#the roots project
Illustration by Maurice Sendak from ‘Open House for Butterflies’ by Ruth Krauss. Click image for more.
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“When we deny women and girls representation, we put them in ever smaller boxes,” she wrote. “And when we limit their potential, we limit the potential of our culture as a whole. When we limit the contributions of half our society, we cut our potential in two.”
THERE’S THIS PERVASIVE NOTION THAT WHITE MALE IS THE, LIKE, THE BASIC MODEL HUMAN AND ANYTHING NOT WHITE MALE IS A VARIANT EDITION
She added, “If superheroes are meant to reflect the best of us, they should reflect the best of all of us, especially as that message can become confusing, and we can internalize the idea that heterosexual white males are the best of us.”
“I have cerebral palsy. I shake all the time,” Maysoon Zayid announces at the beginning of this exhilarating, hilarious talk. (Really, it’s hilarious.) “I’m like Shakira meets Muhammad Ali.” With grace and wit, the Arab-American comedian takes us on a whistle-stop tour of her adventures as an actress, stand-up comic, philanthropist and advocate for the disabled.
“Despite such terrible damage, the tree did not die. Below the ground, its massive root system was fully of vitality. Before long, hundreds of young, bright-green burl sprouts began to come up around the circle formed by the root crown of the original tree.”
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“Books transmit values. They explore our common humanity. What is the message when some children are not represented in those books? Where are the future white personnel managers going to get their ideas of people of color? Where are the future white loan officers and future white politicians going to get their knowledge of people of color? Where are black children going to get a sense of who they are and what they can be?”
“Motivated by a strong desire to show that "average is beautiful,” Lamm has decided to make his designs come to life with a doll called “Lammily.”
Lamm decided to take matters into his own hands after being bombarded with questions about where to buy a Barbie of normal size. The entreprenuer is offering prototypes of his toy to the first people to donate to his CrowdtiltOpen campaign, but his plan is to eventually be able to distribute the doll widely online and in retail. The longer term vision also includes embracing diversity by creating dolls with different ethnic backgrounds and body types.
The trend towards heavier sexualization of girls’ toys may have finally reached a tipping point with consumers. There’s a clear demand for toys that are realistic and appropriate for young girls, and many parents, if they knew there was an option, would buy them.
We’re seeing incredible momentum in the toy industry, and its not unrealistic to think that soon the empowerment of girls won’t be something companies even have to think about anymore. It will be automatic. But until then, Lammily will most certainly do.“
“The Representation Project is a movement that uses film and media content to expose injustices created by gender stereotypes and to shift people’s consciousness towards change. Interactive campaigns, strategic partnerships and education initiatives inspire individuals and communities to challenge the status quo and ultimately transform culture so everyone, regardless of gender, race, class, age, sexual orientation or circumstance can fulfill their potential.”
