On a personal level, this week has been really rough for me. The news is just filled with horrific racism, bigotry, and xenophobia directed towards elected American Congresswomen of color. And too many leaders, including those who should know better, have been bending themselves into pretzels to defend the bigotry, or to avoid discussing it at all.
It makes me sick. It should make us all sick.
And I have to believe that the vast majority of us, whatever our politics, are not okay with racism. (Especially the readers of this site, who have always stood up for what is good and right and wow, I love you all for that so much.)
As with a lot of news stories lately, I alternate between wanting to shut it all out and…well, shout about it even louder. I’ve done both. I’m human. But I do find that doing something always makes me feel better than doing nothing when I’m seeing gross injustice in the world.
So I’m grateful for illustrator Carolyn Suzuki who has taken the do something route.
You may recall her wonderful women artists in history kids’ clothing that we featured last year; and now, in collaboration with Kira Kids agin, she’s out with a wonderful 2020 VOTE tee featuring illustrations of 11 of the freshmen Congresswomen.
It’s an amazing homage to the the most racially diverse and most female group of Congressional reps ever elected, including 36 women in the House of Representatives alone.
Need more justification? 100% of the proceeds from the sales support She Should Run, an impactful non-profit that helps encourage and prepare women to run for office up and down the ticket.
I was really moved by what Suzuki wrote on her Instagram page about the shirt:
When I read what Trump said to our freshman congresswoman, “…Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came…” I got that same lump in my throat I used to get whenever a kid would say “go back to China !” on the playground (my parents are from Japan, but I was born in Los Angeles). The idea that looking different was somehow un-American was pretty acceptable in those days, especially to little kids. But for the 73 year old “leader” of our great nation in 2019, to tell 4 elected leaders who are very much as American as he, to leave their homeland because they dare to want better for ALL of us is unfathomable.
Yes. That.
It’s personal.
As Kira Kids states on their site, “We stand by the Congresswomen of the United States who have been elected for the people, by the people.”
Cosigned.
And if you’re an American, of any race, any gender, any political party, who’s ever been told to “go back to your country,” well I stand by you too.
Find the Carolyn Suzuki congresswoman shirt in adult’s sizes (CORRECTION), as well as youth sizes 2-8 exclusively at Kira Kids. They’re on pre-order now, shipping early August. NOTE: If your size is sold out, add your email to the waitlist. They’ll be making more in no time.
