#BetterbyHalf

All that Black Friday consumerism got you down?

Check out Better By Half, a blog dedicated to sharing individuals and organizations working to create change for women and girls around the world. Created by Melinda Gates, Better by Half' runs on the principle that as half of the population, women, when empowered, have the capacity to make the world "twice as good." This credo is similar to that of  2011 Stowe Prize winners Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn in Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. 

The blog features articles on women and girls taking action around the world and even offers the opportunity for readers to contribute their own stories.

The lives and conditions of women around the world vary based on social and temporal context. How does a blog, like Better by Half, work to spread awareness on the rights and conditions of women? How can someone with the privileges of living in a developed nation, like Melinda Gates, work to empower women in developing countries? Does "empowerment" manifest differently in different contexts?  With so many different cultures and practices, can a global women's movement exist? And if so, how do we get there?   Let us know what you think!

Rewriting the Myth of #Thanksgiving

There are few things as patently American as Thanksgiving. With football, pie, and family, the holiday is a recipe of Americana traditions and unbridled nationalism. Yet, the holiday's origins are slightly more nefarious than its current iteration.

As writer and scholar Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz explains in "The Myth of Thanksgiving," the concept of Thanksgiving as a way to reflect on colonial settlers' relationships with Indigenous people and honor the founding of the U.S., does not derive from historical fact, but rather as a conditioned myth. While "Thanksgiving" became a national holiday by President Lincoln, the holiday begins to shape into its current form during the Great Depression, when economic and social chaos necessitated feelings of national unity.  

Of the holiday, Dunbar-Ortix writes "But this idea of the gift-giving Indian, helping to establish and enrich what would become the United States, is an insidious smoke screen meant to obscure the fact that the very existence of the country is a result of the looting of an entire continent and its resources."  She finishes her piece by challenging readers to a new tradition of Thanksgiving-one where the colonist practices of the U.S. are critiqued and the history of Indigenous people are celebrated. 

What are ways in which Thanksgiving can serve as a platform for honest and critical thinking about America's origins and history? Beyond the holiday, how can we work to draw more attention to the history and lives of Indigenous communities?    

Being "Color Brave" over "Color Blind"

The existence of race as a point of discussion is largely subject to greater national policies surrounding issues of racial equality and discrimination. Just as the politics circulating race have shifted, the ways in which we talk about race have changed as well. In the mid-20th century, as overt forms of racism gave way to more subtle institutional discrimination, the term "color blind" appeared in American lexicon. Largely deployed by well-intentioned, but unaware individuals, the term is used to indicate that "one does not see color" in social, political, or cultural contexts. Seemingly benign, this term actually shrouds the still existent biases and inequities towards members of marginalized races. In recent years however, individuals have taken aim at color-blindness with the intention to create more direct conversation about racism, implicit bias, and equality.

Mellody Hobson, Chairwomen of Dreamworks Animation and President of Ariel Investments, implores listeners in a recent Ted Talk to be "color brave" instead of "color blind." In a humorous, yet powerful 14-minute presentation, Hobson outlines the ways in which race operates as a "third rail" for social conversations, and how our fear over potential controversy while discussing race has prevented real, substantive progress in matters of equality.  

Hobson begins by declaring, "The first step to solving any problem is not hide from it...and the first step to any form of action is awareness." She then encourages listeners to be aware that talking about race is uncomfortable, but that we should embrace this discomfort and approach conversations with boldness.

She then concludes by stating:"We can not afford to be color blind, we have to be color brave."

What do you think of "color blindness"? Have you ever heard anyone identify as "color blind" or say "they don't see color"? In what ways can we be more deliberate in how we approach race? Hobson finishes her speech with a call to action, claiming anyone, from corporate executives to farmers, can be more bold about race. With the ongoing protests in Ferguson and across the country, the need for honest conversation about race has become more important than ever.  How will you take on Hobson's challenge and what will you do to enact more bold and brave conversations about race?