Building a self sufficient movement

Late Wednesday night, after our last final, Jordan and I drove out to DC to make our court date Thursday morning. The commute is a hard one and my little PT Cruiser wasn't much help, but we've sort have become pros at it- after all, we did the same exact thing a few weeks back when we decided to disrupt the House with a song. Thursday night, April 14^th we headed out to DC to meet up with youth activists from all around the country who were ready to take a risk to inspire the 10,000 students attending Powershift that weekend. We sang an alternative version of the Star Spangled Banner, one that called for our congressmen to start standing up for our future- our right to clean air, water, and food- not big oil, gas, and coal. Disrupting congress is an arrestable action, something that we knew going in. But even though we were arrested and stayed in jail for over 6hrs, we had accomplished our goal. That monday, hundreds of activists stormed the Department of the Interior and stayed despite the threat of arrest. 21 stayed for arrest even after being threatened with felony charges.

This past week, the nine of us who were arrested that friday all had to come back to DC for our arraignment. For some of us, that meant flying in from Utah, long train or bus rides from Massachusetts, Maine, etc. For Jordan and I it meant pulling another all-nighter to drive in from Michigan. At 8am, Thursday morning, we met with our lawyers and we ended the day with a drug test at around 3pm. This is the not-so-sexy side of civil disobedience, the part where sacrifice starts to kick in and we are forced to face financial, personal, and professional consequences for our action. But at the same time, these past couple of days have been the most encouraging for me.

I see the beginning of a culture within our movement that is willing to support those who decide to take action even at the expense of their own future. I am beginning to see a movement with people that can find it in their hearts to give the little that they have to support those who they can call allies. I'm beginning to see a movement that is becoming financially independent, and with financial independence comes true mobility. Is the movement strong enough to support one another? Is it capable of making things like money less of a concern when taking action? I think it is.

Going to court on Thursday wasn't a walk in the park. I saw too many of my less fortunate black brothers and sisters in that room and too many people there for minor drug charges. The failure of our court system was hard to ignore- the true victims of our unjust society were criminalized while the true criminals were no where to be found. Yet there was still hope because in the middle of this scene was a row of individuals who were crazy enough to think that they could take on this institution...and there are hundreds who were starting to stand behind them and their action.

Even though Thursday, I was surrounded by those who force their laws on us, It also wasn't scary, nerve racking, or daunting- it was liberating. I am not alone. I have countless of people- some I don't even know personally- who are there to back me up. I want to see more of those seats filled with activists standing up for what is right. I want them to feel the same sense of relief that, despite the outcome, there is a whole movement of like minded individuals ready to bring about support in any way that they can- whether it be with time, money, or just encouragement. I believe the nine of us and the 21 who got arrested in the department of Interior are continuing to play a part in inspiring others to join us in tactful civil disobedience. A movement that has learned how to sacrifice individually and for one another is powerful. It's a force to be reckoned with!

Meeting Bidder 70- Stand With Me

Hi. My name is Tabitha and I care about earth. I care about our home- I care about the air we breath, the water we drink, and the food we eat. I care about that which sustains me and it which sustains other living things....I also care about people. I care about people more than I care about trees, soil, grass, pandas, cows, bunnies- I care about people's access to their basic need to clean air, water, and food. I care about the people who are oppressed through their withdrawn access to clean air, water, and food.I hate the institutions that care about neither people or the earth.

Though I have always cared about people a ton, I didn't always care about the gr

een things and the other stuff I live with. But my eyes were opened to the connection between people and the earth. My senior year of high school, my AP Environmental Science class turned my world upside down. That year I realized the connection between a healthy earth and healthy people. That our bodies will only go as far as how healthy the things are that we put in them. I also learned that there are individuals who would rather us have sick bodies if that means more money.

It was at that point, that i knew I wanted to do something about it.

When I went to college, I knew that the activism spirit that I had felt since I was young had to bloom soon- I decided to dedicate my major and my time to learning how the system worked so I could find the best way to take. it. down. My sophomore year, I realized that the only thing stopping me from taking down the system now wasn't 4 year in school- it was me. It was that year that I joined Greenpeace and Amnesty International at Michigan State. Through those groups I learned one of the most valuable lessons one can learn at my age- that there is power in my voice.

Can you stop with me and think about that statement? Go on, sa

y it to yourself, "There is power in my voice". There is POWER in your voice. My sophomore year i decided to stop being docile and to start become a good citizen- one who

maximizes all of my rights.

Unfortunately, my sophomore year I also found out how frustrating it was to be a good citizen- signing petitions, calling my congressmen, following politics, voting in elections, following ALL THE RULES. And yet for some reason no one cared what I had to say. My political weight was just not good enough. MY government told me that I was just not that important. They said instead that we can start talking when I either have a ton of money or a ton of people. You can guess what options I had to take.

Up until today that's what it's been for me- a numbers game. How many people can we get to this rally, how many petitions can we get signed, how many pledges, endorsements, phone calls, etc. etc. etc. I believed that there was power in my voice, but believed more in the power of many voices.

Today I met Tim DeChristopher, also known as Bidder 70. To make a long story short, Tim singlehandedly stopped the unethical selling of Utah land from the out going Bush administration to big oil and gas developers.

Well how did he do that? It was simple: he walked in, said he was there for the bidding, became bidder 70, and started out-bidding everyone in the room...he won 22,500acres of land at the price of almost 2 BILLION dollars.

Tim didn't have 2 Billion dollars, but he did it anyway. He decided to take matters in his own hands- he realized that there was a point where protesting with signs, petitions, and marches are only going to go so far. His one action stopped the bidding of 116,000 acres of Utah soil.

His voice has power.

After my chat with Tim, and after hearing him speak to a few of us tonight, there were two things I really took to heart: first- facts and figures never changed anyone's minds. The willingness to sacrifice the comforts of my life to take a stand does. Second- I need to shift my thinking from believing that only numbers can topple injustice to taking ownership of the idea that I have the power to topple injustice no matter how big.

Tim was in the breathing space of very powerful, intimidating, and influential people. He could have let the daunting gap between him and them get to him but he

didn't. Instead, he decided to look at the situation for what it was- people getting bargain prices for land they would rip to pieces just to bank on some non-renewables. He then decided that he'd much rather do something and face the consequences of committing a federal offense than sit in a room full of exploiters and do nothing.

There are too many things that I let pass by me, that I'm unwilling to take a lonely stance on. But that won't happen anymore.

My voice has power.

There is something to be said about the times we are in. They are interesting and one of a kind. I say it's time to stop WAITING for our generation to step up. Those who are already need to start walking, kicking some butt, and taking some names. I say lets stop this system. Let's stop corporate take over of our lives, our government, our homes, or bodies. Let's stop corruption, injustice, and out of control consumerism. Let's stop this move to more development, more degradation, more burning of bad things that choke our children and our trees.

I no longer call on my generation, but to those in my generation who sees the battle and are ready to fight. We don't need to wait for the masses to move mountains. The masses will move themselves in their own time. Instead, we need to be setting the example of what it means to draw a line.

Your voice has power.

OUR voice has power.

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to stand by and do nothing."

Stand. With. Me.

Tabitha

Born to be WILD

June 11, 2010. The first day of World Cup South Africa 2010.

But more importantly (in a self centered sort of way), June 11 marks the day that I did the BIG CHOP. The short version of that is that I decided to cut off the chemically straighten part of my hair- which i have been doing since the single digits- and letting my natural curly/kinky hair grow out freely. so basically I went from this:

to this:

yea. pretty exciting. I wanted to make an update on my new look but i don't see why it's necessary to make an entirely new blog for it (after all, i already have 2 blogs to keep up with). Plus i don't have enough time to dedicate my free time to being a full time 'naturalist' and trying out/ reviewing/ researching all these different products and recipes for my hair...

Now. I hope you are wondering why i decided to go natural. Honestly it started by watching this history of Soul Train on Vh1 during black history month. specifically an episode where they were explaining how Soul Train was the first African American owned, ran, and hosted tv show in the US which had a lot of commericals that focused on making black beautiful- including black natural hair. It was then that i realized the connection between being natural and being comfortable with my african 'heritage'. From there came two other moments that pushed me over the natural hair edge- my last hairdresser appointment (where i realized just how badly my hair breakage was) and watching Good Hair by Chris Rock.

Good Hair made me really look at the idea of how much my hair means to me and how much a black women that lives in America sees straight hair as being related to 'pretty'. I'll let you in on a secret: I feel the prettiest right after i get a relaxer (or chemically straighten my hair); when my hair is so straight that i can feel my scalp, not puff. All i want is long black hair that is straight and falls down to the middle of my back. I feel beautiful with that hair, not with the hair that i already have- i'm ugly with this hair on my head.

To make an already long story short, i decided that I need to know what my hair is and what it looks like. I want to know what my hair likes to do, what it does in different circumstances, and what products it reacts to. The process of straightening basically strips the protein from your hair to make it fall straight and limp. no, my hair should be free to grow and curl and shrink and absorb and do whatever it wants- AND I SHOULD LOVE IT.

There are also some other reasons for this decision, like recognizing that permanently altering my hair on a regular basis originated from black ppl trying desperately to disown their black characteristics and look more white. On a certain level straightening my hair is literally like living oppression on your head- a daily reminder that i do not feel comfortable in my own skin, in the body God has given me to cherish and love, that all i want to do is look like someone else. I used to make the argument that straightening black hair was now a part of the African-American culture, but you can't always just forget where you came from. The emotional connection between beauty and straight hair for black women shouldn't be ignored.

There's also an environmental side to my decision that i didn't really catch on to until i chopped it all off. To go natural tends to apply to a lot of parts of your daily routine- it's a lifestyle change. The more natural the ingredients, the better for your hair. For natural black hair, a lot of chemicals and alcohols strip your hair of moisture that it desperately needs (natural hair thirsts for moisture like crazy). This allows me to start becoming sustainable in my hair routine. I even have the option now of making my own recipes for conditioners or moisturizers or whatever! Also, being natural frees me from having to go to the hair dresser ever month to use harmful and toxic chemicals that burn my forehead and cause breakage. Not to mention being responsible for all of the crap that must be in the water system thanks to those chemical relaxers.

so there. now you know.

For peace and liberation,

Tabby

GOT Post 1- Oil hearing with a side of politics

My bad for never updating- i feel like I'm working i'm so worn out every day >.<
So. WEEK 3!! I must say- loves the Greenpeace. The staffers are really nice and so are the other students in my program. These past 3 weeks we have focused on our leadership tendencies, how to relate with others on your team, what makes a team strong and efficient, as well as petitioning, campaign planning, phone banking, etc. All very useful and don't worry, i'm taking notes! : )

I think what i'm going to start doing is a feature for every GOT related post. so for this update, i'm going to feature the Oil hearing that happened this past Tuesday. That day we joined forces with the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) and went to the house building (i don't know the technical term) for the hearing. It was so intense and we ran into a lot of red tape- it's amazing how much injustice happens in our capital. I once blogged about the fact that sometimes i get so frustrated with our government that i just want to scream. I started considering the idea of bringing up my signs from home and screaming here but i'm pretty sure they'd tell me i'm not allowed to protest in front of the capitol- it's really sad that I can safely make that assumption.

i woke up at 3am that morning to wait in line at 5am. we were seemingly the first ppl there. then we got into the building at 7:30 and were the first ppl in line by 9:30. It was a public hearing with 50 seats. When we get inside, we find around 6 people already in line before us (they must had slipped in earlier on). As we are waiting in line the security guard tells us that there are actually only 15 open seats for the public...at a public hearing.

ok. bummer.
but we still have hope- we figure we can squeeze the rest in later. a few minutes before the doors open, 4 business men with expensive suits and greased back hair replace 3 of the the 6 people who slipped in before the doors opened. They apparently paid them off to stand there for them.

ridiculous.
at 9:30, we find out that there were only around 5 open spots when only 5 people were allowed into the hearing. unfortunate for our 4 businessmen, two of them were not part of that 5. Now apparently there is an agreement where when someone leaves the hearing their seat is up for grabs. however- that's not exactly the case like the 'reserved' seats were for the press and whoever the big oil companies had come with them (i.e. lawyers). So even though we were told that it might be impossible to get in like all the seats are reserved and there are only 5 open seats for the public, these two businessmen were able to work something out with the girl managing the line.

not ok.
I personally had to wait 3.5hrs more in an ever dwindling line of folks who lost hope in their chances of getting in WHILE standing, before i could get in. And i was close to the front of the line!!! (as in definitely in the top 15 ppl)

unacceptable.
I am a voter. I am a citizen.
It shouldn't be that hard for me to personally sit in a public hearing.

what really gets me is the idea that you can reserve public hearing seats. What's even worse was that the majority of the people who filled those reserved seats did not have to wait in my line or get up at 3am or stay standing for hours. they just walked on in. I was up from 3am that morning and stayed in that building until 2 all for a seat.
That's not right. and it makes me so MAD.

But It's that frustration that leads us to action. It is that and my faith that drives me to fight every day. It's also what leads ppl to do this:



the RAN kids attempted to give the CEO of Chevron a bottle of oil from Ecuador. She was arrested- as well as the girl with the sign behind her. just for standing up to injustice.






More on what Chevron is doing and how to take action Here.

That's all from me. Time for Church

Tabby <3

IT'S BEEN AGES!

So sorry about that.

I have pictures and news and news and more news, but i'll just do the news this time and pictures next time.
First- ARCADE FIRE IS GOING TO PLAY AT LOLLAPALOOZA OGSH I'M SO EXCITED THEY'RE BACK ON TOUR I NEED TO SEE THEM GAAAAAAAH <3<3<3<3<3333333333>























They're going to be regular fit, $15, It's Fair Trade and made in Haiti (if you don't know that basically means the Haitians who work at the shirt factory where these are made are being paid a treated justly).

For more information about what the GOT is and why I'm raising money (or if you just want to skip the buying a t-shirt part and want to just donate) visit my giveforward page.
If you would like to pre-order a shirt, email me your interested and size at reallybadegs@gmail.com (i know- it was a middle school thing...)

I am also selling my photography on Etsy- prices are on there (don't worry i have paypal but checks work too). You can visit my Etsy page Here. Definitely need to post all the pics i want to sell still but I'm getting to it!

Third News? I GOT FREE TICKETS TO SEE MICHAEL POLLAN SPEAK!!!! xD
If you don't know him he's the author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore's Dilemma. Wiki page link Here. Crazy guy. crazy awsm that is! ; )


That's it for now! and WELCOME NEW FOLLOWERS!

<3>

Eco-Friendly :D

So you know what's lame?
Recently, i decided that i want to end up with a career in environmental law (it was either that or just international law) and be apart of the political and judicial fight against international environmental injustice and degradation and whatever (ok, so that part isn't the lame part). so i decided that i would try to get myself involved in Greenpeace and see if i can become active in my own community this summer (like it's the end of the school year). BUT stupid Greenpeace USA is such a piece of CRAP that i can't navigate myself to anything useful! i always seem to end up on the same pages or to freaking Greenpeace Canada or SOMEWHERE THAT I DONT NEED TO BE (that was the lame part).

But in the spirit of my unsuccessful search to become more active in the fight against environmental abuse, i decided to put up some eco-friendly stuffs that i've had my eye on :)

I just bought a dress from this online store called Ruche and i noticed that they had an eco-friendly section soooo i picked my faves :P -
















Oh and btw ur gonna have to use ur imagination when looking at their clothing- they look cuter on a person :P

































This one wasn't in the eco-friendly section but in the handmade section which i still deem to be sustainable :)

I also stumbled upon this website called thegreenloop.com which had a lot of sustainable designers and their items there (plus a little blurb for each designer which was helpful! :D) so here's what i found from there:














"Nahui Ollin is a collection of unique and fashionable handbags and accessories made from recycled materials. All merchandise is entirely hand-made by specially folding and weaving individual candy wrappers, gum wrappers and soda bottle labels--together to create the various beautiful shapes and sizes of the Nahui Ollin Handbag and accessory Collection."

there's actually a butt load of stuff on the site- but this is one of the few things that really caught my eye. just click on the link to view more stuffs :P

Finally, like i have this delema of wanting to be more outdoors-like yet hating nature, i can't help but be drawn to this compost mixer thing that one could even put right in their kitchen- IT'S LIKE COMPOSTING FOR DUMMIES!!! xD




















I saw this thing on a HGTV special about green living- it occured to me that getting this would give my mother no excuse for throwing away bio-degreadables and my father no excuse for buying pesticide rich fertalizer :P

And just as a side note- all these things are well and good (just like going vegan or using stairs or biking everywhere) but it has become more obvious that 'going green' on a personal level is not going to do much good for the planet- what would really make a difference is becomeing more involved in ur local communities, our nation, and even the global community in the fight for sustainability. It's too late to "go green" as individuals, the stress that we put our planet in forces us to start acting within the big picture now.

and on another side note- Don't think that i'm one of those "Save mother nature" kind of people. My support of sustainable living goes along with my desire to help people. I feel like if we make an effort to become more sustainable on an international level, we solve many of the problems that face developing countires like environmental injustices, natural resource degredation, water pollution, etc.

ok i'm done with my rant :P
Peacing It <3>