“With guns you can kill terrorists, with education you can kill terrorism” - Malala Y ousafzai
Welcome to the first issue of She’s a Riot!. T his zine is dedicated to expressing the ideologies of feminism in the modern era and our ever-changing culture. It is also dedicated to the beauty that is culture, diversity, and empowerment. In this issue, you can read about what the meaning of feminism is, gun control, the border crisis, and steps you can take to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle. For more information, you can follow the She’s a Riot! P roject on Instagram @shesariotproject.
Photo by @emersonkatep
Cracking Feminism Depending on who you are, feminism could range anywhere from being a ‘dirty’ word to a movement of the past to a lifestyle. We’ve all seen feminism defined differently in the media, but what does an actual feminist believe? Is it that gingerbread men should actually be gingerbread women? Or is it that traffic light signals should be wearing dresses to push for equality? As a young woman who has been a feminist since the start of my preteen years, the definition has changed quite a bit for me. At first, it started as the idea that I should be able to play four square with the boys on the playground instead of being excluded because of my gender, then it evolved into problems that are beyond myself and whatever issues I may have encountered. What really shaped my theory of feminism was the internet. When I logged on to social media for the first time, I was exposed to a world that was much larger than my middle school, and to say the least, it was a sensory overload. I had already spent my early years learning about the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and the Trail of Tears and assumed that the hundreds of years of racism and bigotry were a thing of the past.
However, I was unaware of the stain discrimination has left on the world and our failure to wash it out. Hatred is still woven into our culture and for many people, it is a part of their daily lives. Learning this frightened me and is still something I can never exactly wrap my mind around. How could someone hate my classmates for something as trivial as the color of their skin, the ‘Higher Being’ they chose to worship, or the person they couldn’t stop themselves from loving? As a straight, white, cis woman; I cannot understand the troubles of a gay black boy living in the projects. However, what I can do is offer him my support as an ally and recognize and embrace our differences. To me, being an intersectional feminist is using my privilege to defend those who are suffering from oppression and realizing that not every issue is about me. Intersectional feminism is fighting for the equality that many are still living without.
Photo by @emersonkatep
The Border Crisis One of Donald Trump’s most notable campaign promises was the construction of a wall on the U.S./Mexico border. As ridiculous at it is, the hopes and protests for the divide between the two countries is still a hot topic nearly four years later. The idea of a wall creates the facade that there is something we need to ​hide​ from. That there is some evil on the other side of it. While, yes, every country has its own set of issues and crime, is Mexico really that different from us? Are its citizens really such a threat we need to spend billions of dollars just to keep them out or lock them in cages for encroaching on our side of the property line? Many people being held at the border are no different than any other American parent. They are trying to do what is best for their children, they are risking everything in hopes that their child can have the life that they never had. They are pursuing the notorious American Dream, just for our country to retaliate and lock them in cages as if they were dangerous criminals when in reality they are often just scared parents, teenagers, and babies.
Our country is famous for being a ‘melting pot’ of cultures. Diversity is something that is supposed to be celebrated, not condemned. Yet here we are, hiding from it. Here we are locking people away because of their pursuit of a better life, which is no different from the foundations that this country was built on. This current situation reminds me, not only of concentration camps, but the Japanese Internment Camps during World War II as well. Somewhere between 110,000 and 120,000 people of Japanese descent were forced out of their homes and into camps simply because they were Japanese. While the panic behind this was reasonable, it was after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, after all, was it really necessary to bring hundreds of thousands of lives to a screeching halt out of fear? After the Japanese-Americans were released from the camps, it wasn’t until 1988 that the United States both apologized and paid the imprisoned citizens $20,000 dollars each. Not only is this putting a price tag on the wasted years of a person’s life, but it was a hefty price to pay for American fear. If we end up in the same situation when the people currently in the camps are finally released, wouldn’t it have been cheaper and more humane to
aid them in the naturalization process? Think about it; all of the money going towards imprisoning people in inhumane conditions could be funneled towards helping people seek asylum and pursue the American Dream we have spent decades advertising and we could preserve whatever humanity is it that we have left.
Photo by @emersonkatep
Walls of the White House We live in a time where is it normal, encouraged even, to fear everything, we tremble at book bags resting on the backs of students that might be just big enough to hold the darkest horrors, yet, everyday, we allow the demons in our heads to roam the fluorescent hallways of our so-called ‘safe spaces’, sitting and waiting for the ‘strong men’ who sit behind the walls of the White House to realize that 5th grade classrooms are battlegrounds, high school libraries are bloody war zones, and a college campus is a ticking time-bomb, meanwhile, countless lives have been taken, stolen, by the hot barrel of a gun, the branches of our government grow protected, seemingly blind to the roots of their country crumbling
Photo by @emersonkatep
Small Things We Can Do to Help the Environment The phrase ‘reduce, reuse, recycle has been drilled into our heads since we began grade school. However, most of the pollution created today is out of the average person’s control, most of us do not own big oil or coal companies nor do we produce most of the world’s plastic. Since most emissions are out of our hands, it can feel hopeless. We can’t just buy metal straws and suddenly we’ve saved the world. However, every step we do take to reduce our carbon footprint is extremely important, no matter how small the effort. Here are some changes you can make to reduce your impact on the environment. Buy secondhand Not only is buying clothes from a thrift store cheaper, but it is also better for the environment. According to The Economist, producing 1kg of fabric generates 23kg of greenhouse gases on average. If you are buying clothes that are preowned, you reduce the demand to produce new, unused clothing. You can also find books, jewelry, decorations, and so much more at thrift stores that are often steals as compared to their retail price.
Also, be sure to donate any unwanted items to a thrift store as well! Buy a reusable water bottle(with a filter) You can buy a reusable water bottle for as little as $20 from your local Target. This can drastically cut down your use of plastic bottles, and it is often cheaper. There are also reusable bottles within the same price range that come with a filter, so you can fill up right from your sink! Lights out Turning the lights off when you leave a room doesn’t just help you save on your electricity bill, it helps to save a ton of energy. Make an effort to turn the lights off when you leave the room. Also, try switching to energy-efficient light lightbulbs. Slurp’s up We’ve all heard about the metal straw craze over the past year, often paired up with ‘save the turtles’ stickers. The reason why using metal or silicone straws is important(and something you should try if you are psychically able to use them) is because plastic straws are too small to be recycled and often get lost or become contaminated.
Ecosia Browsers like Ecosia use ads to pay for planting trees. Every search you make contributes to paying to plant a tree. In fact, due to a recent surge in usage, Ecosia is planning to plant 3 million trees in Brazil. When using a website like Ecosia, every search makes a difference. Stop using pads and tampons Most people who have a period use pads and/or tampons. What we often forget is that these products are made almost entirely out of plastic packaging. Products like menstrual cups are a great way to cut down on plastic and also, they’re reusable(which saves you money)! Just boil them at the end of each cycle and you’re set! Also, companies like Saalt donate cups to girls in need, so what are you waiting for? Reusable bags Okay so you get home from the grocery store and you put all of the groceries away. Your kitchen is now flooded with plastic. Why not make the switch to reusable bags? Your local grocery store should sell them for extremely cheap and not only do they look better, but they reduce your waste by so much!
Change your diet Completely cutting meat out of your diet is hard and not everyone is able to do so whether it is due to health or financial reasons. However, reducing your meat intake is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Go vegan one day every week; this can help save on the land, water, pesticide, and fuel that is used to bring the burgers to your dinner table. For more information, go to ​www.50waystohelp.com​ to see what little things you can do to reduce your environmental impact.
Photo by @emersonkatep