. It’s incredibly necessary to stand up and speak out: to say that this is not ok, and it will never be ok.

Autostraddle has a good overview of the situation, including links to places to donate and an open letter from the Ferguson protesters. You can also donate to the Ferguson library, which is open to children today while the schools are closed. And you can sign petitions to ban racial profiling by police, require Ferguson and St. Louis county and city police to wear body cameras, and secure justice for Mike Brown.

–Hey, step back with the riot-shaming.
–Smashy smashy: nine historical triumphs to make you rethink property destruction.
-The response of the police force in Ferguson has been egregious, from tear-gassing a group carrying an unconscious woman to hampering aerial news coverage by having the FAA issue a no-fly zone. This satirical news story from The Onion is too close to the truth for comfort: Heavy police presence in Ferguson to ensure residents adequately provoked.
–For Tamir, who was stolen.
–Teaching our sons to be afraid is not the answer to cops who shoot children.
–Why Ferguson has been in a state of emergency for years.
–Michael Brown’s family: “ensure that every police officer working the streets in this country wears a body camera.”
–Ferguson isn’t about black rage against cops. It’s about white rage against progress.
-Some of the most insightful commentary I’ve read has been on Twitter. Read this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and this. I’ll try to put a Storify summary at some point; in the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter, where I’ve been retweeting as much as I can.

Sunday links, 11/23/14

Can you believe it’s almost December? I’m starting to get excited for all the lights, festivities, and peppermint-chocolate-flavored desserts of the holiday season.

Fa(t)shion
-Rum + Coke’s emerald green holiday dresses and separates are gorgeously glamorous.
-I love all of Natalie’s top plus size dress picks for the holiday season.
–This marked-up 1998 dELiA*s catalog is everything we’ll miss about our fave teen retailer. Oh God, yes. I need to get around to scanning the rest of my Delia’s catalogs sometime soon.
-Annalog interviews Kobi and Margot about the Alternative Curves hashtag and blog hop. How amazing is Kobi’s black, flowy, velvety, witchy outfit?!
–A brief history of Old Navy’s troubled relationship with fat women.
-I love everything in Cwena’s dream capsule wardrobe–and it includes two items I already have, the black mesh ASOS skirt and the purple iridescent Docs. I haven’t broken in the Docs yet, but once I do, you’ll be seeing them in lots of outfit posts!
–Plus size yoga pants: Lineagewear leggings review.

Fat Acceptance
-An article in Fortune compared fatness to war and terrorism. WOW. Not surprisingly, the consulting firm that came up with this idea has an awful lot of employee overlap with Weight Watchers.
-Also shitty: an NBC article that concludes that diets don’t work…and then blames it on fat people “falling off the wagon.”
-In even more fat-shaming grossness, the federal government spent $10 developing a video game about escaping a fat town run by an evil fat king who forces people to eat junk food. BLARGH.
–Fat is the go-to metaphor and point of comparison.
–Fat women fuck too. Yes. Yes, we do.
-Check out the crowdfunding campaign for a plus size, fearless fitness DVD.
-An important question, and one that I’ve ranted about many times: Where’s the solidarity for fat people on the left?
-There is now a Facebook support group for people who have had bad experiences with weight loss surgery.

Climate and Sustainability
–The public is wrong on climate change, as it was on slavery and women’s rights.
–Within two years, a quarter of the world’s carbon emissions are likely to be priced.
-A group of students explain why they’re suing Harvard for investing in fossil fuels.

Sunday Links, 10/12/14

Fa(t)shion
-Nicolette Mason’s ModCloth collection is finally here! Check out her and Gabi‘s blogs for some fabulous pictures of a real-life girl gang modeling the clothes, as well as a discount code.
-Bethany reflects on fat femme power.
-Kobi Jae of Horror Kitsch Bitch has started an Alternative Curves Blog Hop. I didn’t have the time/energy to put together a themed outfit this month, but I’m hoping to participate next month!
–How Madewell bought and sold my family’s history.
-Tanesha of Girl With Curves has released a full range of clothes for fall.
–Eight cute plaid dresses in fat sizes, now with 50% more ’90s references.
-Affatshionista reviews Gwynnie Bee.
–Style advice for a 50-something trans woman just beginning her transition.
-I wish I could have been at Re/Dress’ meet and greet event with Tess Munster!
–Change your style, change your life.
-Want to see what a Glitterati box looks like? Check out these three posts.
–Manish Arora’s new fall/winter collection is amazing–this is exactly the kind of imaginative fashion I want to see in size fat.
-Ugh: one-size-only clothing store is the last thing teen girls need.
–Gabi’s trip to London Fashion Week with a group of other fatshion bloggers looks so fun.
–Spotted! Blogstar Chastity Garner in Vogue Italia.
–Fashion and feminism: a chat with Ana Marcela Villa of AKV.

Fat Acceptance
–6 must-read perspectives that destroy the War on Obesity.
-If you’re in Sacramento, San Francisco, or Chicago, check out Virgie Tovar’s upcoming events.
–Stop policing my daughter’s appetite.
-I actually like Subway’s sandwiches, so I’m always disappointed to hear about them using fat-phobic advertising.
–Women’s value is not based on whether men find us attractive.
–“Homeland” dares to show fat sex, and it’s only “weird” or “disturbing” if you’ve always assumed fat women are sexless freaks.

This musical protest, in which demonstrators disrupted the St. Louis symphony to sing a “Requiem for Mike Brown,” gives me chills:

Sunday links, 8/31/14

I love Boston because I come across gorgeous art installations like this one while just walking around.

FYI, there will be no Sunday Links next week, as I will be busy doing some fun and exciting things that I’ll tell you about afterwards. Comment moderation may also be a bit slow for the next week or so.

Fa(t)shion
–Afropunk fashions: bodies as resistance.
–Troll earrings, you guys. TROLL EARRINGS.
-Liz Black has teamed up with Fame & Partners to make a line of plus size fancy dresses. They’re pricey and only go up to a size 22, but they’re gorgeous.
-Skorch Magazine has a guide to plus size retailers’ Labor Day sales (25% off everything at both Domino Dollhouse and Re/Dress, hell yeah!)
-Meet Jes Baker at ModCloth’s open call for models in New York.
–Body parts aren’t problems, and they don’t need solutions.
–29 plus size jackets, because autumn is right around the corner.
–Headwear inspiration from the Countess of Glamour.
-I love Re/Dress’ new lookbook, Farewell Fairytale Summer.
–Girls speak out against sexist school dress codes.
–A photographer captures the often-overlooked South Asian “aunty” culture.
–Found: 15 new plus size labels to love.

Fat Acceptance
–It’s not me, it’s you: the absent dialogue around fat women’s sexuality.
–Why skinny shaming is not the same as fat discrimination.
-If you have diabetes, check out the Fat Acceptance Diabetes Support List.
–Pretending there are no fat people.