VOTE
& tell them
Ruth Sent you
After Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away in the fall of 2020, I was distraught and felt powerless, so I turned to my computer and created a simple but impactful image that read, "VOTE and tell them Ruth sent you." I posted it on social media and went to bed; it went viral overnight. When I woke up in the morning, I was blown away, sitting in my pj's with a cup of tea, thinking, "What just happened?"
I knew I needed to harness that engagement and do something impactful with it, so I quickly created shirts, buttons, signs, and stickers to raise money to support my belief system. Ultimately, I raised just under $30,000 and donated all the profits to charities that support women's reproductive rights, the Black Lives Matter movement, voter rights, LGBTQIA community suicide prevention, and refugee support.
I was flooded with pictures when I asked folks to send photos of themselves with their merch. It was the most uplifting experience of my career; I felt an overwhelming sense of pride in creating something that was helping so many people feel hope and reclaim their power during such a stressful time for our country. I still look at these photos of strangers on days I'm feeling hard on myself and remember I created a small but powerful movement for a short moment in time that helped others feel positive and empowered them to do one of the most important actions they can take to help create a world they want...vote.
Thank you to everyone who clicked like or reshared, bought merchandise, donated their time or money, and, most importantly, voted.
Ongoing work
I am passionate about my beliefs and am continuing to make art to express my support or resistance whenever I can.
As the news of the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor floods my feed this morning, all I can think of is that I wish Virginia Giuffre were here today to see the arrest of one of her abusers. Her courage and sacred rage played a large part in shedding light on the horrors of the Epstein trafficking ring.
Remember, not all survivors survive. The trauma is forever; there is no statute of limitations on the pain, nor should there be one on justice. Keep demanding accountability, keep talking about the files, keep demanding that the US government DO SOMETHING to hold the abusers accountable in our country as well.
Rest in validation Virgina Giuffre.