I first met Cathy Gomes of 700 Rivers at a sustainable fashion event. To meet Cathy is to immediately love her–she is enthusiastic, kind, and incredibly passionate about her work to empower women living in poverty in Bangladesh. I am so excited to share a Q&A with her in the latest installment of my Southerner Spotlight series!
Y’all are in for a real treat today: A Q&A with the self-described “spiritual hypewoman” who has created an inclusive yoga studio in Raleigh, NC! I can confirm that she is indeed one of the most enthusiastic people I know, and she is doing incredible social justice work in our local community by building a unique and diverse group of yoga enthusiasts. I am so excited to introduce y’all to my inspirational friend and yoga teacher, Patrice Graham!
Read MoreAs we enter the last week of 2019, it’s time to recap the most popular posts here on Fairly Southern during the past year!
It sure has been a wonderful year of blogging. I’m so grateful to have a space where I can share about all things eco-friendly, ethical, and Southern! And, I love spreading awareness about companies and people who are doing lots of good for others and for the planet.
Without further ado: Here are the most frequently visited blog posts on Fairly Southern in 2019. Starting with number 5:
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‘Tis the season for gifting! If you’re like me, you not only want to give your family and friends Christmas presents that they’ll really love, you’d also like to gift items that are ethically or sustainably made or give back in some way.
I thought about making gift guides of sustainable gifts, ethical gifts, etc., but why reinvent the wheel? Some of my friends in the ethical/sustainable world have already compiled some great lists. So, I’m going to share my favorite gift guides with y’all! I hope they give you some great ideas for ways you can gift more thoughtfully and ethically this year.
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When I was in preschool and elementary school, I was taught that Thanksgiving was a happy, peaceful time when Native Americans* shared a feast with their beloved pilgrim friends. I remember the class being divided up into two sections, half of which dressed as pilgrims and half of which dressed as Native Americans (cringe).
As I grew older and learned more about U.S. history in high school, I learned that European colonizers weren’t always kind to Indigenous Peoples here in the Americas. I learned that we had taken some of their land, and I learned about the Trail of Tears, but not much beyond that. I don’t think the gravity of the abuses toward Indigenous Peoples really sank in.
It wasn’t until I was in graduate school for social work that I ACTUALLY learned the full truth about how Native people here in North America were treated by European colonizers. I was horrified as I learned about the extent of the racial hatred toward Indigenous Peoples, the many wars and massacres, the murder of peaceful adults and children who had hung white flags as a sign of surrender, the use of Christian faith as justification to murder, the fact that 56 million (MILLION!!) Indigenous Peoples had been slaughtered by my white ancestors.
Suddenly, the cheery narrative I had been fed about Thanksgiving fell more than a little flat. While it does appear to be true that there was some sort of harvest feast in 1621 at which colonizers and Indigenous Peoples ate together, I came to understand that my white ancestors hadn’t just smiled and shared food with Indigenous Peoples; they had brutally murdered them and stolen their land.
My family has always celebrated Thanksgiving as a holiday about personal gratefulness, and I think that’s a very appropriate way to celebrate it. But if you want to go a step further and actively counterbalance the false narrative of cheerful and friendly pilgrims and Native Americans, I think that’s also a great thing to do. Rather than gloss over the trauma, abuse, and genocide that white people inflicted upon Indigenous Peoples, we can flip the narrative at Thanksgiving by openly acknowledging it while finding ways to uplift Native people who continue to be abused and discriminated against even today. Here are a few ways:
Read MoreThis post is not sponsored. I received a Tavia box in exchange for my honest opinions.
Did you know that in some parts of the world, up to 50% of girls drop out of school due to consequences of their period?
Many people haven’t heard of this or even considered it because periods aren’t something we talk about much outside of middle school health class.
I recently learned about a company, Tavia, that provides a period box subscription service to women in the U.S. with a “buy 1, give 1” model that also delivers products to girls in developing countries. Such a win for everyone involved!
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Sometimes the hardest things to watch are the most important things to watch.
Social justice can be a topic that makes people uncomfortable, because it often involves acknowledging that certain groups of people don’t have the same privileges as everyone else. But we shouldn’t shy away!
What does “social justice” even mean? The term refers to a situation in which a society is just in terms of fair distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges.
Obviously, no society gets it right all the time when it comes to just distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges. It is so important that we strive to do better and make life fair for all people. To me, that’s a key part of what it means to be “Fairly Southern.”
Netflix offers a great selection of social justice documentaries that can teach us more about the injustices present in the world today and how we can push for change and equality. Here are my top 10 recommendations! I haven’t watched all of these myself, but the ones that I haven’t watched are in my queue!
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I was PUMPED when Target released its first fair trade denim several weeks ago. When a major retailer like Target begins offering fair trade clothing options, it makes fair trade accessible to so many more people!
I decided to investigate Target’s fair trade denim further. How do you find it? What is the quality like? Does it live up to the initial hype?
I went to several different Target locations to scope out their fair trade denim options and tried on the pants. Here are my honest thoughts!
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Last updated March 18, 2020
When I first made my commitment to buy ethically made and/or sustainable clothing, swimwear wasn’t something I was worried about. I already had plenty of swimsuits and wasn’t in need of new ones. However, as time has passed and some of the suits no longer fit or have gotten worn out, I have had to purchase some new suits.
Below is a list of the brands I have discovered, including the ones I have personally purchased!
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