Using my illustrations to elevate minority voices
So let me get this straight... a white man with a "s*x addiction" can target Asian spas to "remove temptation" by killing Asian women and it's STILL NOT CONSIDERED A HATE CRIME?
This is the epitome of misogyny and racism. These are people. Not some fe**sh.
Too many women walk with keys in between their fingers for protection. Too many women guard their drinks because it might get drugged if left unattended. Too many women have lists upon lists of tactics they use to protect themselves and their friends "just in case".
It's not all men. But all women are scared. And that's the point.
Happy Women's History Month and say hello to Toni Morrison!
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I figured this would be a great month to start a feature. Every Friday, I will share a post that features a woman that I've found inspirational and some of my favorite quotes from them.
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The main reason why I started this instagram account was to build a platform to raise other minority voices through my illustrations. That's why I've wanted to find a way to celebrate the amazing, bada** women that have paved the way for so many of us -- especially minority women.
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And who better to start off the than Toni Morrison! I've just finished reading the Bluest Eye and am in awe of her writing. She was an award winning author, professor, and activist. Morrison was the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.
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Let me know in the comments who else you'd like me to feature next!!
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Hearing the phrase "I don't see color" really doesn't sit well with me because race isn't the problem. Ignoring race means your ignoring oppressive patterns perpetuated by racism.
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Plus cultural differences can be amazing. My culture has helped shape who I am as a person. I want to learn about your culture because that helped shape who you are. Learning about the varied experiences of others makes us all richer as humans.
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Racism is the problem. Discrimination is the problem. Don't blame it on the cultural differences.
(Also be sure to check out - their latest post about “not seeing color” was wonderfully worded! Definitely helped me articulate why I am so frustrated by the term color blind)
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Chapter 7: Culture
Book: How to be an Antiracist
Author: Ibram X Kendi
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A huge shoutout to all the amazing women out there ✨✨
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Chapter 7: Culture
Book: How to be an Antiracist
Author:
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"Hip-hop has the most sophisticated vocabulary of any American musical genre. I read endlessly its poetic text. But parents and grandparents did not see us listening to and memorizing gripping works of oral poetry. They saw -- and still see -- words that would lead my mind into deviance."
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I saw this tweet from Ayanna Pressley and I knew I HAD to illustrate it. Policy is so important in creating change!!
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Alexa, play Havana by Camila Cabello 💃🏽
I was invited to participate in a travel collab with 23 amazing artists! The theme was to draw a place we’d love to travel once the world opens up again.
I picked Havana bc it’s been on my bucket list for a while. I can’t wait to experience it one day. The weather, the food, the architecture, the dancing....
Huge shout out to .letters for organizing 💛
Keep swiping to see everyone’s beautiful work ➡️
staticdoodle.draw
creations
2020
of.tay
No 👏🏽 Such 👏🏽 Thing
Book: How to be an Antiracist
Chapter 6: Body
Author:
Still letting myself feel happy and hopeful for the next couple of days 🥰 This is a huge milestone and deserves to be celebrated!
I wanted to take today and this weekend to educate myself and be more than a performative ally. I read his Letters from Birmingham Jail to understand the full picture and not just snippets of quotes taken out of context.
One thing that frustrated me was how applicable and relatable his quotes still are today. There are SO MANY MORE quotes that I wanted to include in this post, but this post was getting quite long and I didn’t want to repeat a lot of the quotes are already getting shared.
What are some of your favorite quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.?
: Now that the House and Senate are both blue, let’s not forget about the Black voters that put you there and MADE THIS POSSIBLE. Listen to the BIPOC community. Push policy that actually helps.
We should be CELEBRATING and wins today. And I am furious that I'm watching the news right now while they call these domestic terrorists that are storming our NATION'S CAPITOL "protestors".
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Why was this allowed? Because they're white.
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Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas to all that celebrate!
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Book: How to be an Antiracist
Chapter 4: Biology
Author:
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🎶the pandemic outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful... And since we’ve got no place to go, let it snow let it snow let it snow🎶
Have you ever had a moment where you didn't realize that something was messed up until someone pointed it out?
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One example, my friends and I were discussing the first BIPOC teachers we've had. When I thought about it, I realized I hadn't actually had any BIPOC teachers until I went to college. How many perspectives are children missing out on because we lack diversity in the classroom? Similar to Kendi, I did not mind until I noticed.
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I designed two versions of one quote for this post because this really resonated with me. As someone who is not black and trying to be an ally, I'm trying to educate myself so I can better understand the experiences of others. I'm educating myself so I can learn to notice the patterns of injustice that others have to live and experience. If we don't stop to pay attention and notice, how can we actively start changing things?
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Book: How to be an Antiracist
Chapter 3: Power
Author:
Have you guys had any difficult conversations regarding race recently? Sending lots of love to those of you who already have or will be having those difficult convos this holiday season 💜
Connecting this chapter back to Chapter 1 -- in order to fight something, you must first define it. In order to combat racism, you must first acknowledge the intent behind its creation and the impact it has caused for others.
Book: How to be an Antiracist
Chapter 3: Power
Author:
Some Friday night doodling for tomorrow’s post🤓
Who knew you could condense an hour of doodling into less than 30 secs?
The feeling of "YES!!" that went through my head while reading this chapter was wonderful. In the two quotes I selected for this post, Kendi eloquently rebuts the argument "I don't see color" (a rebuttal that I've struggled with for a long time)
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Race is such a difficult topic to discuss, partly because of the dissonance captured in the quotes. Race really shouldn't matter. But it has made an impact on so many lives because it was used as a tool to perpetuate "otherness" and the oppression of an entire group of people. That's why it matters.
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Book: How to be an Antiracist
Chapter Three: Power
Author:
Loved reading this chapter! Excited for you all to see the illustrations ✨
Book: How to be an Antiracist
Chapter 3: Power
Author:
Please stay safe this Thanksgiving!
Try not to travel if you can. Avoid large gatherings. Do what you can to slow the spread. We are sooo close to a vaccine and the sacrifices we make now might mean lives saved in the long run
What does it actually mean to be American? Super cliche... but this chapter had me reflecting on all the times I’ve been unintentionally racist or tried to conform. Comment and lmk what you think!
My last post, I touched on how assimilationist ideals sound like a form of victim blaming. Instead of calling to attention the systems of oppression, it’s blaming the people for not fitting into the mold the oppressors have designed. But why does one racial group get to decide what it means to be “American”?
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I’ve certainly been guilty of trying to assimilate. As a daughter of immigrants growing up in a small Midwestern town, I wanted to fit in. I was embarrassed by the smell of my family’s ethic food left on my clothes, my parents’ accents, and the traditional pronunciation of my own name. I wanted to be more “American” — not realizing I was trying to be “more white”.
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Book: How to be an Antiracist
Chapter Two: Dueling Consciousness
Author:
Do you like these prints? Help me raise money for the GA Senate Race and support and ! DM me your email and a screenshot/receipt of your donation to either or on GASenate.com and I’ll email you a higher quality version of these pictures for you to print and frame!
is the embodiment of my goals on this page. Instead of lifting minority “voices through visuals” she is doing even more impactful work: lifting voices through votes. She is working hard, quietly in the trenches. Demanding change for the underrepresented in Georgia instead of demanding individual recognition.
We. Don’t. Live. In. A. Post. Racial. Era. Vote! (thanks for voting if you did!) Protest! Demand action from our elected officials!
As important as individuals are in an antiracist society, policy also matters!!! I often overlook this part, but laws are another way that enables the cycles of oppression.
Book: How to be an Antiracist
Chapter One: Definitions
Author: ibramxkendi
“Racist voting policy has evolved from disenfranchising by Jim Crow voting laws to disenfranchising by mass incarceration and voter id laws”
“We all have the power to discriminate, only an exclusive few have the power to make policy”
One of Kendi’s main takeaways from this chapter was, in order to fight something, you must first define it. Once you have a definition you can then set goals to slowly combat the problem.
Book: How to be an Antiracist
Chapter One: Definitions
Author:
“To be antiracist is to set up lucid definitions of racism and racist/antiracist policies, ideas, and people. To be racist, is to constantly redefine racist in a way that exonerates one’s changing policies, ideas, and personhood”
“In order to go beyond racism, we must first take into account race”
Here we go!
Starting off the reading with “How to be Antiracist”! I will try to read a chapter per week and illustrate my favorite excerpts as I go. Comment if you plan to read along with me!
Here’s a stack of the books I will be reading these next few weeks! These books have been on my “to read” list for much too long. If you’re also trying to educate yourself on systemic racism like myself, these books are a good place to start!
I purchased these books from my local, independently owned bookstore, Shelves Bookstore. I truly appreciate the owner’s focus on BIPOC literature – she’s included books written by Black authors and resources for those who want to learn more about systemic racism.
What are some of your favorite locally owned bookstores near you?
TLDR: I did a thing
Welcome! If you’re anything like me, the Black Lives Matter movement has shown you just how limited your world view is. Since the protests started a few months ago, I’ve immersed myself into different podcasts, books, and documentaries that have shown me how little I actually knew about American history and the structures/systems that encourage cycles of oppression. For example, my history classes never covered the massacre on Black Wall Street.
As a fellow minority/BIPOC/daughter of immigrants, I’ve had to work against subtle and sometimes direct forms of racism or discrimination. I also acknowledge that I haven’t had to face some obstacles or discrimination that others have faced. That’s why I want to spend my time learning so I can become a better ally.
Each podcast I listen to and each book that I read, I’ve found myself highlighting/writing down quotes or excerpts that I find inspirational and enlightening. I wanted to create a page that honors and elevates the perspective these minority authors bring to the table. Since I have a stack of books I am going to be reading, I would love to create a community that reads along with me (pseudo book club?) or just share and discuss the quotes I’ve found meaningful.
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Some Friday night doodling for tomorrow’s post🤓 Who knew you could condense an hour of doodling into less than 30 secs?
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