Lessons Learned from #amplifymelanatedvoices

6 / 14 / 206 / 14 / 20

(Note: I use the term “people of color” throughout this post to refer to anyone who is non-white: Black, Indigenous, Latinx, etc. While the majority of the content I consumed last week was from Black voices and centered on issues Black people face, I was also listening to and sharing the voices of other people of color.)

Lessons Learned from #amplifymelanatedvoices - What one white person learned from only following people of color on social media | Fairly Southern

Last week I participated in #amplifymelanatedvoices on Instagram, which means:

I pressed pause on all of my own content on social media and here on the website.
I reposted content from melanated voices on social media. (You can view much of this content under the “BLM” highlight located in my Instagram bio.)
I muted white people that I follow and tried to exclusively consume content from non-white folks.

This experience was incredibly educational and eye opening. Here is what I learned:

#amplifymelanatedvoices

6 / 7 / 206 / 7 / 20

This week I have pressed pause on all of my own content on social media and here on the website in order to #amplifymelanatedvoices. Please see this Instagram post for more information.

I have been reposting content from melanated voices. You can view much of this content under the “BLM” highlight located in my Instagram bio.

This week I have muted white people that I follow and have been (trying) to exclusively consume content from non-white folks. Reflections about my experience coming in next week’s post.

xoxo Laura

6 Ways to Honor Indigenous Americans this Thanksgiving

11 / 24 / 1911 / 25 / 19

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:

Tavia: Tampon + Pad Delivery that Gives Back

10 / 20 / 1910 / 20 / 19

This post is not sponsored. I received a Tavia box in exchange for my honest opinions.

Tavia: Tampon + Pad Delivery that Gives Back | Fairly Southern

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!

10 Social Justice Documentaries on Netflix to Add to Your Queue

9 / 8 / 199 / 8 / 19

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!

Why I Buy Ethically Made

9 / 4 / 184 / 10 / 20

This post is part of my Why Series here on the blog. I often write about fair trade, eco-friendly, socially conscious living, but I am not always able to fully address in each of my blog posts WHY I choose to live this way. This series goes into greater detail about my why!

A couple of years ago, I became a big proponent of buying ethically made products. But what does ethically made even mean, and why is it important? And where can you find ethically made products? This post explains it all!