Intersectionality

And as I chatted with younger leaders (basically anyone under 50) from different places in the hallways, at meals, and between sessions, the feelings of frustration, hope, discouragement, and possibility bubbled over. Other people my age really care about this stuff. At the next World Conference, we're going to be prepared with new legislative proposals reflecting the changes we would like to see. The frustrations of today will not go to waste. The Spirit of God like a fire is burning. Its just a slower burn than I'd like to see.

I do hope, however, that this call to civility and love does not encourage people to avoid all difficult topics or advocacy. It's far too easy to say, "I am not political," or "I don't care about politics," or "I only focus on the good" to achieve peace. This peace comes at a great cost, however. And the people who pay that cost are often those who experience the daily costs of systemic racism, sexism, bigotry, and classism.

Guest Post by Alma Frances Pellet. Alma is a software developer and living her dream of being a stay-at-home mom to the three remaining...

Parents, leaders, friends. Anyone who reads this, please don’t shut down the feelings of anyone around you. We are all human. We all experience things differently and see different things throughout our lifetime. Kids should never have to wonder what’s wrong with them.

The kinds of creative navigation of choices that I have seen discussed and modeled in Mormon feminism have served me well in life. I can acquiesce to expectations, I can resist expectations, I can create or find other options that allow me to preserve my integrity.

She eventually decided to enroll at Memphis State. On her first day, she was told that she wasn’t allowed in the library, the gym, the cafeteria, or any other shared spaces on campus. She was to come at 8am and leave by noon every day. She was to sit in the back of her classes with a police officer next to her. She soon learned that no matter how many times she raised her hand, the professors would never call on her. 

When the instructions for carving out my femininity, written in the language of kindness, eluded her, she substituted cruelty and criticism. When the controls for the oven from which she came proved too complicated to operate, she toughened my dough with impossible expectations.

Guest Post by Alma. Alma is a software developer and living her dream of being a stay-at-home mom to the three remaining children she...