I'm glad I found this event flyer from Seattle's 'Radical Women' in the street today

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I was walking across the street in Columbia City with my younger son today when I saw a yellow flyer sitting face down in the road. It caught my eye for some reason, so I doubled back a couple steps and grabbed it.

Lo and behold, it was about two events being put on by the Seattle chapter of Radical Women. Here's the mission statement from their Facebook page, if you don't know about them. It's one of the best things I've read in ages:

Radical Women is dedicated to exposing, resisting, and eliminating the inequities of women’s existence. To accomplish this task of insuring survival for an entire sex, we must simultaneously address ourselves to the social and material source of sexism: the capitalist form of production and distribution of products, characterized by intrinsic class, race, sex, and caste oppression. When we work for the revolutionary transformation of capitalism into a socialist society, we work for a world in which all people may enjoy the right of full humanity and freedom from poverty, war, racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, and repression.

Whoo! That's what I'm talking about. Fucking capitalism, am I right?

Anyway, the first event on the flyer is a showing of a documentary about Standing Rock on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the New Freeway Hall (5018 Rainier Ave S in Seattle):

"'AWAKE, a dream from Standing Rock': Don't miss this 90-minute documentary on the heroic struggle by indigenous Water Protectors and thousands of allies to stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which endangers the water supply of the Standing Rock reservation and 17 million people downstream. Introduction by Gina Petry, Radical Women Organizer who worked with and interviewed leading Native women and youth at Standing Rock last year."

The second event is a discussion circle called "On the Frontlines of Freedom: Writings by radical women of color," set for Saturday, Sept. 23 at 3 p.m. at the Seattle Public Library - High Point Branch. Facilitated by Christina Lopez, a Chicana activist for immigration rights and reproductive justice, "all are welcome to explore the dynamic ideas and bold visions of women radicals of color, both courageous pioneers and contemporary writer/activists. Readings from many sources explore the interconnections between different forms of oppression and point the way toward victory."

I know this is mostly an education blog, but I believe strongly that all inequity in our country is connected. Our liberation is tied to our neighbor's, and that is true from sector to sector, too. Our schools won't be what we need them to be until our society at whole functions in pursuit of equity.

I also spent more than a month at Standing Rock starting last November and went back again in February. I'm still trying to process and move past that experience. I've seen this documentary, and it's really illuminating. This will be a great way to see it for a second time.