Author: Frederique
Music for your well being – Native American:
(39) Native American Flute | Birds | sounds nature – YouTube
(39) STRONG WOMAN SONG – Lisa Muswagon and Raven Hart-Bellecourt – YouTube
(39) Ulali Mother Tribute to native american women – YouTube
(39) Lakota Lullaby • Lakota Chant • Version by Alexia Evellyn – YouTube
(39) Song For The Sacred Elements – Chenoa Egawa & Alex Turtle – YouTube
Picture: (Fast London, n.d.)
But what we take for granted may not necessarily be accessible for others. Indeed, “An estimated 9% of families in the UK do not have a laptop, desktop or tablet at home.” (Vibert, 2020)
In areas that are dominated by low income households this percentage is much higher. This is why the pandemic has exacerbated the difference between children who have access to IT materials and those who are struggling to be IT literate. “FAST” is a youth charity in such an area who in partnership with school were able to highlight the issue their local families face. (Fast London, n.d.)
As a result an initiative was introduced to bridge this gap by providing laptops to families in these areas and in the borough at large. And, Fast hopes that they can contribute to helping even more in the near future.
By advocating for those who need the most FAST Made a difference within its community.
I found the story uplifting because breaking barriers regarding the lack of IT access is a sign of innovative entrepreneurship. But most importantly, it sends a message of hope in times of hardship.
For more information, I encourage you to listen to the below podcast episode which features FAST’s CEO Kafui Brésé speaking “on BBC London radio about how the Power to Connect addresses the major issue of digital poverty”. (soundcloud.com.n.d)
FAST speaking on Power to Connect initiative by Fast London (soundcloud.com)
You can access their website and donate here : Home | Fast London
They are also available and very active on Linkedin, Facebook and twitter at
FAST London: About | LinkedIn; (9) FAST-London | Facebook ; FAST London (@FastLondon1) / Twitter
Thanks for reading,
Frederique
Reference
soundcloud.com . (n.d.). FAST speaking on Power to Connect initiative. [online] Available at: https://soundcloud.com/fast-
Vibert, S. (2020). Children without internet access during lockdown. [online] Children’s Commissioner for England. Available at: https://www.
Fast London. (n.d.). Home. [online] Available at: https://www.fastlondon.co.uk/ [Accessed 16 Oct. 2021].
A campaign organised by Stella Creasy MP Website (workingforwalthamstow.org.uk)
In part 1 we covered some interesting points about how women were wronged and diminished historically. Having said that, I do not believe in the superiority of women or that men do not suffer. Why? Because nowadays we know that some men die of domestic abuse too, which is only one example of the type of suffering men can go through as human beings.
The organisation mankind.org.uk explains that “Of domestic abuse crimes recorded by the police, 26% were committed against men. This equates to 155,000 offences per year.”
Additionally, some men do experience depression too. Let’s take the case of the famous Kanye West who is bipolar. The nature of being bipolar is to experience two major phases. The first being mania which is when the person is being overly optimistic. The NHS defines this state as “feeling very high” (NHS, 2021)
The other phase is depression. This is described by the NHS as “feeling very low and lethargic” (NHS, 2021)
On the same level of unkindness was Melissa Caddick who “misappropriated about $25m of investors’ funds” (Press, 2021)
And women can be as violent and disturbed as men. Gorgina Challen was found guilty of hammering her husband whom she abused for years prior taking his life. (the Guardian, 2018) Filicides are also among the types of crimes that women can perpetuate (King, 2019). Although, we know now that it is the consequence of mental defects such as postnatal depression (NHS, 2021).
All the above leads to the confirmation that women are no super beings, who have been locked up in a tower and are waiting for a saviour to get them out of hell.
Nonetheless, it is important to acknowledge that women are not treated with respect and compassion by everyone, concurrently there are signs that men do suffer from the same injustices.
Perhaps, not at the same intensity and frequency which is not the point to be debated here, but the truth and the matter should not be put to the side in order to serve a dark agenda.
Standing for the truth is as important as standing against abuse. Abuse is not acceptable and I do not believe that you need to be a feminist to show support to women around the world.
To conclude, I do understand that showing kindness and understanding to those who need (men and women) is to me an important step to be taken in order to move away from an old, colonialist and utterly violence mindset. All human beings deserve respect and acknowledgement!!!
Thanks for reading,
Frederique
Male Victims – Domestic and Partner Abuse Statistics (mankind.org.uk)
Reference
www.mankind.org.uk. (n.d.). Statistics on Male Victims of Domestic Abuse –. [online] Available at: https://www.mankind.org.uk/
NHS (2021). Overview – Bipolar Disorder. [online] nhs.uk. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-
the Guardian. (2021). Does the Elizabeth Holmes trial spell the end of the #girlboss era? | Arwa Mahdawi. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/
Press, A.A. (2021). Melissa Caddick case: police end search for missing conwoman off Sydney coast. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/
the Guardian. (2018). Surrey woman who killed husband can challenge murder conviction. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/
King, L. (2019). These are the evil mums who killed their own children. [online] mirror. Available at: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/
NHS (2021). Overview – Postnatal depression. [online] nhs.uk. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-
Documentaries about first nations :
(39) native american documentary – YouTube
(39) Life As A Young and Native American | Indigenous Voices – YouTube
(39) Indigenous Women Keep Going Missing in Montana – YouTube
(39) The #UNIGNORABLE issue of intergenerational trauma | Truth and Reconciliation – YouTube
(39) Oren Lyons on the Indigenous View of the World – YouTube
A campaign organised by Stella Creasy MP Website (workingforwalthamstow.org.uk)
I will be providing 2 creative writing workshops next month in association with SCOPE (
Home | Disability charity Scope UK ) and I would be very grateful if you could spread the words, especially in the BAME community so that we can connect in a meaningful way.
A lot of change is happening in the world of discovery in both space and the ocean and I hope to encourage the BAME’s community to learn and express their views about it.
Finally, the Zoom link to access the session is as below:
Frederique
I often wonder how the world would be if women could be more respected. The profound disrespect and belittling of females can be traced to the Greek society that birthed the Mythology.
This is how many devious characters such as Venus who hated a young girl named Psyche because of her beauty or Zeus’ wife Hera who was so obsessed by her jealousy that she magically tricked many of her husbands’ lovers.
It is also full of rapes (from men to women), murders of all sorts and sad stories of lovers losing each other. (Hamilton and Tierney, 2011) And it is interesting to note that one of the myth synonyms are the nouns tale, legend or fable.
My point is that one of my fantasies is to see the end of the stereotypes which describe women as vicious, jealous and violent creatures that burdens men.
All the misery emerging from being human, will no longer be the woman’s fault but the result of factors such as socio-economic changes or natural phenomenon, for example!!!
So what does that has to do with feminism? Oxford dictionary defines feminism as “the belief and aim that women should have the same rights and opportunities as men; the struggle to achieve this aim”.
Thus, from that perspective, women should earn as much as men. Also, women should work as hard as men and they should have the same values and ethos in terms of education, self-awareness, health, money management etc…
Unfortunately, I DO NOT agree with this type of concept because I do not want to behave or live like men. Independence and respect should not be at the condition of being equal to men.
As a black woman, I would like to be able to choose a career path without having to face the incommensurable amount of barriers that includes racism, discrimination and/or bullying.
Also, men from the western hemisphere have a long history of being violent, greedy, sexist, absent from family life because they are supposedly at work. Hence why, I do not wish to be equal to men.
No more money craving ideology or insane hustling attitude.
I am talking about the increasing plastic and Carbon dioxide production as well as the destruction of many ecosystems which generated the extinction of so many species.
Hopefully by then we may be able to tell the next generations that they have a bright future before them.
Stay tune for part 2,
Frederique
Reference
www.
Hamilton, E. and Tierney, J. (2011). Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, 75th Anniversary Illustrated Edition. [online] Amazon. Available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/