#But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine

[felidaefatigue]

Btw theres also a trans + inclusion flag versions on that link and can confirm the trans one looks real nice printed out big as fuck. If u want the plain linocut one i still have some (slightly b grade but still perfectly good) just dm me and we can figure it out :>

I designed this poster with the intention of making limited edition linocut prints* but I also wanted to make the digital version available for free download for anyone who might wish to use it for posters, signs and the like. So here that is

*which I have, and am in the process of finishing to make available with a donation match process but i haVENT figured that out yet. stalk my insta to keep up on that if you want one.

[houseofpurplestars]

"If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." - Aboriginal Activists Group

[pinkpetalbee]

🌿✨ "If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." – Lilla Watson

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

"If you've come here to help me, you're wasting your time. But if you've come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." ~ Indigenous Australian Elder Lilla Watson "It's a long road we have come and it's a long road we can go. We have to walk together and talk together. If you never listen to me, I will never listen to you. I will not follow you. Walk side by side and let's get there." ~ Conrad Ratara, at a ceremonial handing back of ancestral lands to indigenous people in Australia

[thanks Ian Sanders]

[sanguinarysanguinity]

The key to co-liberation is that it requires a commitment to and a belief in mutual benefit, from members of both dominant groups and minoritized groups; that’s the 'co' in the term. Too often, acts of data service performed by tech companies are framed as charity work (we discuss the limits of “data for good” in chapter 5). The frame of co-liberation equalizes this exchange as a form of relationship building and demographic healing. There is a famous saying credited to aboriginal activists in Queensland, Australia, from the 1970s: “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” What does this mean? As poet and community organizer Tawana Petty explains in relation to efforts around antiracism in the United States: “We need whites to firmly believe that their liberation, their humanity, is also dependent upon the destruction of racism and the dismantling of white supremacy.” The same goes for gender: men are often not prompted to think about how unequal gender relations seep into the institutions they dominate, resulting in harm for everyone.

Catherine D'Ignazio and Lauren F. Klein, Data Feminism

Footnote: Although the aboriginal activist quote ended up circulating on the internet as the work of one person—Lilla Watson—Watson herself describes it as the outcome of a collective process, and she desired that it be credited as “Aboriginal activists group, Queensland, 1970s.” See Watson, “Attributing Words,” Unnecessary Evils, November 3, 2008.

[fidothefinch]

"If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. If you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."

- Lilla Watson, Aboriginal activist

[yellow-dress-basil]

I’ve seen a lot of posts talking about how scared women are and how scared BIPOC are and how all men and all white people should be basically making up for it and giving all their money to mutual aid and doing xyz thing instead of expressing any fear or grief.

Here’s the thing - Intersectionality exists. While many of the actions suggested (if there are any at all) are so important and helpful, it will not help anyone to double down within a single identity and shut out other people who are afraid. It will only divide us.

I am a White immigrant in the US. I’m not a citizen but I’ve lived here since I was 7 or 8 months old. I have a green card which is a privilege right now but may not matter in the times ahead. I’m White so I’m less likely to be questioned about my immigration status, but it’s pretty easy to find out.

I’m a gender fluid, polyamorous, lesbian. I’m not straight or cis. I have no privilege in this area except perhaps “passing privilege” which honestly doesn’t feel like a privilege. I have “passing privilege” because I don’t appear visibly queer to everyone.

I’m AFAB and gender fluid and tend to present femme. Because my gender is fluid, I haven’t gone through any form of medical transition because my feelings may change from one day to the next how I want my body to be.

Because I am AFAB and haven’t had any medical conditions in this area, I also have a uterus. I am, as far as I know, able to get pregnant. I haven’t been sleeping with anyone who could get me pregnant, but its still there.

My wife and I are poly and my wife’s girlfriend is part of our family. If we have to get out, my wife and I can use my citizenship, but I could never leave her or any of my found family behind.

I’m disabled and chronically ill. Who knows whats going to happen to health care and disability rights?? I literally see no one talking about that so it’s hard to find information. I’m AuDHD, heavy emphasis on the Autistic. I have been trying to get my physical conditions diagnosed for years and we still have no idea.

I may appear to be a White Woman with Voting power. I am one of those things and many other things that make me afraid. I want to share space with everyone else who is afraid, but it feels like I’m being shut out left and right. Please can we come together, feel the feelings, and then get to work together?

I’ll leave you with a quote:

“If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” Lilla Watson

Let’s come together, realize all marginalized communities serve the same purpose to a White Supremecist, Christian Nationalist, Colonialist, Capitalist system and fight back. Together I bet there are more of us than there are of them.

[capocefalo]

"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."

- Lilla Watson

[the-hem]

"Three Loaves at Midnight." From Luke 11: 5-8.

Who loves ya, baby? Who is your best friend in the world who would give you three nice loaves in the middle of the night, just because you're you? Who would this friend be?

The word for friend is chaber, or haber:

חבר

The verb חבר (habar) means to join or team up. Apparently, this verb's most basic meaning is to bind, and as such it may also be used in the sense of binding someone with a spell. Our verb is used when objects are joined (Exodus 26:3), or when men join organizations or events (Genesis 14:3, Psalm 122:3). Once this verb actually denotes casting a spell (Deuteronomy 18:11). This verb yields the following derivatives:

The masculine noun חבר (heber), meaning company (Hosea 6:9), association (Proverbs 21:9), or spell (i.e. a binding; Isaiah 47:9).

The feminine noun חברה (hebra), meaning association or company (Job 34:8 only).

The adjective or masculine noun חברה (haber), meaning united (Judges 20:11), or associate (Song of Solomon 1:7, Isaiah 1:23).

The feminine noun חברת (haberet), meaning consort, i.e. wife (Malachi 2:14 only).

The similar feminine noun חברת (hoberet), literally meaning that what is joined. It occurs only in relation to the tabernacle curtains (Exodus 26:10).

The masculine noun חבר (habbar), meaning business associate (Job 41:6 only)

In the Parable below, Jesus says "suppose" you are bound to someone in one of the ways above, with the understanding such a relationship is expected rather than taken for granted:

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 

6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 

7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 

8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[a] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

What is the meaning of a friend arriving at midnight, catching his host unawares of his arrival? And what kind of situation was taking place that would make the host wander out into the night in search of three loaves of bread, a tall order?

Midnight is when what is uncertain, or hidden by God starts to become certain through Torah study. The unexpected guest is Realization or Shabbat. The fact three loaves were needed in a pinch means this Shabbat was the Passover and they were needed to complete the Seder:

"The three matzos represent the three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.["Rokeach"] They also represent the three categories of Jews: Cohein, Levi, and Yisrael. [the "Arizal"]

When we are preparing for the Seder, we stack the matzos in this order: first the matzah representing Yisrael on the bottom, then Levi above it, and finally the Cohein on top. In this order, their acronym is YeiLeCh, meaning "going" or journeying. The Seder is a process, a journey towards liberation.[The "Rebbe Rayatz"]

The friend is the stranger for whom there must be a seat at the table for the Seder according to one of the most sacred and important of Jewish Laws. Freedom from death in Egypt, the life of a slave of any kind is not a fit use of a God-Given life.

The man who asked his neighbor for the loaves of bread was audacious because the custom, the law and his loyalty, in his mind, left him little choice but to return home with the loaves of bread.

Bread and saltwater are combined during the Seder to remind us slavery is work without a pay or a return on investment it is nothing but lost time. The saltwater represents the only thing one can take out of slavery which is their tears.

To find oneself with an empty pantry on the day of the Seder is a bit ridiculous, as the man next door who is observing the national holiday points out, but rather than insult the Torah himself and violate the rules of the Passover, he surrenders the bread.

The Gematria for the final verse in the parable, 13-072, יגאֶפֶסזב‎ , jagapeszeb "the wolf on the heel of civilization" explains.

We are not prepared for the Angel of Death, or for Pesach, which is freedom from him. In this parable Jesus says God will provide us with protection, laughter, and power (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) if we go looking for them, and they could indeed save us and our friends at the last minute but that is a silly and irresponsible way to approach our problems.

If we persist in doing things this way, it will leave us with nothing but unleavened bread and tears at the end, which obviously aren't enough to live on.

[drdopamine]

This reminds me of the Lilla Watson quote,

If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.

[felidaefatigue]

You know how eagles will lock talons midair and plummet in a death spiral together till the last possible moment as a mating ritual?

And how Dr. Lilla Watson said “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."

Well if u wanna join talons with me and have 25$ to donate to a cause of your choice (charity, non profit, w.e.), you should fill out this form with your shippin info (it also explains more) and ill also donate + send u a print >3

Update!! (may 2024) I am closing my google accounts so this form is no longer accessible but if you dm me we can figure out the details if youde like any remaining prints!

[protoslackeranon]

A Message To You

Hi you don't really know me. You may know that I exist. I am one of your grandma Valadares's brothers. I'm John.

When  Emma and Zino moved, Bill and Marianne drove a rental truck up here, so I got to see them and hear about the wedding.  Bill and Marianne mentioned how beautiful you and Avery are. And since then I felt it important to reach out to you tell you that I am in your corner.

One of my favorite music videos is Bomba Estéreo - "Soy Yo." I like how the story is told: It's me. This is how I am. Relax! And it's not until near the end we know about conversations and the the support of Papa.

There are people who don't like the word "queer." I understand that. But for me personally, how the word has been reclaimed from an insult to the powerful expression: "We're here, we're queer. Get used to it." has been helpful. There's a lot of queer history.

Gilbert Baker made the first Rainbow Flag. The story of the origin of the flag is one I like a lot. I am not sure where I read that Gilbert Baker said that the reason he likes the rainbow is because it includes everybody.

There are so many ways to be a person. "Queer" and Rainbow flags appeal to me because they bring a whole lot of different people together. It's also true that a whole lot of people hate queers--and not just the word--and hate seeing rainbow flags.It's not easy navigating around such hatred.

Sometimes it’s not hatred, but just people being so awkward. Trans men find cis gay men often have a hard time accepting them. Well, awkwardness goes for lots of differences under the queer tent.

In the 1970s an Aboriginal Rights group came up with a phrase that resonates deeply with people all over:

If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.

In my life I have not been so good about working together. Still, as far back as I can remember people becoming liberated from oppression has deeply interested and concerned me.

I am old, and pretty clueless about how it is to be you in these days and times. But I am interested :)  

For lots of years I've posted to a link blog. Most of the quotes are from people whose work to become free has impressed me. There are at least a dozen people I would love to tell you something about. I won't be a pest, but on the other hand if you want me to tell you about one I would gladly. And then if you want, another one and another. Old people have lots of stories.

I'll leave with another music video by Bomba Estéreo. I like hearing on the radio on my drive home from work because Manu Chao is featured and I have long loved Manu Chao's music and stories of adventures. I also love the song because it’s about hurting that ‘s also lively and optimistic.

[oddities-by-ernie]

"Our liberty is bound together" - Ink on Card Stock - 8.5" X 11" “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”-Lilla Watson Our liberty is bound together.

[familyvideocbd]

If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. If you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.

-lilla watson and other Murri activists

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

"If you've come here to help me, you're wasting your time. But if you've come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." ~ Indigenous Australian Elder Lilla Watson

+ "It's a long road we have come and it's a long road we can go. We have to walk together and talk together. If you never listen to me, I will never listen to you. I will not follow you. Walk side by side and let's get there." ~Conrad Ratara, at a ceremonial handing back of ancestral lands to indigenous people in Australia

[h/t Ian Sanders]

[whumpurr]

Adrien and Sawdust part 6

cw: pet whump, whump recovery, bodily mutilation, self harm, brief and vague mention of past noncon, dehumanization, conditioned whumpee, unreliable narrator, brief mention of dissociation

masterlist

Sawdust was searching for his bag the second Master was gone. He hopped out of bed, punctuated with a fit of dizziness as he got to his feet, and crawled around the room looking for his duffel bag. The bright blue bag was nowhere to be found, and Sawdust wasn’t great at seeing in the dark either.

He started to wonder, to second guess himself. Did Master put the bag somewhere in the room and Sawdust just isn’t seeing it? Is he overlooking it? Did he even have a bag at all? Did it come with him to this new house, or was it left with his previous master? No, no, he remembered seeing it next to his kennel with those other people.

If he left the room now, Master would surely hear it and question him, or worse, punish him for disturbing his sleep. As much as Sawdust wanted his ears back, he just had to trust that Master would return them in due time.

Sleeping was difficult without the familiar squeeze of his headband around his head, but with a full stomach he managed to eventually fall asleep even if it took a while.

Sunlight came all too soon for Sawdust. The light peeked through the curtains and he couldn’t physically sleep any more. He was dreading going downstairs and having to face his master, having to eat beside him. He could only imagine what his master was going to do to him. Would he record him? Bring his friends over and show him how pathetic and stupid he looked eating out of a bowl on the floor? Sawdust shook himself out of his thoughts; he was just a dog anyways, he shouldn’t have enough of an ego to be embarrassed.

He was getting himself out of bed, going down onto his hands and knees when he heard a soft knock on the door, followed by Master’s quiet voice.

“Sawdust?” Master said from the other side of the heavy wooden door. “Come on, let’s go get some food.”

Sawdust got to the door and opened it with his paw, stepping out and following Master.

Master gave him a bowl of dog food once he was downstairs. Sawdust half contemplated asking Master about his ears, but really, if Master had taken them away then it was because Sawdust did not deserve them any more.

“Master,” Sawdust murmured, “Is- is there anything your pet can- can do? To assist?”

Master looked thoughtful for a moment then laughed, laughed at Sawdust.

“I think my work stuff is a bit advanced for you,” Master took a bite of his own food, “I want you to focus on… recovery, for now. Okay? That means you rest up and come get me if you want anything, food, water, whatever.”

Sawdust nodded, “Yes, Master,” before he continued eating, the hard kibble crunching satisfyingly between his teeth. He couldn’t work up the courage to ask Master about the ears or his bag, or where they’ve gone.

Lunch and dinner went similarly, with Master coming, getting his pet, and taking him downstairs to eat. Each time Sawdust couldn’t work himself up enough to ask Master about his ears. The lack of his ears made Sawdust feel… Wrong. Like he wasn’t a real dog, like he was a subpar pet. He wasn’t good enough to this new Master who had otherwise been so kind to him. What had he done to deserve this?

Night eventually fell, and Sawdust did his best to do as Master said and get to sleep. He curled up in the nest of blankets and pillows that his Master had made in the corner for him, and let himself begin to drift off. As he was doing so, he couldn’t help but wonder why his Master was withholding his belongings from him. Nevertheless, his eyelids grew heavy, and he eventually fell into a deep sleep.

--

Adrien was still getting accustomed to feeding someone using a dog bowl, with dog food, on the floor. It was a strange experience, and doing it made him feel dirty, but it was all Sawdust was going to accept so if it was between that or making the pet starve again, he would have to go with the former.

He was still very aware of just how lost he was in all of this. He searched the internet and scoured his social media for something that could give him some kind of life preserver in all of this. Finally, finally, he found something. A chatroom for pet owners. From the looks of it, it was heavily moderated and geared more towards pet liberation activists, and pet rehabbers, and people who actually cared for their pets. He requested to join and was accepted within the hour. He immediately sent a message to the ‘help’ section.

Adrien: >> Hey guys, I’m a new owner and I didn’t do as much research as I should have. >> Long story short, I didn’t keep as close an eye on my pet as I should’ve, and he ended up not eating because I wasn’t giving him dog food. Is that a normal thing? How can I help him?

It wasn’t five minutes before one of the other owners responded,

1Y4N4: >> oof, thats no good dude.. definitely watch him harder and probably just stick to feeding him what he wants for now. u said hes new right? let him stay in his comfort zone for a little bit probably

Adrien: >> Thanks. I’ll do that.

1Y4N4: >> np, im a bit more experienced as an owner but i dont think mine were as conditioned as urs >> at least not in that way

Zo: >> Bro wtf? You’re the source of your pet’s whole life and shit, you really should’ve done more research.

Adrien sat and watched as this ‘Zo’ person continued to rip into Adrien for his irresponsibility, though the ‘1Y4N4’ user at least tried to defend Adrien. It wasn’t long before Zo quieted down and 1Y4N4 was able to speak up again,

1Y4N4: >> lots of actual dogs eat things that arent dog chow >> maybe show your pet some videos of people feeding their dogs other stuff, maybe hell be more open then

Adrien thanked the user, and used the rest of his evening compiling some videos and researching, finding the outer bounds of what dogs could eat in hopes that he could convince Sawdust. It was far from exactly what he wanted, but he felt some semblance of satisfaction that there was at least a way to progress forwards.

--

Sawdust finally came up with a plan when he was coming out of the bathroom the next morning. It was before Adrien had gotten up. As Sawdust was leaving the bathroom, he caught sight of himself in the mirror.

His hair was all matted, and the fringe at his forehead was beginning to grow to hide his eyes. He looked lacking without his ears. There were deep circles under his eyes. At least the peaks of his cheeks and his lips were starting to regain some color now that he had a steady supply of food which he undoubtedly did not deserve. The scratched scar across his nose bridge and cheek that one of the other dogs gave him was still there. He looked at that and followed it across his face to his second ears.

His dumb second ears, the ones on either side of his head that his last master hated so much. His previous master had always told him that they made him look less like a dog, less like a pet, when a pet was all Sawdust ever wanted to be. Because if he wasn’t a pet, then he was a toy for both Master and the other dogs, and that was one step above the most reprehensible thing he could be. He had been downgraded to ‘toy’ for a short amount of time previously, and he was eternally grateful that he was never dropped even lower, to being nothing but food for the other dogs.

Master threatened that sometimes, chopping him up and feeding him to the other dogs.

Whenever Sawdust looked at himself in the mirror, he couldn’t help imagine it. Being cut up and thrown to other animals to eat. He found some part of himself that felt that- even if he could never do anything else right- he could do that right. He tried to halt that train of thought as quickly as he could, before his mind shunted him off to some dark, foggy place where he couldn’t think or feel until the bad thoughts went away.

But at the root of those thoughts, he found the problem, as well as the solution. He scrambled down to the kitchen as fast as he could go, wanting to work quickly before he could stop himself.

He got to the kitchen sink, and stood up on trembling, unused legs. They could hardly support his weight, he had to lean onto the granite countertop with his elbows as he reluctantly removed the tape from his paws using his teeth. He would need his fingers for this.

Sawdust’s breath was quick in his throat, the edges of his vision grew blurry as he tried to focus on this and only this. He had one task and he was not going to fail it. He wanted his ears back. He wanted his master to be happy with him again. Maybe this way he could earn his master’s attention and... Maybe even his affection, if a pet was allowed to hope.

Sawdust’s paws were shaky and clumsy as they took out the biggest knife out of the wooden blog. It was heavy and cold in his paw. With one paw he held the tip of one of his second ears and pulled it as far away from his head as he could.

The cold edge of the blade rested on his skin, at the valley between his second ear and his head. He squeezed his eyes shut, he couldn’t break down now, he couldn’t stop now. He took a deep, sharp breath and pressed down on the knife as hard as his feeble paws could.

--

Adrien shot out of bed to the sound of a piercing, howling scream from downstairs.

taglist: @starnight-whump @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi@neuro-whump @whump-me-all-night-long @cupcakes-and-pain @whumpzone @whumpcreations @dancinglifeboat @pinkraindropsfell @looptheloup @cowboy-anon @meetmeinhellcroutons @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @firewheeesky @maracujatangerine