When I created Radical Southern Strategies (RSS) in 2021, I intentionally built a team that was diverse and comprised of people I could trust, rely on, and learn from. Three years later, I am proud to have built an all-women, multiracial, multigenerational team composed of five highly skilled consultants geographically dispersed across the Americas. The RSS team resides in the US South (New Orleans, Pensacola, and Durham) and South America (Lima and Buenos Aires). We have different backgrounds and perspectives but a shared commitment to justice and equity. I learn with and from these Southern women every day.
For my first RSS blog and in honor of Women’s History Month, I wanted to uplift their voices and share their genius with the world, so I asked the team two questions about their relationship with other women and girls and the gender inequities that keep them up at night. I am not surprised at all to see their deep commitment to gender and racial equity reflected in their insightful and vulnerable responses as follows:
What significant issues impacting women and girls today keep you up at night?
Keeta
First on my mind, what keeps me up at night is violence against women and girls. In particular, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) disproportionately impacts Black women and Women of Color in the United States, with deep-seated systemic issues contributing to both the prevalence of and response to such violence. For Black women, the intersection of racism, sexism, economic inequality, and historical trauma creates complex barriers to seeking and receiving help. This issue becomes even more dire for Black Transgender women, who comprise a significant portion, accounting for over 60% of all known cases of fatal violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people. This statistic highlights the severe impact of intersecting identities.
As a Black woman with personal experience with Intimate Partner Violence, I would love to see more community dialogue in schools and other institutions that engage with youth, either directly or indirectly. Talking circles or a curriculum embedded in health sciences that address power and control dynamics could make it safer for Black girls and women to speak their voices and with power.
Mental health and wellbeing is another issue that is very close to me. The trauma from IPV and other life traumas, such as chronic illness and the death of a close loved one, can lead to a range of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorders. The stigma surrounding mental health in communities of color, coupled with the specific challenges faced by Black women and girls, can exacerbate the situation, making it more difficult for survivors to seek help and receive the support they need. I think there are a number of ways we can improve the mental health outcomes of girls and women, which include community education, creating more safe spaces, training community leaders and trusted peers, and advocating for community mental health services.
Nastacia
I lose a lot of sleep thinking about the fact that Black women and femmes face some of the highest rates of violence, maternal mortality, and stress-induced medical conditions, which are further compounded by high rates of poverty and unemployment. In the US, our systems regularly and systematically devalue and fail Black women and femmes.
Rebecka
Roe v Wade is overturned, and the Good Ol’Boys Club wins again. And what did women get from this? Submerged deeper into a culture that continuously finds new ways to punish women, steal their autonomy, and reinforce shame at every turn. How is it possible that my daughter will have less rights than I had? How will she grow up to believe that she has full control over her own body in an environment hostile to liberation?
Do you know what I think of when I examine the gross reproductive control that the House of Patriarchy built? Livestock. I remember growing up in the country…in the Deep South and hearing the same rhetoric of dominance and manipulation to describe breeding livestock as I hear today defending the rape and pillage tactics of the recently inflamed anti-choice movements. And I will be damned.
Sofia
Being from Venezuela, I developed an interest in the Darien Gap a while ago. That’s the conjoining point between South America and Central America, the only way to reach the United States through land. Although immigrants from everywhere in the world have been crossing the gap for many years, facing narcs and the dangers of the wilderness (To name a few dangers immigrants may face), the number of immigrants crossing has multiplied 100% in the last decade. It’s especially concerning that the government of Panama has just stopped the operations of the MSF, the NGO that helps women and girls who have been victims of sexual abuse while crossing.
During 2023, the organization registered 676 cases. But then, during January of 2024, the organization receive 120 reports… If we put on our thinking hats and take a calculator, we know that maybe there were 56 women abused each month during last year. Then, only in January, that number increased by more than 100%. On top of that, according to the organization, not many immigrants typically choose to cross the gap during January. So, what’s the actual percentage of cases the NGO received during January? And then, what is the actual percentage if we add an estimate of abuse victims who never reported the crime? We'll probably never know because the organization is now banned from working in the gap and assisting these victims.
How has your relationship with other women and girls shaped your perspective and trajectory? Do you have any inspirational stories to share?
Keeta
I learned about girlhood from my mother, who learned from her mother, who, in turn, learned from hers. They've all shaped my perspective in very positive ways. I grew up as a compassionate child, watching my great-grandmother love my great-aunt (her youngest child), who was assigned male at birth and transitioned to align with her true self in the mid-80s. At that time, it was taboo for people to come out in such a proud and loud way. Despite opposition from her own husband, my great-grandmother showed immense empathy and compassion. She not only ensured Tina was supported and felt safe within the walls of her home but also opened her home to the LGBTQ and transgender community for decades. Her house in Philadelphia became a true 'safe house' where individuals shunned by their families could find a sense of belonging. Upon her death in 2017, one of the transgender women who found solace in her home, after being exiled from her home and church, officiated her funeral as one of the first LGBTQ pastors with a congregation in the area.
On the other hand, I also feel it is my responsibility to unlearn the harmful practices and perspectives about girlhood, womanhood, and our roles in a patriarchal, capitalist, racist society that have been passed down through generations. Many women outside of my family unit have supported me and helped shape my trajectory into the work I do today. For instance, a former supervisor at a local nonprofit philanthropic organization took the time to deepen my understanding of racial justice and gender justice issues, ultimately inspiring me to lean into my purpose.
Nastacia
Despite the issues keeping me up at night, I come from a long line of Black women who are the very embodiment of strength and resilience. They've instilled an unshakable sense of myself, my worth, my power, and my hope for what's possible. I'm fortunate to be surrounded by people who believe in me to the fullest and who support and encourage me in pursuing all that I desire.
As a Black lesbian, I've also had the honor of loving and being loved by other women, which is also an endless source of hope and refuge. Whenever I'm feeling especially bogged down, I'm buoyed by the love and support from all the women in my life and the revolutionary love of all the individuals who are working tirelessly to transform the world around us.
Rebecka
It has been a tradition in our family for many generations that in the hours leading up to the birth of your firstborn… Your mother braids your hair for the last time. It’s symbolic—something a mother and daughter normally share in traditional roles. It signifies the life you two have shared, with one being the caretaker and the other being taken care of. It’s usually a quiet moment. Knowing that you are both entering a new phase, with new roles to come, but also honoring those times that you were just...mother and daughter.
So, in the Spring of 1947, my Great-grandmother braided my grandmother’s hair in a small shotgun house in New Orleans, as my mom made her way into this world in a wash basin. In the Summer of 1982, at Lafayette General, my Grandmother walked in hours before I was born and braided my Mother’s hair, calming her down from the day and easing me into this life. Then, in the Fall of 2004, as I lay stressed and crying in a hospital in Gulfport, MS, my own Mother quietly walked in and, without saying a word...started to braid my hair. It was too powerful for words. I silently cried as she hummed my childhood lullabies and whispered in my ear the words that each mother in our family whispers at that moment:
“You will forever be my baby. I will forever be your Mommy. It’s time now to welcome your own child into this world. You can do this. You come from a line of strong, beautiful, intelligent, and slightly mad women… And we are all with you right now, and just between us… You’re going to be the best mother of us all.”
Then she tucked my braid to the side, kissed my forehead, and watched the birth of her first Grandchild. I am blessed to come from these women. I am blessed to have had my Mother on the day my son was born. And I look forward to sharing this with my daughter when I braid her hair for the last time.
Sofia
My relationship with other women has always been a little problematic. It is not by choice, of course. It’s just the cards I’ve had to deal with. This impacted not only my social development but also my relationship with my family and myself. To some extent, for many years, it was easier for me to resign myself to the idea that I would probably never get to heal that part of me. And even though that might sound terrible and rough, I knew I had a hole inside of my soul, I felt incomplete. I didn’t know how to start. Or maybe I wasn’t ready to start. Perhaps a part of me didn’t want to. Understanding and forgiving, doing the internal work, is much easier than getting out of my shell and putting action into the healing. What I didn’t know was that I had to do it for myself, and also for other women in my life I hurt while acting from that dark and incomplete part of myself. And then for the women that will be part of my life in the future. I lacked perspective. I still feel a lot of shame admitting this to myself, not only because of my wounds but the amount of time I lost distrusting and dwelling, instead of acting.
I can only admit this right now, for you, because now I know getting to action was the best thing I could do. I can feel myself healing and other women healing their relationships with me, and I love it when other women seek my advice and support. Now that I trust them, they can trust me. Even if we don’t believe it, taking that first step, trusting, is the key. So, no matter how the relationship with the women in your life is right now, no matter if you are procrastinating on the true process of healing… Know that you don’t have to worry. The moment you step into action, your life will be filled with inspiring, beautiful, feminine figures who will join you on your eternal journey of discovering your femininity. And it’s worth it, so very worth it.
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