Weekly Newsletter, October 11, 2018
A C C E S S I B L E A L L Y S H I P
Definition of the Week
Representation
As defined by the English Oxford Dictionary, representation is a noun that most commonly means:
The description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way.
The action of speaking or acting on behalf of someone or the state of being so represented.
As we have talked about before, representation of white people is abundant. We can watch TV and see ourselves in any story line, any ad, every channel. We can look at the government and see ourselves occupying each position of leadership. We can go to a movie and see ourselves as superheroes, lawyers, teachers, engineers, real estate agents, doctors, and scientists. In real life we see our white skin routinely reflected in each type of celebrity: movie stars, athletes, authors, supermodels, singers of each genre of music.
We see ourselves so wholly represented we generally don't even consider the positive impact said representation has had on our lives. How empowering has it been to see ourselves portrayed repeatedly and often favorably?
As stated in this article by Time Magazine "The way we are represented in entertainment matters. When a girl sees herself as a scientist, or a boy sees someone with his skin color as a law student, it plants a seed that this is possible."
Below is an 18 minute TED Talk that explores what we lose, and what we enforce, when we tell stories from a singular point of view.
The Danger of a Single Story by: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"I loved those American and British books I read. They stirred my imagination. They opened up new worlds for me. But the unintended consequence was that I did not know that people like me could exist in literature."
Challenge of the Week
In so many ways, representation matters. "Without proper racial representation, our government risks harming the people it's supposed to serve."
As we saw in last week's newsletter, the make up of current U.S. Government is as follows:
U.S. Congress: 90% white
U.S. Governors: 96% white
President and Vice President: 100% white
U.S. House Freedom Caucus: 99% white
U.S. Presidential Cabinet: 91% white
This week I challenge you to:
Make sure you are registered to vote
Most voter registration deadlines are in October for this year's midterm elections on November 6, 2018
All deadlines can be found here
Do your research
36 out of 50 Governors will be elected on November 6, 2018
All 435 House Seats are up for election
35 Senate Seats are up for election
Raise awareness about voting in your network
If just 50% of voters vote on November 6th it will be the highest midterm turnout in a century
Being encouraged to vote by someone we care about is extremely effective, check out the spike in voter registration after Taylor Swift posted about the importance of the midterm elections
Part of dismantling systemic and institutional racism is electing officials into office with diverse backgrounds including race, gender, sexual orientation, age, beliefs and ability. This does not occur magically, it can only occur with the intention to ensure representation of U.S. citizens is reflected in our government.
Here is the lowdown on 10 women who could make history in the 2018 midterm elections in Idaho, Kansas, New York, Texas, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Georgia and at the Federal level.
*note this is not a blind endorsement for each of these candidates, but rather an encouragement to consider the ways in which we are still making history and in need of governmental representation*
Weekly Media:
Watch this clip of Riz Ahmed speaking to the importance of films like Crazy Rich Asians and Black Panther becoming blockbuster hits - for white people and people of color alike.
Weekly Quote:
“Unless we start to fight and defeat the enemies in our own country, poverty and racism, and make our talk of equality and opportunity ring true, we are exposed in the eyes of the world as hypocrites when we talk about making people free.”
― Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to U.S. Congress
Weekly Reflection:
Who did you look up to when you were young? Did that person look like you? Were they the same gender as you? Did they have the same first language as you? How did that impact your self-image and dreams?