August 2020 newsletter

Aug 1

Back To (Home)School 📚 — Mirza Monthly #3

View this email in your browser

Hey friends and family,

Summer 2020 has been like no other. Everything’s changed and that includes back-to-school season. Amid lockdown restrictions being lifted, worsening case rates in some US states and fall just around the corner, many of us are left wondering what to do with our kids. It’s a confusing time, but you’re not alone. We’ll be diving into this topic throughout this month, starting with our 14 Day Back to School Challenge that will launch on Wednesday, August 12th. We’ll give you tools to help plan out schedules with your partner, how to talk to your office about “new normal” working hours, and how to get your kids on board.

But it's not all anxiety, doom and gloom!

August is National Black business month and we’re celebrating all month long 🥳 We’re partnering up with the Indie Creator Society and we can’t wait to share some incredible entrepreneurs and their stories with you. Keep your eyes on our instagram @mirzasayshey and follow @indiecreatorsociety to get in on the action 👀

This month we recognize Women’s Equality Day on August 26th. In doing so, we also recognize the work that still needs to be done in the fight for true equal rights. Scroll down to learn why the 19th Amendment failed, and what we can do 👇

As we approach the end of summer and the start of a very uncertain academic year, there are many questions looming over all parents. What will going back to school look like? Will homeschooling be the new normal? How will I balance educating my child with work? Parents face tough decisions as we head into fall - and there are no right answers. 🤔

One thing is crystal clear: the lack of child care support disproportionately affects the female workforce. A recent survey found that 72% of mothers were forced to cut back on their working hours because of child care issues. Lockdown has intensified the crisis and it’s only getting worse for women. America might be reopening for business, but when child care options have dwindled to nothing, women are left to shoulder the burden (what’s new?!). When half the workforce remain tied to their homes, there is no chance for an economic recovery. Helping parents with child care will not just benefit women, but for everyone. The solutions to this problem are nothing new either. Whether it’s more flexibility in the workplace, more equal division of household labor, or affordable child care options, the answers have always been there. It’s only taken a global pandemic to show just how important child care is.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. It granted women the right to vote and has long been recognized as a seminal moment in women’s suffrage. Something to celebrate, right? But as with many historical narratives, the reality is far more complicated. The amendment only opened the door halfway. It welcomed only white women, while women of color were left outside. It took another 45 years before Black folks were granted the same right (Voting Rights Act of 1965). To this day, the experiences of BIPOC women continue to be obscured and undermined. This legacy of exclusionary activism manifests itself most clearly in white feminism. So, while we acknowledge the strides made towards equality, we can’t ignore the injustices that persist, especially when it’s at the expense of the very people we’re fighting for. Women’s Equality Day reminds us that there’s still work to be done, and not just for the day, but everyday 🙌

So, how do we counteract white feminism? One word: intersectionality. Coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, the term recognizes how our identities are made up of different strands that intersect and combine together to create a whole. It can be race, gender, social class, sexuality, ability, religion, etc. These factors blend together and determine how we are viewed, understood and treated. This also means that oppression is not a singular, one-dimensional experience, but multifaceted and messy. To ignore the different experiences of individuals would not only be a disservice to them, but undermines what true feminism stands for - that is equality for all womxn.

This is why intersectionality is intrinsic to our work. By raising the voices of all womxn, only then can we all win. In honour of Women’s Equality Day, we’ll be celebrating trailblazers like Ida B. Wells, Shirely Chisholm and bell hooks, so stay tuned 📺 For now, here are some awesome resources for you to check out: the power of language, the Black maternal mortality crisis, understanding gender roles and 6 ways to be more intersectional.

🎧 Want to know more about intersectional feminism? Listen to this podcast discussion between Reni Eddo-Lodge, author of Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race, and Julia Gillard.

📖 Discover this helpful back-to-school resource guide for parents and caregivers, covering many of the questions you may have.

💡 Take a look at these seven tips on how co-parents can agree on a back-to-school plan, based on the issues parents struggle with the most.

👏 Last week, New Zealand’s parliament passed the Equal Pay Amendment Bill, which focuses on pay equity by ensuring women in underpaid female-dominated industries receive the same remuneration as men in different but equal-value work. YES. YES. YES.

That’s a wrap on our August Newsletter! Thanks for catching up with us.
Now we’d love to hear from you. If you have any comments you would like to share, please make use of our feedback form and share your thoughts!

Speak to you soon,