Image by Clique

VIEWPOINT

Growing Into Feminism

In her book “Living a Feminist Life”, Sara Ahmed asked the question: “When did feminism become a word that not only spoke to you, but spoke you, spoke of your existence, spoke you into existence?”

In other words, how does someone reach a point when, without apology, you identify as a feminist? Especially when it seems the only place you can find courses on the subject are in university calendars?

Last week, CV Harquail, a colleague, shared this remarkable article with me: Amanda Sinclair’s Five movements in an embodied feminist: A memoir. Sinclair says we become feminists over time by experiencing physical and intellectual struggles thrown at us by a system that routinely subordinates women and gender minorities. She says our lived experiences and feelings lead us to feminism. We don’t seek it out. It finds us. 

I decided to consider my own journey and put this theory to the test.

My first awareness of feminism came in 1975, which coincided with the United Nations’ declaration of the Year of the Woman. I learned about Gloria Steinem. Morgentaler risking his life to open abortion clinics to make the procedure safe and more available to women in Canada. The Equal Rights Amendment in the United States (and a woman!) Phyliss Schafly fighting against the extension of women’s rights. Cheeky Iona Campagnolo who ran for leadership of the Canadian liberal party and endured a pat on the bum from the eventual winner…and returned it! Iris Rivera, who taught us you can get fired for not making your boss a cup of coffee.

When all this turbulent media coverage swept over me, I was 13 years old…

To continue reading VIEWPOINT, by LiisBeth Founder and Publisher, Petra Kassun-Mutch, click here.

THIS WEEK ON LIISBETH 

Parachute Voltige (photo credit: Daniel Lepôt)

100% Feminine: 14 Women Reaching New Heights in Canadian Skydiving 

When it feels like the sky is falling, why not jump out of a plane? Lana Pesch takes us on her journey of setting a new Canadian skydiving record this past summer and the value of role models, collaboration and discipline, and taking calculated risks. Read about the power of passion here.

Heads up! This is a longer than usual piece for us. 3200 words worth of adrenaline infused narrative. Buckle your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.

WEAR IT LOUD AND PROUD 

We love political T’s.

It’s how we discovered Jamie “Boots” Marshall’s t-shirt shop on Etsy. Marshall is an artist and graphic designer. In the past she’s worked as a freelance illustrator and art director, but her main focus has always been t-shirt design. Currently, she owns and runs Boots Tees, an online shop for her t-shirts, art, and other fun stuff. Her hobbies include: reading, board games, and fighting the patriarchy

We LOVE her work so we got her to help us create our first feminist entrepreneurship T-shirt!  LiisBeth is not in the T-shirt business. But Marshall is. So we promote and she gets the sales. A win-win collaboration!  #buywomenled

The shirt is available at $32.00 here. For a 10% discount use the LiisBeth reader discount code: LIISBETH10

We will also be selling the shirts at the upcoming FAC “Framed by Feminists” market at the Gladstone Hotel, in Toronto, on Sunday, Oct 28th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come and see us! Sitting behind a computer gets a little lonely sometimes!

ATTENTION: THIS FORUM IS DESIGNED FOR ENTERPRISES LOOKING TO ADVANCE SOCIAL JUSTICE AND GENDER EQUALITY

The 2018 Entrepreneurial Feminist Forum in Toronto is only 6 weeks away!

What’s in store this year? If the list above is too small to read on your phone, get the full speaker bios and session details here! The EFF 2018 includes three thought provoking foundational talks, three deep dive lab sessions, six 90 minute “think and do” workshops, two embodied movement classes, journaling and creative writing break rooms, a poster session, reception and more! Watch for updates and get your tickets here.

The early bird rate is $250 (till Oct 31st). Regular $299. Student rate is $99. FOR TWO WHOLE DAYS! 

Watch for news about our official transportation partner & childcare support!  And local dog walking services too! 

SEE YOU THERE! 

Biusual Studios

HOW TO UNLOCK BILLIONS OF UNREALIZED GROWTH LED BY ENTREPRENEURIAL WOMEN?

Did you miss LiisBeth’s Op Ed in the October 16th Globe and Mail Small Business Report online?

No worries, you can also read it here.

The main point?  We called on Mary Ng, the Canadian minister of small business and export promotion, to do something bold with the new $85M in funding for support for women entrepreneurs she announced in September. You can read the release here.

We would love your input and comments!

Design by Merian Media

What is the Story Behind LiisBeth’s Symbol?

When you start exploring LiisBeth, you will see our ¤ icon throughout and you might wonder, what does it represent? It is actually an adaptation of the international typographic symbol used to denote an unknown currency, which we thought was the perfect starting point for creating a graphic representation of LiisBeth’s inclusive and empowering ethos. And more!  To read the full story, click here.

LIISBETH FIELD NOTES

Gender Equality Network Canada – Youth Panel Discussion – Sept 18 2017

Have You Heard about Canada’s Gender Equality Network (GEN)?

Well, we had, but weren’t exactly sure what it was. So we spoke with Ann Decter, Director of Community Initiatives & Gender Equality Network Canada at the Canadian Women’s Foundation.

GEN is a three-year project to create a network of 150 women across the country who are already working to advance gender equality. To be eligible to join the network, you have to be involved or leading a project that is funded by the Status of Women of Canada. The goal? To deliver a National Action Plan for the advancement of gender equality in about 1.5 years.

One of the key themes they are working on is to identify policies and ways in which women, who live longer than men, can become more economically secure given the accumulated effects of the gender wage gap.

We asked Decter if a recommendation related to support of women’s entrepreneurship might be one of the topics in the report. “You have to have some means to use entrerpreneurship to move yourself up. And it’s not the most secure way to go,” Decter said.  She believes that a universal childcare policy would be a key part of any plan looking to advance the economic security for all women. 

When asked about what keeps her up at night these days, Decter expressed concern over Canada’s Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s recent use of the notwithstanding clause to undermine rights guaranteed by the Charter of Rights, explaining that “unlike our American sisters, Canadian women’s rights are written into the Charter, but that means nothing if we continue to elect governments who choose to invoke the notwithstanding clause to override them.”

To protect women’s rights that have already been won, Decter adds, “We need to do what we can to protect the Charter. The more we elect governments supportive of the Charter of Rights, the more safe we [women, women’s rights] are.”

Partner (photo credit: Jennifer Hyc)

Venus Fest Round Up

The vibe at this year’s Venus Fest was excited, open, and connected. With close to 1000 people over 3 nights, attendance was up by 65% from last year! The music fest dedicated to celebrating feminism in the arts extended the event to 3 nights instead of one full day, and added a kick off show and panel, plus a stellar afterparty!

Feature acts included Maylee Todd who included a full harp for her performance and used her live programming skills to create an incredible show. Moor Mother brought the full intensity of her work to the stage and the audience was 100% entranced. On closing night, Partner (pictured above), fresh off their Polaris short-list performance, gave a high-energy Venus Fest-loving set.

Plans for Venus Fest 2019 are underway and you can bet it will as beautiful and treasured by the community as this year, featuring new artists who are paving the way and dancing to the beat of their own drum.

FEMINIST FREEBIE!

LiisBeth is giving away a ticket to WEConnect’s Power the Economy conference on October 26^th in Toronto. Be the first person to email the names of the two keynote speakers here. Value: $400

Attention ALL women-owned businesses!
Less than 1% of large corporate and government spending goes to women-owned businesses… globally and WEConnect corporate members are committed to getting more money into the hands of women.

Join WEConnect to have networking opportunities in a global network of over 80 corporate buyers and thousands of businesses around the world. Matchmaking events expose you to leaders in supplier diversity and inclusion, business experts, and successful women business owners. You’ll get business leads, valuable contacts, and gain access to an incredible ecosystem.

Gender Physics: Flying on Both Wings

“Gender is social construct,” says Heggie, author of Gender Physics. “We’re each made up of a myriad of characteristics. We should be using the actions and options available to us.” The book encourages people to let go of gender stereotypes and think of people as humans, not male or female.

Heggie sees the #metoo movement as a good example of using both masculine and feminine energies. The paradox is that masculinity is getting bashed because women are finding their masculine voice. Women are speaking out, a masculine trait, and also banding together in solidarity, a feminine characteristic that exists in all of us.

If you are in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan this Thursday, October 18th, join Heggie at her book launch at McNally Robinson’s book store, 7:00 pm CT.

MORE FEMINIST FREEBIES!

We’re giving away SIX SIGNED COPIES of Gender Physics to the first six people who take the energy evaluation test. Let us know if your natural approach to life and relationships is controlled by Feminine or Masculine Energy! Email your answer here.

ANOTHER FEMINIST FREEBIE!

LiisBeth is giving away TWO tickets to the #MoveTheDial Summit being held on November 7th in Toronto. #Movethedial is an organization that seeks to advance women in STEM. Over 1000 women signed up to attend and the event is now sold out!

To earn these tickets, take a few minutes to complete LiisBeth’s reader survey here. The first two respondents to email and tell us they have completed the survey on the day the newsletter is released will be the lucky recipients. Value: $500/ticket

WHAT WE’RE READING 

“The Red Word is set in the 1990s but speaks directly to the present feminist moment. Sarah Henstra takes us into two worlds: that of Women’s Studies classes and lesbian pagan rituals, and of frat boys and S&M theme parties. As I watched Karen struggle with politics, power, and her own culpability in the fallout of it all, I could not put this book down.” —Darcey Steinke, author of Suicide Blonde and Sister Golden Hair

“The job of cultural criticism is to examine the world and its stories, picking apart what is problematic and shining a light on unconscious or unexamined biases and attitudes….The timely, relevant topic of campus rape culture is addressed bravely; there aren’t enough works of fiction that tackle the material so honestly and prudently.” —Quill &Quire

Henstra will be on a panel discussing themes of feminism and power at the Toronto International Festival of Authors this month with Vivek Shraya and Rachel Giese.

Each of us will lead with masculine or feminine energy. We are socialized to be like our biological gender, but the reality is we are individuals, and there are lots of good reasons to use both energies.

Heggie wrote Gender Physics to create more awareness and acceptance around people exploring their energy options. The book includes a step by step system with exercises you can practice to build (like a muscle) the energy you may not be using to its full potential. The goal is, in part, to give up gender bias and encourage people to be themselves.

“If you are questioning what is correct behaviour at work and in life while wanting the freedom to express yourself and be successful on your own terms, Gender Physics is the book for you. It is a must read for everyone looking to be courageously authentic.”
– Dr. Marcia Reynolds, author of Outsmart Your Brain and Wander Woman

AND FINALLY . . . IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

• Use your voice and take our survey. We launched a unique survey last month because we want to hear from feminist entrepreneurs and innovators in your own words. Results we be shared when we reach 100 responses. We’re not there yet, but we will be with your help.
  Our survey takes 12 minutes 

• Jonathan Hera, Founder of Marigold, an impact investing company, shares key points Marigold Capital looks for when deciding on investment placements.
  Download Marigold’s Feminist Entrepreneur Investment Checklist PDF here

• The next Women’s March is scheduled for January 19, 2019 with the main protest in Washington, DC. Linda Sarsour, a chairwoman of the Women’s March says the 2019 march will call for a specific set of public policies they want enacted that will be announced in the coming weeks.

• We’re In! LiisBeth Media is now an official member of the Women’s Enterprise Centres of Canada (WEOC)! WEOC is an umbrella group for organizations that interact with women entrepreneurs through their services which may include training, loans, advisory services or mentorship or networking. WEOC’S Chair Sandra Altner says, “Access to capital, access to markets, technology adoption, and women in STEM are just a few of the arenas in which we are challenged to level the playing field. These are the issues that WEOC members address…” 

• Christine Hallquist is paving the way for trangender politicians as nominee for Vermont Governor. Watch her journey in this Her Stories VIDEO from Now This

• Are diversity and inclusion in the tech industry just buzzwords? Read how the recent Elevate Tech Fest missed the mark in Nabeel Ahmed’s article in NOW Magazine 

That brings us to the end of our October newsletter. The next website refresh and newsletter is scheduled for mid-November, 2018.  

Did you read something of value in this newsletter?

LiisBeth is the only media voice in the world which supports the work of feminist entrepreneurs and innovators. We are 100% reader supported.

If you love what we do, become a donor subscriber to LiisBeth so we can continue to serve!

We humbly remind you that subscriptions are $3/month, $7/month or $10/month.

We are now also on Patreon!  You can choose to donate to us there!

Funds go directly towards paying writers, editors, proofreaders, photo permission fees, and illustrators. Building a more just future requires time, love—and financial support.

Happy Halloween! Peace out.

The post LIISBETH DISPTACH #46 appeared first on LiisBeth.

 Photo by Colton Duke, Unsplash

Dear Changemaker,

If there is one thing June has taught us, it’s that we have a lot of work to do. And as we begin July, we’re using Canada Day and U.S. Independence Day to think about what that work really looks like—recognizing our Indigenous history, moving from calling ourselves allies to really becoming better allies, rethinking “revolutionary” change, and remembering our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls—are some of them.

It’s a lot, but it’s time.

The history of a nation is the history of its people, and we’re taking this moment to share stories by and of ordinary people who have propelled the conversation forward, and have contributed to the extraordinary change we’re seeking as a society.

In the words of writer and critic Zadie Smith, “progress is never permanent, will always be threatened, must be redoubled, restated and reimagined if it is to survive.”

NEW! SPECIAL CANADA DAY FEATURE ON LIISBETH

Photo by Charlotte Snake

REMEMBERING OUR MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GIRLS

June 3 was the first anniversary of the national inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). On Canada Day, we share 14-year-old Charlotte Snake’s photography as a way of keeping the conversation alive. Read it here.

REFLECTING ON AND RETHINKING SOME OF OUR PREVIOUS WORK 

Photo by Krui.fm Radio, 2016

DECOLONIZING OUR HEARTS

Looking back on North America and its power structures, and unlearning principles we may take for granted. Read about Carmelle Wolfson’s experience here.

Photo: Supplied by Rivera Sun

SOLUTIONARY IDEAS FROM A LOVE-BASED REVOLUTIONARY 

Revisiting our 2018 interview with Rivera Sun, a changemaker, a cultural creative, protest novelist, pragmatic strategist and campaign designer for social change movements on what “revolutionary” change looks like. Read it here.

Painted by Golnaz Golnaraghi

The post CANADA DAY SPECIAL EDITION 2020 appeared first on LiisBeth.

Illustration by Ilene Sova

WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT

We’ve reached a tipping point.

As artist Irene Sova, who made the collage above as part of a fundraising campaign for Toronto food bank, The Stop, says in her artist’s statement: Our former eyes have been replaced, and the curtain pulled back on the inequities that we didn’t quite fully see before; rampant ableism, deep racisim, vitriolic sexism and complex classism. 

Making deep systemic change requires seeing with new eyes. The process can be painful and uncomfortable and not even fully understood before we embark on it. And in the amidst of a global pandemic, in the wake of racial atrocities in the US and Canada, we question whether our efforts are even working? Activism fatigue is a real thing, but as changemakers, we have a responsibility to keep challenging the status quo, making our voices heard, and insisting on justice. Maybe for real systems change, the culture shift must start with our kids? COVID-19 has exposed inequalities and vulnerabilities in our healthcare, education, and food systems. And while a balcony garden isn’t going to solve the issues of disrupted global food supply chains, it may well teach us a better way forward.

As we continue to navigate these uncertain times, you are invited to join us in the Feminist Enterprise Commons (FEC) to Work It Out Together (WIOT—rhymes with RIOT). Every Friday, we host an online discussion in an un-surveilled, safe space where you can test ideas, ask questions, listen, and look at things with different eyes.

Moving through this tipping point in history, LiisBeth is committed to supporting Black Lives Matter. Read our full statement on our site.

NEW FEATURES ON LIISBETH

(Left to right):  Ngardy Conteh George and Alison Duke
Photo provided by Oya Media Group

THE POWER OF TWO

With the ongoing protests against police brutality and anti-Black racism, documentary filmmakers Ngardy Conteh George and Alison Duke of Oya Media Group feel the world is finally ready for the Black Canadian stories they’ve spent most of their careers sharing.

Sam, Maxim, and Lisa tending a victory garden
Photo by Britt Gill

GROWING THROUGH A PANDEMIC

Vancouver-based urban gardening company Victory Gardens is helping meet the needs of COVID-19 by finding strength in its co-op roots. 

Still from the Planet Protector Academy series, featuring Lashyla Louis as the Red Apprentice
Cinematographer: Nathan Frost

THIS SHOW MUST GO ON

One theatre company’s big idea to save the world: foster conversations on conservation through theatre, and teach kids how to be environmental superheroes.

Photo provided by Dhara Patel

THE LANGUAGE OF CHANGE 

While North America reels from recent racist killings, Patel reminds us that there remain other forms of violence. In this personal essay, she boldly shares a true story of an arranged marriage gone wrong.

PK’S VIEWPOINT

Illustration by John Mutch

COPING WITH ACTIVIST BURNOUT IN EXTRAORDINARY TIMES

Each week, I am privileged to host “check in” calls for several communities of feminist enterprise activists—people who create and leverage their enterprises to support feminism plus other social and eco-justice movements they believe in. These calls have me wondering, are we risking serious burnout?

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FEC, STAYS IN THE FEC

The Feminist Enterprise Commons was launched to support diverse founders of innovative projects and enterprises interested in personal transformation and deepening their work related to changing business culture and building oppression-free, anti-racist enterprises.

We share, collaborate and yes, have some amazing discussions! Sadly, we can’t share them with you here. What happens in the FEC, stays in the FEC.

However, if you are interested in learning in community with us, you can check out the FEC here. As a newsletter subscriber, we offer you not only two months–but THREE months free!

LIISBETH FIELD NOTES

Photo by Jasmine Foong

MEET MERAL, INTERN EXTRAORDINAIRE!

We are thrilled to announce that Meral Mohammad Jamal will be joining LiisBeth as our summer intern starting June 8, 2020 through to August 28, 2020.

Meral is an undergraduate journalism student at Carleton University who is entering her final year in September. Her background includes serving as an intern at Canadian Geographic and National Editor, and News Editor for The Charlatan (Carleton’s University student newspaper). Her writing experience includes writing features about the Ottawa Women’s March and the university’s sexual violence policy.

Meral has also received several awards and acknowledgements for her work including the Northern Writing Prize (Briarpatch Magazine) in 2019, and the winner of the 2020 Emerge Media Awards in the feature story category and has worked with a variety of publishing technologies including InDesign, WordPress, Mailchimp, plus video and audio editing tools.

We asked Meral what she does for fun and she replied “I enjoy reading and have just finished reading Well-Read Black Girl by Glory Edim, a collection of essays by Black women writers who found themselves in literature, and the role books play in helping us recognize and understand our own stories. I am also currently watching History 101 on Netflix.”

Below, you will see the outcome of Meral’s great idea–to make our downloadable list of book recommendations more meaningful–have every advisory board member commit to reading one book on the list that we have not read before.

Please welcome Meral to the LiisBeth team and community!

Photo by Road Trip with Raj on Unsplash

FREE DOWNLOADABLE!

LIISBETH’S ANTI-BLACK RACISM READING LIST 

Many organizations are recommending anti-Black racism books that everyone should read, at LiisBeth we’re taking the opportunity to ask ourselves, what should we be reading—to better understand and address anti-Black racism—and have the knowledge we gain inform and improve the work we do as feminists?

As surprise feminist Spider-Man’s uncle, Ben, says in the movie: with great power, comes great responsibility. While we don’t have all the power in the world, we do have the power to educate ourselves on anti-Black racism, and to foster honest conversations about it in our societies, communities, and workplaces.

LiisBeth’s reading list consists of 40 (20 Canadian) books on anti-Black racism in North America by womxn writers. A compilation of both timely and timeless reads, the list is a beginner’s guide to important anti-Black racism literature from and by members of the Black community.

As just one part of our commitment to help end anti-Black racism, every member of our advisory board and staff has committed to reading at least one book from the list before the end of this year. If you’re interested in following along on our journey, join us in our book club on the Feminist Enterprise Commons (FEC).

JOIN THE GIFT ECONOMY!

Hello help! Hello resources! And hell yes to strengthening our enterprises!

The Women Enterprise Knowledge Hub new app is now live! The WEKH/FWE Sharing Platform is funded by Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute’s Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub in collaboration with the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE). Sign up (for free) to the sharing platform here https://wekhfwe.glideapp.io/

Based on gift economy principles, the app enables you to ask what your business needs and give what you have to support others.

Photo credit:  Twitter @CBCMarvinsRoom

A PLAYLIST TO MEDITATE, MOBILIZE AND MAINTAIN THIS MOMENT

Millions of people around the world have taken to the streets to protest police brutality and anti-Black racism. This episode of Marvin’s Room with Amanda Parris on CBC Radio is in solidarity with that movement. From Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar…to Michael Kiwanuka and Haviah Mighty.

(Source: CBC.ca)

LIISBETH WAS NOMINATED!

Last month, LiisBeth was nominated as a finalist for General Excellence in Digital Publishing by the Canadian Digital Publishing Awards organization!

The Tyee won, but we were thrilled to have been nominated along with The Local!

We could not be more proud of our amazing core editorial team of Margaret Webb, Lana Pesch, Mai Nyugen, and Champagne Thomson, plus our over 40 contributors, supporters and our amazing volunteer advisory board.

NEXT YEAR!

OnBeing.org

RACE AND HEALING: A BODY PRACTICE

Find a quiet place and experience this short, simple body practice offered in Resmaa’s conversation with Krista on the On Being episode, ‘Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence.’

Therapist and trauma specialist Resmaa Menakem is working with old wisdom and very new science about our bodies and nervous systems, and all we condense into the word “race.” “Your body — all of our bodies — are where changing the status quo must begin.”

Resmaa’s book, My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, includes many more practices designed for black bodies, for white bodies, and even for blue (police) bodies. He also offers a free online course on healing racialized trauma on his website.

(Source: OnBeing.org)

Photo by Matt Seymour on Unsplash

DO RIOTS WORK? 

Author and advocate for nonviolence Rivera Sun shares her thoughts and recommends three articles on recent events that have occurred in the US.

“When systems fail, people rise up, using mass protests, boycotts, strikes, and more to demand justice. They refuse to go along with “life-as-usual” or “business-as-usual” until substantial changes occur. The uprising in the United States and beyond has brought hundreds of thousands into the streets (despite a pandemic) and is an outgrowth of years of concerted organizing for racial justice. The mass protests and other actions have secured dozens of small and large changes for racial justice, including defunding of police units and funding of social services and crisis teams, removal of police from public schools, removal of numerous statues of racist/colonialist historic figures, banning of confederate flags, reversals of stances from organizations like the National Football League (NFL) on #TakeAKnee protests, pledges of hundreds of millions of dollars to racial justice work, policy changes connected to Black Lives Matter demands, and much more.

Of the many articles you could read on what’s happening, I recommend these three for starters. Two are Black women organizers, the last is from the world’s pre-eminent scholar on civil resistance, Erica Chenoweth, on why this uprising signals a sea change in US politics.”

Being Black In The US Is Living In A War; An Uprising Was Inevitable: by Zenobia Jeffries Warfield.

Black Lives Matter Inspires Us To Imagine A World Without Police: An Interview w/ BLM Organizer Nicole Carty.

Black Lives Matter Protests Are The Broadest In Decades & Spreading To Small Towns; This Signals A Sea Change For the United States by Lara Putnam, Erica Chenoweth, and Jeremy Pressman

WHAT WE’RE READING

A nationally bestselling book on the struggle of addiction and the power of Indigenous resilience.  

Helen Knott, a highly accomplished Indigenous woman, seems to have it all. But in her memoir, she offers a different perspective. In My Own Moccasins is an unflinching account of addiction, intergenerational trauma, and the wounds brought on by sexual violence. It is also the story of sisterhood, the power of ceremony, the love of family, and the possibility of redemption.

With gripping moments of withdrawal, times of spiritual awareness, and historical insights going back to the signing of Treaty 8 by her great-great grandfather, Chief Bigfoot, her journey exposes the legacy of colonialism, while reclaiming her spirit.

“In My Own Moccasins never flinches. The story goes dark, and then darker. We live in an era where Indigenous women routinely go missing, our youth are killed and disposed of like trash, and the road to justice doesn’t seem to run through the rez. Knott’s journey is familiar, filled with the fallout of residential school, racial injustice, alcoholism, drugs, and despair. But she skillfully draws us along and opens up her life, her family, and her communities to show us a way forward. It’s the best kind of memoir: clear-eyed, generous, and glorious…. Bear witness to the emergence of one of the most powerful voices of her generation. ” —Eden Robinson, author of Son of a Trickster and Monkey Beach (from the foreword)

“Helen writes beautifully and painfully, about her own life and the lives of many of our sisters. A strong, gentle voice removing the colonial blanket and exposing truth. ” —Maria Campbell, author of Halfbreed

(Source: University of Regina Press)

This 21st-century activist’s guide to upending mainstream ideas about race, class, and gender carves out a path to collective liberation.

Drawing on Black intellectual and grassroots organizing traditions, including the Haitian Revolution, the US civil rights movement, and LGBTQ rights and feminist movements, Unapologetic challenges all of us engaged in the social justice struggle to make the movement for Black liberation more radical, more queer, and more feminist. This book provides a vision for how social justice movements can become sharper and more effective through principled struggle, healing justice, and leadership development. It also offers a flexible model of what deeply effective organizing can be, anchored in the Chicago model of activism, which features long-term commitment, cultural sensitivity, creative strategizing, and multiple cross-group alliances. And Unapologetic provides a clear framework for activists committed to building transformative power, encouraging young people to see themselves as visionaries and leaders.

One of America’s most influential activists, Charlene A. Carruthers has spent over a decade developing leaders as an effective strategist, community organizer, and educator.

“Charlene Carruthers is a powerful organizer, radical thinker, paradigm-shifter, and one of the most influential political voices of her generation. Anyone seriously interested in the struggle for Black liberation in this country needs to listen carefully to what she has to say.”
—Barbara Ransby, author of Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement and Making All Black Lives Matter

(Sources: Charlene Carruthers and Indiebound)

AND FINALLY . . . IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

• Big shout out to Feminist Enterprise Commons member (a.k.a. FEC’er) Danielle Brewin Graham who had enough of gender washing in the venture capital space and set out to co-create Sandpiper Ventures, a new fund for women entrepreneurs. Want to know more? Just ask Danielle or check out this story in CanadianBusinessSME
• Kudos to Sandpiper Venture but there is a long way to go. This Betakit.com article reveals the horrifying truth of about being a Black woman founder in Canada. “The past few weeks have shown us that systemic anti-Black racism and discriminatory practices are alive and well across Canada and the US.” and “Of the thousands of Canadian venture deals produced from 2014 to 2019, so few Black women founders raised money that these figures are very close to nothing.” You can contribute to FoundHers, a nationwide research study examining the investment and financing options for Black women founders by a team of women researchers. FoundHers is mentored by Sandpiper Ventures.
• What does a feminist economic recovery plan for Canada post-COVID-19 look like? Following Hawai’i State Commission on the Status of Women’s April 14 announcement of a feminist economic recovery plan for COVID-19, The Massey Dialogues at the University of Toronto asked the question the rest of us have been thinking: what might and should a post-COVID-19 feminist economic recovery plan for Canada look like? In this June 9 conversation with Maya Roy, CEO of YWCA Canada and a member of Canada’s expert panel on Early Learning and Child Care, and Anjum Sultana, the Director of Public Policy & Strategic Communications at YWCA Canada, Massey principal Nathalie Des Rosiers explores the benefits of more housing and shelters, a gender-balanced economic recovery task force and developing a national childcare strategy, among others. Watch the livestream here. If you’re interested in notes from the event, join us in the Feminist Enterprise Commons (FEC).
• Wondering about women entrepreneurship policy and COVID-19? While traditional recessions tend to affect male-dominated sectors more acutely—manufacturing, construction etc., the pandemic and associated policy responses (social distancing) have had a major impact on the hospitality and retail—industries where women entrepreneurs are over-represented. COVID-19 has also drastically reduced access to out-of-home childcare which has the potential to affect many women entrepreneurs’ ability to ensure business continuity. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) organized a webinar on June 9 to talk about current women’s entrepreneurship policy as an untapped area of potential growth: how women entrepreneurs have been impacted differently by the pandemic and policy responses to it, and what policymakers should be doing more of or doing differently to better support women entrepreneurs. For notes from the webinar, join us in the Feminist Enterprise Commons (FEC).

That’s a wrap for Dispatch #63! 

The protests, pandemic, and alarming political rhetoric signals loudly that the world is in much need of change. Eloquent and brilliantly written articles, op-eds and statements of solidarity suggest that maybe, things are changing materially–this time for real.

Yet, the other day, my partner engaged in a conversation with a 30-something stranger while standing in a social distanced line at a highway stop Tim Hortons about an hour outside of Toronto.
“Nice day eh?” he said.
The stranger replied, “It would be much better if we got rid of Trudeau and Ford.”
My partner kicks the ball back. “Would you rather we have Trump?”
Stranger replies emphatically and with conviction, “Hell yes.”

A few days later, I learned that my neighbour, a young precariously employed Millennial quit his job at a small bike store after hearing his boss loudly make a outrageous racist statement to an Arabic customer’s face. My neighbour needs the work. It was a selfless, bold step in the middle of the pandemic.

We live in a complex world. But let the caring and the drive for change continue. We need to fight for the world we know we are collectively capable of building…eventually.

Hugs. Peace out. See you again at the end of July!

The post LIISBETH DISPATCH #63 appeared first on LiisBeth.

Photo by qinghill on Unsplash

WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT 

If there’s a silver lining to living through a pandemic, it’s that we’ll come out on the other side with better ways of caring for ourselves, each other, and the generations that follow. We’re adjusting the ways we connect and meet new people, and literally constructing the future in which we’ll live.

How we do things has changed—from curbside deliveries to online universities to having 700 video meetings a week. But why we do things remains constant. Foundational things such as climate change policy, power structures and economic systems that create inequality have not changed at all—and aren’t these the things that need to change the most?

LiisBeth is pivoting our business along with you. You are invited to join us in the Feminist Enterprise Commons (FEC) to Work It Out Together (WIOT—rhymes with RIOT). This month we are proud to host Bianca Sprague and Natalie Marchand of Bebo Mia as our Feminists in Residence. Check out the feature article about how they created their organization on feminist business practices versus advice from traditional business coaches.

NEW FEATURES ON LIISBETH 

Photo Credit: Riley Snelling

AT HOME WITH YOUR VALUES

A construction co-op that strives to stop exploitation of workers, women and the environment.

Photo by Jana Sabeth on Unsplash

CAN A PROFESSIONAL MATCHMAKER BE A FEMINIST?

According to matchmaking industry insider Anne Marshall, the answer is yes—and it makes for better matches.

Bianca Sprauge and Natalie (left to right)
Photo credit: Courtesy of Bebo Mia

HAVING A BABY IN PANDEMIC TIMES

May 2020’s Feminists in Residence in the Feminist Enterprise Commons (FEC) are fighting to support birther’s rights through COVID-19; luckily, they had the foresight to shift business online years earlier.

PK’S VIEWPOINT

WHY THE WORLD NEEDS FEMINISM, NOW

Let’s first acknowledge we are collectively grieving our old world, and witnessing the birth of a new one.

But what kind of world will that be? What do the leading indicators tell us? When will we re-focus on the the bigger picture?

Last week, a few members (CV Harquail, Jenna Smith, Doreen and Dr. Barbara Orser) of the Feminist Enterprise Commons joined the weekly drop in cafe.

FEC’ers in the FEC (Feminist Enterprise Commons) Will you join us? 

The Feminist Enterprise Commons, launched in January as a way to connect LiisBeth readers and stakeholders.

The Commons currently has 80+ members who have collectively generated over 6000 posts and messages. Apparently, we have a lot to talk about!

The FEC is grassroots. It’s about sharing experiences, learning, refining works in progress in a safe space, and creating opportunities for feminist entrepreneurs and innovators. And best of all–it’s NOT FACEBOOK. That means no algorithms, no ads, and no surveillance.

Check out the FEC here. As a newsletter subscriber, we offer you not only two months–but THREE months free!

LIISBETH FIELD NOTES

We have good news to share!  LiisBeth has been nominated as a finalist for General Excellence in Digital Publishing by the Canadian Digital Publishing Awards organization!  We could not be more proud of our amazing core editorial team (Margaret Webb, Lana Pesch, Mai Nuygen, and Champagne Thomson) plus our over 40 contributors, supporters and our amazing volunteer advisory board.

We are feeling great about being recognized alongside all the other amazing publications nominated! We need more indie media in these times.

We will keep you posted on the final outcome.

Prateeksha Singh, Head of Experimentation, UNDP AP Regional Innovation Team 

WHAT ARE THE “NEW NORMALS”?

This short feature by Prateeksha Singh, Head of Experimentation, UNDP AP Regional Innovation Team points to trends shaping predictions about our “#newnormals”.

• Tech is mutating and shaping us in new ways
• Governance is taking a new center stage
• Uncharted economic territory
• Exponential social distancing and collective connectivity
• The climate change opportunity and threat

Later this month, watch for our feature interview with Singh and her perspective on the pandemic from her home in Bangkiok, Thailand.

FREE DOWNLOADABLE!

DIGITAL ACTIVISM. DOES IT WORK?

If you are interested in exploring other digital activist tools and ideas, This Digital Activism and Non-Violent Conflict research paper (2013) serves as a terrific backgrounder.

The paper provides answers to questions like “What are the key international trends in non-violent digital activism and how has this phenomenon changed over time? How do we define digital activism success and what  contextual factors correlate with this success? How can we define the democratic and peace-building effects of digital activism?”

Their work continues here: Digital Activism Research Project

It’s hard to get our message across as an advocate or activist when we are quarantined–or is it? Check out how you can use Zoom backgrounds to advance your purpose and causes you care about.

ZOOM BACKGROUNDS — A WAY TO EXPRESS YOUR PERSONALITY AND DRIVE SOCIAL CHANGE?

In this video, PK Mutch shares an idea about how to leverage Zoom backgrounds to advance your message or cause!

Roshi Joan Halifax is a zen abbot and medical anthropologist.
This meditation is featured in the episode “Finding Buoyancy Amidst Despair” of the podcast OnBeing with Krista Tippett.

ENCOUNTERING GRIEF: A 10-MINUTE MEDITATION WITH ROSHI JOAN HALIFAX

We don’t need to explain why we’re including a meditation on grief this month. Try and find 10 minutes to sit, listen, and breathe.

Roshi Joan Halifax is a zen abbot and medical anthropologist. She is the founding abbot of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In this guided meditation, she shares nourishing wisdom as we face suffering in the world, helping us to find the inner resources to carry our own grief and sadness and that of others.

Another timely gem from from OnBeing is Krista Tippett’s Living the Questions segment. Listen to her 10-minute response to: How can I find my footing in a shifting world? 

Lastly, Falling Together is a conversation between Rebecca Solnit and Krista Tippett. In this moment of global crisis, we’re returning to the conversations we’re longing to hear again and finding useful right now. A singular writer and thinker, Solnit celebrates the unpredictable and incalculable events that so often redeem our lives, both solitary and public. She searches for the hidden, transformative histories inside and after events we chronicle as disasters in places like post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.” (Source: OnBeing.org)

The Art of Online Dating | Sarey Ruden | TEDxDetroit

LOVERS IN A DANGEROUS TIME

It’s a page from the ancient Greek comedy, Lysistrata, where all the women go on a sex strike to stop a war.

Fast forward 2,400 years and meet Detroit-based artist Sarey Ruden. After years of online dating disasters, Ruden created Sareytales, a collection of art and designs inspired by the creepy, cruel and misogynistic messages she received during her online dating journey.

Earlier this year, Ruden launched AWOL: All Women On Line — A Week-Long Protest to Raise Awareness to Gender-Based Dating App Injustice and Abuse.

She is asking all women who use online dating platforms to go silent for one week starting May 9, 2020.

Why May 9? In 1960, this is when the FDA approved the first commercially available birth control, liberating woman to decide when, or if, they want children. 60 years later though, we still face oppression in all aspects of our lives. Online dating is at the cross-hairs of this cyber-violence and gender-based abuse, and this blatant disregard for our safety is a human rights violation.

(Source: Sareytales.com)

Photo credit: Twitter

LISTEN TO CHICAGO’S LESBIAN LEADER

Let’s face it, global leadership needs work. And even though Elizabeth Warren dropped out of the US election this year, there are some strong women providing guidance, insight, and support to get us through this pandemic.

This week, CTV News talked to the Canadian Women’s Foundation about the importance of women in STEM leadership roles. “Women tend to be more inclusive in their decision-making and listen to diverse perspectives” says Andrea Gunraj, VP of Public Engagement, Canadian Women’s Foundation.

Young girls are watching this story unfold along with the rest of us and they need to see that leadership roles in  STEM are real possibilities for their future. If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.

The article further highlights Canadian women leadership in the health and political sectors as well examples from around the world. The shortlist includes Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Health Minister Patty Hajdu, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, and President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan.

Meanwhile, in Chicago…Bil Browning, Editor-In-Chief of LGBTQ Nation, identified a beacon of hope and humour helping them through the crisis.

Browning writes “Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot has become the new face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic for her stern no-nonsense attitude. Memes of the mayor chastising crowds have swept the internet after she confirmed that she had personally driven around last week telling people gathered outside to social distance or go home.”

Check out the full article to see more impactful and entertaining images that have been circulating on social media.

WHAT WE’RE READING 

In this landmark collection spanning three centuries and four waves of feminist activism and writing, Burn It Down! is a testament to what is possible when women are driven to the edge. The manifesto—raging and wanting, quarreling and provoking—has always played a central role in feminism, and it’s the angry, brash feminism we need now.

Collecting over seventy-five manifestos from around the world, Burn It Down! is a rallying cry and a call to action.

Among this confrontational sisterhood, you’ll find

• “Dyke Manifesto” by the Lesbian Avengers
• “The Ax Tampax Poem Feministo” by the Bloodsisters Project
• “The Manifesto of Apocalyptic Witchcraft” by Peter Grey
• “Simone de Beauvoir’s pro-abortion Manifesto of the 343
• “Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female” by Frances M. Beal
• “The Futurist Manifesto of Lust” by Valentine de Saint-Point
• “Zapatista Women’s Revolutionary Laws”
• “Riot Grrrl Manifesto” by Bikini Kill
• “Anarchy and the Sex Question” by Emma Goldman

Breanne Fahs argues that we need manifestos in all their urgent rawness—their insistence that we have to act now, that we must face this, that the bleeding edge of rage and defiance ignites new and revolutionary possibilities is where new ideas are born.

(Source: AK Press)

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is changing the world one country at a time.

This Korean bestseller chronicles the everyday struggle of women against endemic sexism. Its provocative power springs from the same source as its total, crushing banality: in telling the story of Kim Jiyoung – whose name is the Korean equivalent of “Jane Doe” – Cho Nam-Joo’s third novel has been hailed as giving voice to the unheard everywoman.

Kim Jiyoung is a girl born to a mother whose in-laws wanted a boy.

Kim Jiyoung is a sister made to share a room while her brother gets one of his own.

Kim Jiyoung is a female preyed upon by male teachers at school. Kim Jiyoung is a daughter whose father blames her when she is harassed late at night.

Kim Jiyoung is a good student who doesn’t get put forward for internships. Kim Jiyoung is a model employee but gets overlooked for promotion. Kim Jiyoung is a wife who gives up her career and independence for a life of domesticity.

Kim Jiyoung has started acting strangely.

Kim Jiyoung is depressed.

Kim Jiyoung is mad.

Kim Jiyoung is her own woman.

Kim Jiyoung is every woman.

Sources: The Guardian and Simon & Schuster)

AND FINALLY . . . IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

• UN Women published a new policy brief on April 9 which identifies three main policy priorities. 1) Ensure women’s equal representation in all COVID-19 response planning and decision making; 2) Drive transformative change for equality by addressing the care economy, both paid and unpaid work; and 3) Target women and girls in all efforts to address the socio-economic impact of COVID-19. You can read the whole report here. (Thank you Astrid Pregel)
• What does COVID-19 mean for the future of political organizing? Jonno Ravanche’s April 16 article in BITCH Magazine suggests we “Move from the micro to the macro, away from our competitive, consumerist culture to build a collective identity and repair our public infrastructure.”  We agree. But this article, along with the many others like it that have been recently published focus on policies that address women wage earners–and not women entrepreneur or business owners. #feministbiz matters
• Is the Nova Scotia mass shooting white male terrorism? In an April 23 article, Robyn Bourgeois writes “Addressing mass murder means taking a hard look at white masculinity and the normalization of violence.” Bourgeois also points out that white men were responsible for or currently face charges for the mass murders at the École Polytechnique in 1989, Mayerthorpe in 2005, Moncton in 2014, Calgary in 2014, Québec City in 2017, Toronto in 2018 (a van attack) and Fredericton in 2019. Those in Vernon, B.C., in 1996, Edmonton in 2014, and Toronto in 2018 (the shooting in the city’s Greektown neighbourhood) were perpetrated by racialized men. Thank you Dr. Barb Orser for bringing our attention to this article.
• Moving Into the Mall? Duncan Cameron makes a compelling argument in his article, “It’s time to repurpose dying retail spaces for community housing” that was published by Rabble.ca on April 28. “Every city in Canada has strip malls, and small and large shopping centres, now subject to the crisis in brick-and-mortar retail that began with the explosion of online shopping, and has only accentuated with the imposed economic shutdown. This is the time for the federal government to step up and work with the civic administrations to develop a strategy to convert these dying retail spaces into vibrant community housing.” An idea whose time has come!
• Interested in a good old fashioned barter system? John Porter, veteran barter commerce entrepreneur and founder of Barterpay.ca, had no idea the kind of impact COVID-19 would have on his business. BarterPay is what it sounds like: A platform where businesses can obtain a variety of goods and services by trading excess inventory or idle time. No cash is exchanged. The organization has 4000 members in locations across Canada and offers an alternative for businesses who have been stopped in their tracks by the pandemic. Barterpay is offering FREE WEBINARS to learn more about the service. And The Hamilton Spectator recently spoke to Porter about the alternative payment ecosystem that is gaining popularity with a younger generation.

That’s a wrap for Dispatch #62! 

Just over six weeks into the pandemic, and hey, along with all the hard stuff, we have to admit there have been amazing positive outcomes and valuable learnings about ourselves and each other.

The advice out there to slow down and take care is spot on. But has been hard to follow.

I know. I’ve tried. So has everyone on the LiisBeth team. Talk is shifting towards a measured re-opening–which is, along with the arrival of spring in this part of the world, uplifting.

We hope you found some joy, hope, and direction reading this edition. It’s a relief to hear more about a measured re-opening of the economy. Getting tired of my COVID-19 hair.

We will be back with another newsletter mid-June.

With gratitude and heartfelt thanks for your continued readership, engagement, and support.

Breathe deeply. Peace out.

The post LIISBETH DISPATCH #62 appeared first on LiisBeth.

Photo by Thais Varela on Stocksy

WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT 

Well. We just got catapulted into a new reality in record time.

Even though COVID-19 is upending our way of life and our livelihoods, now is the time to imagine a better future and create systems to get us there. We can’t forget about the issues we’ve always been fighting for such as Indigenous rights, climate change, and pay equity in the care economy—now more important than ever. Gender justice including Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31) hasn’t been cancelled because of this virus.

Everyone is adjusting to a new normal, something Gurbeen Bhasin at AANGEN has thrived at by mastering how to pivot on a dime. And yes, this pandemic is a crisis, but it’s also a massive opportunity. The cuffs that bound us to the status quo are off. We may be a little shaky on our newly unshackled feet, but rest assured this is a good time to model what commerce can look like in the future. Consider what political decision-making might look like if young women were leading the way? It also feels good to let off some steam. Fiery anger clears the way for new growth.

Online groups and communities are popping up to offer support and brainstorm a new future that might come out of these extraordinary times. We are one of them! You are invited to join us in the Feminist Enterprise Commons (FEC) to Work It Out Together (W.I.O.T. rhymes with RIOT). Scroll down to the In Case You Missed It section for details about our Friday afternoon ZOOM calls that will be held for the foreseeable future.

APRIL STORY POLL & READER SURVEY:  New realities don’t have to be scary. Read and repeat: You are not alone. Help us help you and others. What kinds of stories do you want to see now? Now more than ever, our hard-working team would love to hear from you! Please consider helping us improve by completing the five-minute LiisBeth reader survey. Results will be shared. Here is the link!

NEW FEATURES ON LIISBETH 

Gurbeen Bhasin and two colleagues whose names are being withheld by request.
Photo by Zlatko Cetinic

WHEN GREAT GRANNY INSPIRES GREAT WORK

A unique social enterprise that has been generations in the making tells us how to scale and build a resilient enterprise in tough times.

Arezoo Najibzadeh, Co-founder, Young Women’s Leadership Network.
Photo by Natalie Dolan

TIME TO POWER UP YOUNG WOMEN IN POLITICS 

There are endless reasons why young women aren’t getting into politics. But for those who are…why aren’t they staying in politics?
Meet the network that exists to support, assist, and encourage young and diverse women and non-binary folk to take the reins of leadership. We need them now more than ever!

Kalen Taylor, Founder, Purpose Construction, Winnipeg, Manitoba

TRANSFORMING CONSTRUCTION–TRANSFORMING LIVES

Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is a day to show your support for the trans community! Coming up on March 31, this day aims to bring attention to the accomplishments of trans people everywhere while fighting cissexism and transphobia by spreading understanding of trans people. We also want to highlight just one example of the incredible work happening to create opportunity for marginalized genders.

Meet Kalen Taylor. They founded a dual-purpose construction company that builds and rebuilds lives. This is what the future of enterprise could look like.

This article is by LiisBeth Advisory Board member Jack Jackson. It’s their first piece–ever! Send them your thoughts and feedback in the comments section!

Photo supplied by Sabrina Dias: Photo taken in front of  Dias’s house In Ngara Tanzania, with colleague Boniface Shuuli

DARE TO DREAM IN PANDEMIC TIMES

For a punchy, honest, rant we think you’ll want to share, check out LiisBeth contributor Sabrina Dias’s heartfelt take on what this pandemic means to her. Will we build an army of Hope and Decency? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section!

Lauren McKeon / Photo credit: Yuli Scheidt

THE NEW MEASURE OF WOMXN: WIELDING POWER 

In her new book No More Nice Girls, Lauren McKeon explores ways feminist power might change the world. We can’t think of a better time to read this book! Check out Farzana Doctor’s review of No More Nice Girls here.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2020:  WHERE WERE YOU?

I[VIDEO] Featuring the Feminist Art Festival, Toronto Women’s Day March and Wet’suwet’en Solidarity fundraiser plus more.

It’s hard to imagine now that International Women’s Day 2020 celebrations and the Toronto march happened just 13 days ago! Watch this video for our highlight reel--people gathering, videos, photos and music about where we went and who we met along the way!

PK’S VIEWPOINT 

Illustration by Cactus Creative Studio on Stocksy

A FEMINIST’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19

It this the time to prop up the status quo? Or the start of something new? What we do know is that this is a pivotal moment in our history. How will you respond?

Liisbeth Media is a small enterprise based in Tkaronto (TORONTO) Ontario.  The COVID-19 virus has kicked our 2020 financial sustainabilty and editorial plans right out from under us. So where to from here?

We’re getting creative. Digging deep. And talking to our community about how to continue to source and publish stories while still supporting our freelance editors, writers, and creators with fair wages. We need our storytellers, our womxn-led media voice, and an independent source of views and perspectives about our emerging world. We need to ensure that quality, fact-checked and informative content remains available to all (not just those who can afford to get past a paywall) perhaps more now than ever.

There are two things you can do to keep the stories coming. First, if it is within your means please consider becoming a donor subscriber. As little as $3/month helps a lot. Second, please join us in the Feminist Enterprise Commons–a non-Zuckerberg financed and non-surveilled online community for feminist changemakers. We are offering three months complimentary access!

In addition to learning with and from an incredible community of feminist activists, thought leaders, enterprise builders and creatives, you will also have the opportunity to host seminars, and participate in our “W.I.O.T. In the Commons” open ZOOM session held Fridays from 1:00 – 2:30 PM EDT each week. (Oh, and W.I.O.T. rhymes with RIOT and stands for “work it out together”.)

DOWNLOADABLE PDF

The Imperial College Report came to LiisBeth via Nataly DeMonte and Ana Serrano of Ideaboost. It does a great job of explaining not only of what we have to do today to flatten the curve but also what we can expect in the next 18 months. The report explains the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID19 mortality and healthcare demand.

Thoughts and comments welcome. Tell us what you’re thinking and how you’re coping!

LIISBETH FIELD NOTES

[CLICK TO PLAY VIDEO]
Everyone’s social-distancing in their homes this week because of the #Coronavirus. But, what will we learn from it?

FOUR THINGS WE’LL LEARN FROM SOCIAL DISTANCING

Patriarchy Is A Drag does it again! We love the new weekly video series that centers around women and women’s issues.

It was started in 2020 by Merle Becker, former MTV Producer/Director (Beavis & Butt-Head, Daria, Total Request Live). This week Merle created a 4-minute video about 4 things we’ll learn from being quarantined.

The PIAD Facebook page (and other socials) feature daily quotes from inspirational women, as well as links to other articles that relate to (smashing the) Patriarchy. Worth checking out! As Gloria Steinem stated, “Women of colour were always more likely to recognize discrimination, so they were always leading the women’s movement.” In this vein, PIAD remains committed to intersectionality by including/amplifying the voices of the marginalized, transgender women, and women of colour.

You can access the series so far here.

Catherine Chan  | Photo credit: Fitin.io

A NEW BUSINESS FOR THESE SHUT-IN TIMES

Catherine Chan had just launched FitIn.io, a new fitness and wellness app to help Canadians find fitness classes, trainers and mental-health solutions faster and easier. Then the COVID-19 pandemic slammed the doors on gyms, fitness centres and, well, just about everything. In what may be one of the fastest pivots ever for a small business, Chan adapted her site to help with our new shut-in reality.

FitIn Live Kids, for $10 a day, offers a day-long live stream of edu-tainment programming to occupy the kids so that parents working from home can actually work.

For the same price, FitIn Live will offer a day-long live stream of fitness classes to help both parents and kids blow off steam with home workouts (coming March 30). If you would rather have personalized home-training sessions, you can also source a variety of fitness professions through the site.

FitIn Live Mental Health, still being developed, will also offer a plethora of live-stream options from guided meditation to art therapy, with opportunity to connect with a variety of mental-health specialists.

Chan says she worked about 36 hours straight to adapt her site for a new launch. During the first week of programming, she will rely on folks volunteering hours (in exchange for listing and promotion) to fill out her programming but, by April 1 (no kidding), plans on being able to pay moderators and instructors a good hourly rate. “I hope to give people working in the gig economy a foundation to build a bit of income and build community.”

She also wants to localize each of her streams as much as possible to sustain local neighbourhoods, starting with her own Toronto midtown hood. She’s hoping local shop owners with down time can moderate some of the Kids Live streaming – think: a local art studio teaching art to kids – helping out parents while making a little income and keeping families and local shop keepers connected. “When we come out of this, we want our local shops and services to survive.”

Left to right Suzanne Siemens and Madeleine Shaw
Photo by Mavreen David

TAKING BACK THE PERIOD AISLE

LiisBeth caught up with Lunapads Co-founder, Suzanne Siemens who answered a few questions about their recent rebrand to Aisle that has coincided with a global pandemic.

[NOTE: At the time of this publication, Aisle is in discussions with provincial and local manufacturing associations and government representatives to see how they can assist with making personal protective equipment (PPE) such as cloth masks and gowns. They hope to hear back soon in order to activate their manufacturing relationships to provide support as needed.]

Q: What was the catalyst for change?
A: Aisle represents a fresh perspective on all the learnings we have had over the past decades. Lunapads had always made products that were sustainable and comfortable, but we were excited by new developments in textile technologies that would allow us to not only create products that were sustainable and looked great, but outperformed disposables.

Q: How do you incorporate feminist business practices in your enterprise?
A: We have democratic work practices and offer right livelihoods that challenge the conventions of power and promote employee agency: examples: a gender non-conforming employee led the development of gender inclusive products for customers. A production manager was empowered to lead us to zero waste manufacturing in Vancouver.

We provide suppliers with mutual support: we go out to suppliers and ask them to step up with us to provide a higher level of environmental standard to ensure a long-term mutual relationship (vs asking them to cut down to their lowest possible price that could jeopardize their sustainability)

We serve as possibility models to others: we’ve offered leadership to community for decades, sharing our values and best practices. We have coached and mentored the birth of an ecosystem of businesses in our specific industry, and in the world of social entrepreneurship to serve as an example of how business can be a force for social and environmental change.

Q: How did you come up with the name?
A: We called it Aisle because we’re taking back the period aisle; transforming it from a place of shame and waste to a space of empowerment and sustainability. It’s where you can find products that look good and work great; where everyone is welcome, regardless of body, gender or flow.

FINAL THOUGHTS from Suzanne Siemens…
As a feminist business, we are made up of incredibly committed leaders and team members who care deeply for each other and are willing to make sacrifices to ensure no one gets left behind in this current global crisis that no one could fully prepare for. I am hopeful that we all rise from the hardship more resilient and committed than ever to push for systemic change in our world to heal and create regenerative future for us all.

A SPECIAL 4-HOUR PLAYLIST FOR FEMINIST CHANGEMAKERS

Lido Pimienta, Performing at Venusfest, 2017, Toronto, Ontario
Going for a long walk? Want to drone out the fam? Tired of your playlist? Check out our LiisBeth Playlist featuring 82 songs by amazing feminist womxn-led bands or singer songwriters! Available now on Spotify!

WHAT WE’RE READING 

This remarkable book is about everything from echidnas to evolution, cosmology to cooking, sex and science and spirits to Schrödinger’s cat.

Tyson Yunkaporta looks at global systems from an Indigenous perspective. He asks how contemporary life diverges from the pattern of creation. How does this affect us? How can we do things differently?

Sand Talk provides a template for living. It’s about how lines and symbols and shapes can help us make sense of the world. It’s about how we learn and how we remember. It’s about talking to everybody and listening carefully. It’s about finding different ways to look at things.

Most of all it’s about Indigenous thinking, and how it can save the world.

Read a Q&A with Yunkaporta on Booktopia.

‘An exhilarating meditation on different ways of knowing and being. Sand Talk is playful, profound and fiercely original.’ 
Billy Griffiths

‘Radical ideas, bursting with reason.’ 
Tara June Winch

(Source: Goodreads.com)

A new feudalism is on the rise. From the internet to service and care, more and more industries expect people to live gig to gig, while monopolistic corporations feed their spoils to the rich. But as Nathan Schneider shows through years of in-depth reporting, there is an alternative to the robber-baron economy hiding in plain sight; we just need to know where to look.

Cooperatives are jointly owned, democratically controlled enterprises that advance the economic, social, and cultural interests of their members. They often emerge during moments of crisis not unlike our own, putting people in charge of the workplaces, credit unions, grocery stores, healthcare, and utilities they depend on. Co-ops have helped to set the rules, and raise the bar, for the wider society.

Since the financial crash of 2008, the cooperative movement has been coming back with renewed vigor. Everything for Everyone chronicles this economic and social revolution—from taxi cooperatives that are keeping Uber and Lyft at bay, to an outspoken mayor transforming his city in the Deep South, to a fugitive building a fairer version of Bitcoin, to the rural electric co-op members who are propelling an aging system into the future. As these pioneers show, cooperative enterprise is poised to help us reclaim faith in our capacity for creative, powerful democracy.

Source: Nathanschneider.com)

AND FINALLY . . . IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

• Feminist organizations who fund themselves? Have you heard about the power of autonomous resourcing? Check this out. A cooperative bank of over 20,000 sex workers in Kolkata, India has provided over USD 4.7M in loans to 7,231 sex workers in a span of one year, while a women’s grantmaking organization in Kathmandu, Nepal has mobilized over 600 volunteer ambassadors. These are only two of many examples where feminist groups around the world are sustaining their organizing through membership dues and crowdfunding. Read more here.
• With the help of their partners and friends, Data2X has compiled a running list of resources and current reporting on gender and gender data as they relate to COVID-19 preparedness and response around the world, including the current and anticipated impacts of the pandemic. This list is not exhaustive and intended for all to use. See something missing? Please email [email protected] to share additional analysis, resources, policy responses or suggestions. (Thank you Dr. Barb Orser for sharing this with us!)
• Suzanne Stein, Foresight Analyst, Mentor, and Educator at the Ontario College of Art and Design and founder of the Superordinary Lab has created a google doc to collect ideas about how the world will change with COVID-19. To review or contribute, click here. It’s amazing!
• Casualty of the times. March 25th announcement from #movethedial–Founder Jodi Kovitz writes: “So, it is with the utmost sadness and immense heartbreak that I have made the incredibly difficult decision to pause our operations.” Founder hearts are with you. We need organizations that work to advance womxn now more than ever.
• If you are an advocate for a new kind of economy, here are two great resources. If you are in the United States, check out the New Economy Coalition and their People’s Economy Toolkit. Interested in building cooperatives and promoting alternative models of local development? Check out this free toolbox highlight what worked/didn’t work in a variety of projects around the globe from the Canadian Cooperative and Policy Alternative Centre (COPAC)
• How do you respond to COVID-19 Indigenously? This article from NDN, an Indigenous collective based in North Dakota, on “Decolonizing Community Care in Response to COVID-19” represents a great start.
• With meetings and even wine dates with friends all going online these days, are you up on what technologies are now available to enhance the experience? This handy list is worth reviewing.  We found a lot of apps and options we didn’t know about.  Those we work with have rated ZOOM as the leading platform for now.
• If you are interested in learning about four COVID-19 based future scenarios that may unfold in the next year, we found this document by futurist Paul Higgins super helpful.

That’s a wrap for Dispatch #61! 

It’s been an incredible few weeks.

Yet here we are! We plan to continue to profile the work of feminist changemakers and the impact of the feminist economy in the months to come. The impact of the pandemic and resulting measures impact womxn and womxn led enterprises disproportionately—everywhere. We need to continue to speak truth to power to ensure policy and measures are formulated with gender equality and equity in mind.

Our ask? Read. Comment. Engage. And if possible, consider becoming a donor subscriber. A little bit with us goes a looooonnnng way!

With gratitude and heartfelt thanks for your continued readership, engagement and support.

Peace out. It’s Spring! xoxo

The post LIISBETH DISPATCH #61 appeared first on LiisBeth.

Photo by Ilya, Stocksy

WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT 

Power. Award winning sci-fi writer and feminist Octavia Butler wrote, “God is change” and that our power as “Earthseed” is not to worship or prevent change, but to shape it.

This month on LiisBeth magazine, we offer five new features that we hope will encourage you to reflect on how you attend, yield, resist and work to influence the force of change–which lately, is coming at us like a freight train.

Our stories highlight instruments in the changemaker’s toolkit: Protesting, learning, the power of changing our perceptions and personal transformation.

We know nothing is permanent. People, groups, governments all around you–some whose vision you may deeply disagree with–are working to shape change that affects your life, community and our planet. Don’t sit back. Work to help create the kind of world you hope for.

FEBURARY STORY POLL & QUICKIE READER SURVEY: Do you read or follow LiisBeth? Our hard-working team would love to hear from you! Please consider helping us improve by completing the five-minute LiisBeth reader survey. Results will be shared in March. Here is the link!

NEW FEATURES ON LIISBETH 

VIA Rail status update February 21, 2020 at Union Station, Toronto, Ontario.
Photo by Lana Pesch

WHAT PIPELINE PROTESTS TELL US

The status quo can be no more: The clear and compelling links between Environmental Rights, Indigenous Rights and Women’s Rights. A perspective from the mining industry by Sabrina Dias.

Decolonize Your Mind Exhibit. Photo:  Krui.fm Radio 2016

DECOLONIZING OUR HEARTS

When you hear the word “decolonization” what comes to mind? Land acknowledgements, the KAIROS “Blanket Exercise” or the Medicine Wheel? Learning Indigenous traditions and the history of colonization? The act of offering the lands that were taken from Indigenous people back to their rightful owners. Now there’s a workshop on the topic that will provoke months of contemplation on how to see the world anew.

Photo by Juliana Malta on Unsplash

NEWS SO WHITE IT’S BLINDING

Lack of diversity in media is bad for democracy, business, and justice. And readers. But what’s the solution?

DOWNLOADABLE PDF!

Looking for help? Funding? Business Advice? Check out the Canadian women’s entrepreneurship support ecosystem (mostly national and provincial level players) by downloading this info graphic here.

PK’S VIEWPOINT 

Love Locks…at The Distillery District..Photo by: @ptx4ever

HOW TO BE IN RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH ENTREPRENEURSHIP

We think about our enterprises a lot. We compare our progress to other enterprises and their founders. Nancy Wilson, Founder and Executive Director of the Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce, recently wrote a wonderful piece about “business envy“.

But what if we stopped comparing our businesses to other businesses? Change the locus of our perception?

This week, I asked myself if I was in right relationship (authentic, real) with the crucible of entrepreneurship. While evaluating my work as an entrepreneur, I had to first dismantle–and re-build my perceptions. Here are the narratives that work for me. They help me see beauty and growth versus disappointment.

Photo provided by Seema Pubari

MARCH FEMINIST IN RESIDENCE

We are very pleased to announce that Seema Pubari will be joining the Feminist Enterprise Commons (FEC) as Feminist in Residence (FiR) during the month of March.

Pubari is an SEO copywriter, storyteller and digital marketing strategist who speaks five languages. She left the corporate world in 2008 to raise her child. She is a South Asian feminist entrepreneur with her own consulting enterprise and the founder of Tiffinday.com, an independent Canadian food business and certified B-Corp that specializes in delicious and healthy vegan South Asian stews.

Liisbeth recently had a chat with Pubari to get her thoughts on the importance of shaping the next generation of feminists, why we need to outlaw the word ‘mompreneur’, and how her unique business perspectives will inspire participants in the FEC. Check out the full Q&A here.

DOWNLOADABLE!

The feminist movement is immutably unified on purpose–but not always on the the best way to get there.

The movement drives social change but is also shaped by it, which makes it challenging for curbside bystanders to comprehend.

Blaise Wilson of EgaFem investigated and sought to help us understand types and shifts within the feminist movement over the last 100 years. Her work was the outcome of a stakeholder analysis project. Wilson created this chart to help navigate the facets of the feminist movement.

We find it super useful.

(Source: egafeminist.blogspot.com)

We have over 2,800 subscribers.
Less than 30 per cent contribute financially.
~ ~ ~
If you believe feminist media matters, consider contributing $3/month
and help us SUPPORT, BUILD & GROW the feminist economy

LIISBETH FIELD NOTES 

PIAD EP10 Why Do Reps Vote Against The ERA?

FAB TWO-MINUTE VIDEOS TO SHARE FOR IMPACT!

We love these! Patriarchy Is A Drag is a new weekly video series that centers around women and women’s issues. It was started in 2020 by Merle Becker, former MTV Producer / Director (Beavis & Butt-Head, Daria, Total Request Live). We asked Merle via email why she was making these videos.

She wrote: “After the election of Donald Trump, and the steady erosion of women’s rights since then, I found myself increasingly involved in political activism and the push for the advancement of women’s rights. So, I created the PIAD weekly video series to help educate people about women’s issues by using humor, and to hopefully inspire others to take action.”

The PIAD Facebook page (and other socials) feature daily quotes from inspirational women, as well as links to other articles that relate to (smashing the) Patriarchy. Worth checking out! As Gloria Steinem stated, “Women of colour were always more likely to recognize discrimination, so they were always leading the women’s movement.” In this vein, PIAD remains committed to intersectionality by including / amplifying the voices of the marginalized, transgender women, and women of colour.

Merle added “As bell hooks reminds us, “As long as women are using class or race power to dominate other women, feminist sisterhood cannot be fully realized.”

You can access the series so far here.

© Photograph: Rochelle Brockington / EyeEm

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY IS MARCH 8, 2020–WHAT’S YOUR PLAN?

In a gender-just world, we wouldn’t need to label a single day as International Women’s Day, but until that world exists we join forces and work together.

This year, the International Women’s Day 2020 campaign theme is #EachforEqual. The campaign theme provides a unified direction to guide and galvanize continuous collective action, with #EachforEqual activity reinforced and amplified all year.

Here is a FULL list of 500+ IWD2020 global events that include talks, panels, conferences, comedy shows and musical performances.

(Source: International Women’s Day)

Details about Toronto’s march is noted below.

Photo Credit: Greenpeace Canada

INDIGENOUS RESISTANCE ART

Museum of Vancouver’s newest feature exhibition Acts of Resistance, showcases the artwork of seven Indigenous artist activists from the Pacific Northwest, whose designs flew from the Iron Workers Memorial bridge on July 3, 2018 to protest the Trans Mountain Expansion Pipeline project. Swaysən, Will George, a Tsleil-Waututh grassroots leader, not only designed one of the featured banners, but also rappelled from the Second Narrows bridge as part of the seven-person aerial blockade to prevent an oil tanker from leaving terminal.

In this exhibition, Will George will share his firsthand experience as a member of the aerial blockade in a video created in collaboration with multi-media artist Ronnie Dean Harris, whose artwork also flew in the path of tanker traffic.

Acts of Resistance features all seven of the 40-foot-long streamers created for the aerial blockade. Featured artists include: Brandon Gabriel, Will George, Ronnie Dean Harris, Ocean Hyland, Jackie Fawn Mendez, Marissa Nahanee, and Ed Archie Noisecat. Six of the banners have been donated to MOV, while the seventh is on loan from Swaysən, Will George, who continues to use his banner for public outreach. All of the banners underwent several conservation treatments to make them ready for exhibition, as the wrinkles from their time in police custody have proven difficult to remove.

On March 5, there will be a Guest Artist Talk where Coast Salish artists will speak to their individual approaches to protest design, their art practices and the cultural and aesthetic influences that inform their work. This is a rare opportunity to hear from diverse artists within Indigenous communities as they address the challenges and successes of representing their Nations and the politics of sovereignty through individual artistic practices.

(Source: Museum of Vancouver)

WHAAT? THEY NEVER TOLD ME THERE’S A FEMINIST BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS?

If you are a feminist (any gender can be a feminist), and have been wondering how to apply your feminist values in the design and operations of your new venture, this session will provide you with an overview of some of the core themes, tools and conversations happening in the community.

How and why does the FBMC differ from the conventional business modelling approach? Can using this lens help you find new ways to stand out? Grow? Deepen your approach to equity, diversity and inclusion work? Have greater impact? We think it will.

Facilitators: CV Harquail, PK Mutch, Tracey Robertson. To sign up, register here.  $35.00

FEMINIST FREEBIE!

The International Feminist Art Fest (FAC) is but two weeks away! Here are a few updates on the event!

FAC has partnered with Black Women Film! for their film night on March 6. They have also partnered with Native Women in the Arts (NWIA) to present Jeneen Frei Njootli, an incredible award-winning interdisciplinary artist, as this year’s keynote performance.

LiisBeth is super proud to be a sponsor this year!

Two FREE TIX to the ENTIRE FAC event will go to the first two people to comment on the Art of Change story we published last November. See you there!

Photo of Farzana Doctor by Tanja Tiziana

NO MORE NICE GIRLS BOOK REVIEW 

Farazana Doctor is a writer, activist, psychotherapist and a celebrated and award-winning Canadian author. Liisbeth reached out to Doctor to write a review of Lauren McKeon’s lasted book, No More Nice Girls (House of Anansi, March, 2020), that will be published just in time for IWD2020.

Watch your inbox for the review plus a new playlist in the coming weeks!

Common themes in Doctor’s writing include loss, relationships, community, healing, racism, LGBT rights, diasporic identity and feminism. Her latest book, Seven (Dundurn Press, August 2020), is a story about inheritance and resistance, among other things, and includes a plotline that features a group of feminists who speak out against khatna, an age-old ritual they insist is female genital cutting.

On her blog, Doctor writes a letter to Seven’s readers with a list of things she would like people to know. The list includes this note: While this is a work of fiction, its characters are based on a real community. Few people have heard of Dawoodi Bohras; we are a fairly insular sub-sect of Shia Muslims. We are known for being polite, entrepreneurial, and cooking the tastiest daal.

Advance praise for Seven: “In her grand tradition, Farzana Doctor once again pushes us forward with nuanced, layered, inter-generational prose, to bring visibility to an important social issue. An urgent and passionate read.”-Vivek Shraya, author of I’m Afraid of Men.

WHAT WE’RE READING 

In the age of girl bosses, Beyoncé, and Black Widow, we like to tell our little girls they can be anything they want when they grow up, except they’ll have to work twice as hard, be told to “play nice,” and face countless double standards that curb their personal, political, and economic power. Today, long after the rise of girl power in the 90s, the failed promise of a female president, and the ubiquity of feminist-branded everything, women are still a surprisingly, depressingly long way from gender and racial equality. It’s worth asking: Why do we keep trying to win a game we were never meant to play in the first place?

Award-winning journalist and author Lauren McKeon examines the varied ways in which our institutions are designed to keep women and other marginalized genders at a disadvantage and shows us why we need more than parity, visible diversity, and lone female CEOs to change this power game. She uncovers new models of power — ones the patriarchy doesn’t get to define — by talking to lawyers insisting on gender-neutral change rooms in courthouses, programmers creating apps to track the breakdown of men and women being quoted in the news media, educators illustrating tampon packaging with pictures of black bodies, mixed martial artists teaching young girls self-empowerment, entrepreneurs prioritizing trauma-informed office cultures, and many other women doing power differently. As the toxic, divisive, and hyper-masculine style of leadership gains ground, threatening democracy here and abroad, McKeon underscores why it’s time to stop playing by the rules of a rigged game.

No More Nice Girls charts a hopeful and potent path forward for how to disrupt the standard (very male) vision of power, ditch convention, and build a more equitable world for everyone.

(Source: Goodreads.com)

I don’t think you can expect society to change if you’re not ready to take the first step.

In the 1970s Beverly walks into an office of Black activists, wanting to join the Movement, and has to prove she’s committed enough to fight. Some forty years later, in the Hip Hop Generation, Nicole reunites with her ex-boyfriend on a basketball court, wondering where he’s been, when a police officer stops them.

In this striking debut, Amanda Parris turns the spotlight on the Black women who organize communities, support their incarcerated loved ones, and battle institutions, living each day by a ride-or-die philosophy, strengthening their voices and demanding to be heard.

The Other Side of the Game won the 2019 Governor General’s Literary Awards for drama. Maja Ardal, Megan Gail Coles and Curtis Peeteetuce made up the jury.

“Other Side of the Game courageously examines the struggles of young black women and their loved ones as they navigate an unjust system,” the jury said.

“Parris crafts a portrait of the early years of black activism and parallels it with the present day. Enraging and engaging, this gripping and passionate play challenges dominant narratives to reveal the painful truths of life for marginalized Canadians in our society.”

(Source: CBC.ca)

“Parris’s play does the worthy work of combatting the idea that Black women are superhuman, able to bear the weight of their communities, fight societal racism on micro and macro levels, and care for their families while managing a tight budget.”

(Carly Maga, Toronto Star)

AND FINALLY . . . IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

• For decades, Native business owners in the US have been excluded from national and global economies due to the persistent lack of infrastructure on many reservations to establish an online presence or a storefront. Rez Rising is a first-of-its-kind tool that brings much needed visibility to these businesses. The growing platform is an initiative of Change Labs, a Native-led organization supporting Native entrepreneurs by providing creative workspace, tools, resources, and community. Join the movement to #BuyNative from over 500 Native-owned businesses in the Southwest and strengthen Native economies by buying directly from Native American entrepreneurs. One of its creators is Heather Fleming, executive director of Change Labs, spoke with KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny about the vision behind Rez Rising. (Source: Rezrising.org)
• “While you don’t have individually the power to dethrone a Mark Zuckerberg, what you do have the power to do — today, tomorrow and the next day — is to start joining things.” – Anand Giridharadas. In his book, Winner Takes All, former New York Times columnist Anand Giridharadas investigates how the global elite’s efforts to ‘change the world’ also obscure their role in causing the problem. Listen to the episode on IDEAS with host Nahlah Ayed at a public event hosted by the Samara Centre for Democracy. (Source: CBC.ca/radio/ideas)
• Inspired by sports league drafts, the annual Fintech and Financing Conference (FFCON) applications for the inaugural Fintech Draft are open until February 29, 2020. Designed to identify and feature emerging and high growth startups and scaleups, you can apply to get drafted in three categories: pitching, export readiness, or product demo at FFCON20 RISE. Qualifying participants will be profiled online and reviewed by expert fintech scouts, and will compete in one of three Fintech Draft competitions: pitching, export readiness, or product demo at the 6th annual Conference and Expo taking place from March 23 and 24 in downtown Toronto. (Source: FFCON20)
• Google is launching an accelerator for early-stage tech startups in Kitchener-Waterloo. The accelerator will be the tech giant’s first in Canada and the 12th globally. The new three-month accelerator program will host two cohorts this year, with eight to 10 startups in each. Ashley Francisco, Canada startup ecosystem lead at Google, will be heading up the new accelerator, according to The Logic. The theme for the first cohort is yet to be confirmed, and the company will explore various potential themes, such as health and gaming, in the next few weeks. Applications for Google’s new accelerator open in March and the first cohort is set to start in April. (Source: Betakit.com)
• Five years ago, filmmaker Paula Eiselt uncovered a shocking act of defiance in an unexpected setting that she now sees as a Hasidic variation of the Me Too movement. 93Queen is a documentary that follows Rachel “Ruchie” Freier, a no-nonsense Hasidic lawyer and mother of six who is determined to shake up the “boys club” in her Hasidic community by creating Ezras Nashim, the first all-female ambulance corps in NYC. In the Hasidic enclave of Borough Park, Brooklyn, Freir challenges the community’s status quo in the face of fierce opposition. With unprecedented access, 93Queen offers a unique portrayal of a group of empowered women set on shattering the glass ceiling in the unlikeliest of communities. In the midst of this already ground-breaking endeavor, Ruchie announces that she will run for civil court judge in Brooklyn, and after a hard-fought and contentious election, she becomes the first Hasidic woman elected to office in the United States. (Sources: 93Queen, CBC.ca/passionateeye

That’s a wrap for Dispatch #60! 

So we have BIG news! LiisBeth is in the process of converting to a women-member/led nonprofit multi-stakeholder cooperative! We know, that’s a mouthful. What it means is that its incubation period under Eve-Volution Inc (B Corp) is over. Time for change. Liisbeth Media is now ready to stand on its own.

Over the next several weeks, you will be hearing from us about our progress. We would love your input on many things, including member benefits you would like to see offered. Why? Because we hope all of you will seriously consider becoming a co-operative member and play a part in helping build a strong, sustainable, feminist media cooperative–the first of its kind on many levels.

As part of getting ready for this shift, we would love you to gift us just 4 minutes to complete our 2020 survey. 

We also wanted to share that last week, the LiiisBeth advisory board and staff unanimously voted to stand with the Wet’suwet’en and Indigenous peoples of Canada. We have submitted our official statement of support. If you are interested in the wording, you can find it here.

We hope you enjoyed this month’s newsletter and features. If you have not done so already, please consider checking out the Feminist Enterprise Commons! (Two months free!)

With gratitude and heartfelt thanks for your continued readership, engagement and support.

Peace out. Spring is coming. xoxo

The post LIISBETH DISPATCH #60 appeared first on LiisBeth.

Artwork by Tara Tomlinson

WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT 

Twenty-two days into new decade—many of us have been taking this time to recover from the holiday season, reset, prioritize, and look at what’s missing in our work…and play. If you’ve resolved to consume less, work smarter, resist more, and pay more attention to your wellbeing, could sobriety be the new rebellion? On the tech front, there is good news: inclusive hiring practices are improving but is the dial moving?  Incubators and accelerators are terrific spaces to create and learn, but here’s a taste of what’s not getting addressed. There’re more women-focused capital funds than ever but are they missing the mark? What does fewer boots on the ground at #WomensMarch2020 mean?

Let’s make this a decade to be present and establish uncomfortable connections required to fuel systemic change. If we don’t, who will?

See you in the Commons, LiisBeth’s new FEMINIST ENTERPRISE SPACE for connecting, learning, organizing for change.

JANUARY STORY POLL & QUICKIE READER SURVEY: We are all in this together! Take action! We need just 4 minutes of your time to let us know what you think. What’s on your mind? How are we doing? What are we missing? What story themes are you most interested in seeing in 2020? We’re listening. Survey takes just 4 minutes, tops!

NEW FEATURES ON LIISBETH 

Dr. Sarah Saska of Feminuity / Photo supplied by Sarah Saska

TIME’S UP TECH 

Sarah Saska has a feminist fix for tech’s gaping gender hole–and it can help us build a better future.

DOWNLOADABLE PDF!

Feminuity’s Case for Intersectionality paper that considers why a “Gender-Only” approach to advance women in tech isn’t enough.

DON’T MOCK THESE COCKTAILS

A Toronto duo mixes up romance, business and a really great line of booze-free drinks that make you still feel like a grown up when you curiously choose to socialize sober!

Photo by Vanessa Lee on Unsplash

PROGRESS OR PINKWASHING? WHO BENEFITS FROM DIGITAL WOMEN-FOCUSED CAPITAL FUNDS?

Thumbs up for Barb Orser! She calls ’em as she sees them. And references LiisBeth as a “digitally enabled intervention that supports the growing feminist economy” in this new study. The paper suggests an immediate need for reporting standards, and enhanced transparency with respect to fund ownership structure, performance and impacts. Read the introduction and download the study (free!) here.

If you have had experiences trying to access financing from these funds, let us know what it was like! Tell us your story anonymously here.

PK’S VIEWPOINT

Photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash

WHAT YOU WON’T LEARN IN AN ACCELERATOR

If we want to create a gender and eco-just inclusive world, we need to be able to grow sustainable social enterprises. Supporting startup co-operatives are part of the answer. But are incubators and accelerators up to the task? Are today’s startup ecosystems up to the task?

Rivera Sun, Feminist in Residence for February, 2020

FEBRUARY’S FEMINIST IN RESIDENCE–RIVERA SUN!

We are sooo pleased to announce that Rivera Sun will be our Feminist in Residence (FiR) during the month of February in the Feminist Enterprise Commons (FEC). Sun is a changemaker, a cultural creative, and the author of 12 books about protest. She is an advocate for nonviolence and social justice, and the editor of Nonviolence.news.

Sun’s topic of the month is this: “Should SHEOs Get Political? Ethical Activism for Business.” In the workshop, she will help us take a critical look at Mondragon, REI, Chick-fil-A’s LGBTQ struggles, and other case studies. Sun will also help us unpack the ethics of our economic clout in civic issues and discuss how we can weigh in without overpowering citizen voices.

The Feminist Enterprise Commons is LiisBeth’s new, non-Zuckerberg, online learning community for those who want to go deeper into their feminist learning, leadership and social changemaking journey.  To read more about the “why”, click here.

As the FiR in the FEC (we know that sounds weird, but also kind of fun), Sun will be posting discussion questions and downloadable reading material and tools for you to keep. She will also be hosting a ZOOM video workshop for those of you interested in learning more about the how to be an activist and a successful enterprise founder at the same time. If you would like to learn more about Sun, you can find her here or read about her in LiisBeth here. What will you learn? Solutionary ideas that will inspire you to step up to the challenges of our times.

CV Harquail was our FiR in January! We’ll tell you about March’s FiR in our February newsletter.

FEMINIST FREEBIE! 

Be the first to comment on one of this month’s LiisBeth features online and receive a FREE COPY of Rivera Sun’s new book, RISE AND RESIST! We will mail it right to your doorstep!

We have over 2,800 subscribers.
Less than 30 per cent contribute financially.
~ ~ ~
If you believe feminist media matters, consider contributing $3/month
and help us SUPPORT, BUILD & GROW the feminist economy

LIISBETH FIELD NOTES

On Saturday, January 18th, we marched to support women in over 250 other Women’s March 2020 around the world in support of reproductive rights, plus gender and eco-justice.

YES! THERE WAS A TORONTO’S WOMEN’S MARCH 2020 (Click image for 2.5 minute video!)

NPR reports that Washington DC’s 2020 Women’s March drew a smaller but passionate crowd. Toronto drew an even smaller crowd. But no less passionate. If you missed the march last Saturday, this is your chance to still experience being there–in a blizzard–virtually! Next year, expect something different on Women’s March day. The U.S. election will be over and there will be plenty to say. #wecantkeepquiet

CONGRATULATIONS ABIGAIL SLATER FOR REPRESENTING CANADA IN THE JUST RELEASED 2018-2019 GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP MONITOR (GEM) REPORT!

Abigail is a ex-officio LiisBeth advisory board member! So we are super proud of her! To read the report, click here.

Thre are a lot of noteworthy recommendations in this year’s report including a call to address stereotypes of who entrepreneurs are and what entrepreneurship is. The report states “From an economic development perspective, expanding societal views to embrace a more inclusive vision of entrepreneurship is a critical action that can be supported by all ecosystem participants. The GEM Global Report for this year focused on a theme of ‘entrepreneurship of all kinds’ which embraces women entrepreneurs. This inclusive approach is more beneficial and far-reaching than a continued emphasis on past models.”

MEET TARA TOMLINSON-FEMINIST ARTIST

This month’s LiisBeth newsletter cover art was created by Tara Tomlinson, founder of Deprogramme, a startup, art based enterprise focused on the creation of educational, political and Black centered art pieces. Deprogramme conducts multifaceted expressions of art, through different mediums. They specialize in digital art poster prints, acrylic canvas commissions and line art tattoo designs. You can find more of Tomlinson’s work on Instagram.

Photo by: Toyrific Garden Games

HOW MANY VENTURE FUNDS IN CANADA DECIDED TO CHALLENGE THE GENDER BAR?

The U.S. based Billion Dollar Fund for Women consortium was created in 2018 to mobilize capital that would invest in women-founded companies within the next decade. By June 2019, it had met its target. A total of over 70 funds from six continents and over 25 countries have so far pledged to deploy capital towards women-founded companies by 2020, equating to a total of $1 billion. Today, they have re-branded as the Beyond The Billion Fund. They want to go further still.

It’s a great initiative and given the times, not surprising they met their goal so quickly.

But before we get too excited, it’s important to note the bar that was set was a low one, considering the total investment dollars run by funds across the globe. The initiative requires funds to sign a pledge. There is no repercussion should the fund not meet the goal. The “we the good” halo effect lives on whether it happens or not.

So, with only a pledge at stake, and timely reputational value to reap,  how many Canadian funds do you think signed up?

When the TBDF for women launched in Canada, it was able to secure eight pledges. Today, a year later, with efforts by its Canadian sponsors Lally Rementilla (Quantius) and Jonathan Hera (Marigold Capital), it has 16. Nice improvement. The catch is, there are over 150 venture funds in Canada. 

Hard to believe the percentage of funds participating remains so low. We hope the rest will sign on soon.

In the meantime, give it up for the good ones: Alate Partners, BCG Ventures, Cycle Capital, Ecofuel, Disruption Ventures, Dream Maker Ventures, Grand Challenges Canada, Investissement Quebec, Loyal VC, Marigold Capital, MaRS Catalyst Fund, Medteq, Pique Ventures, Quantius, REDDS Capital and StandUp Ventures.

If you are looking for venture capital, make sure to check them out!

Effie T. Brown / Photo courtesy of Gamechanger 

FEMALE-FOCUSED FILM FUND

Known for her producing work on socially and culturally-minded projects like Dear White People and Real Women Have Curves, Effie T. Brown has been a game-changing advocate for inclusivity in the industry. That said, the veteran producer is bringing her work to the next level as she has been named the CEO of Gamechanger.

Launched in 2013, Gamechanger is the first film financing fund by and for women. Brown will bring her expertise to help broaden the fund’s scope to include projects by and about people of color, LGBTQ+ and people with disabilities. In addition to films, Gamechanger is set to expand its reach to television and digital content with a new, fully monetized development fund that will enable it to buy, option and develop IP for television, streaming and digital platforms.

“As a black female producer who’s been in the business for over 20 years, I know how hard it is to not only get into the room but to then secure financing when you have a culturally diverse or gender specific point of view,” said Brown. “I am beyond thrilled to join Gamechanger as CEO and help level the playing field by providing equity financing for production, development monies as well as strategic partnerships for people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, women, and people of color. What also makes us different is that the diversity of our content is as diverse as our investor pool. Our investors understand that it is going to take all of us pooling our monies together to ensure that these inclusive voices are given the opportunity to own their story from script to screen.” (Source: Deadline)

Based on research on the psychology of leadership, Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic shows that if leaders were selected on competence rather than confidence, humility rather than charisma, and integrity rather than narcissism, we would not just end up with more competent leaders, but also more women leaders. In fact, he argues, the main obstacle preventing competent women from becoming leaders is the lack of career obstacles for incompetent, patriarchal men.

WHY DO SO MANY INCOMPETENT MEN BECOME LEADERS?  WORTH WATCHING.

Based on research on the psychology of leadership, Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic shows that if leaders were selected on competence rather than confidence, humility rather than charisma, and integrity rather than narcissism, we would not just end up with more competent leaders, but also more women leaders. In fact, he argues, the main obstacle preventing competent women from becoming leaders is the lack of career obstacles for incompetent, patriarchal men.

WHAT WE’RE READING 

On her first book tour at the age of 26, Lee Maracle was asked a question from the audience, one she couldn’t possibly answer at that moment. But she has been thinking about it ever since. As time has passed, she has been asked countless similar questions, all of them too big to answer, but not too large to contemplate. These questions, which touch upon subjects such as citizenship, segregation, labour, law, prejudice and reconciliation (to name a few), are the heart of My Conversations with Canadians.

In prose essays that are both conversational and direct, Maracle seeks not to provide any answers to these questions she has lived with for so long. Rather, she thinks through each one using a multitude of experiences she’s had as a First Nations leader, a woman, a mother, and grandmother over the course of her life.

Lee Maracle’s My Conversations with Canadians presents a tour de force exploration into the writer’s own history and a reimagining of the future of our nation.

(Source: Bookhug Press)

The prescient, page-turning account of a journey in Silicon Valley: a defining memoir of our digital age

In her mid-twenties, at the height of tech industry idealism, Anna Wiener—stuck, broke, and looking for meaning in her work, like any good millennial–left a job in book publishing for the promise of the new digital economy. She moved from New York to San Francisco, where she landed at a big-data startup in the heart of the Silicon Valley bubble: a world of surreal extravagance, dubious success, and fresh-faced entrepreneurs hell-bent on domination, glory, and, of course, progress.

Part coming-age-story, part portrait of an already-bygone era, Anna Wiener’s memoir is a rare first-person glimpse into high-flying, reckless startup culture at a time of unchecked ambition, unregulated surveillance, wild fortune, and accelerating political power.

“A definitive document of a world in transition: I won’t be alone in returning to Uncanny Valley for clarity and consolation for many years to come.” —Jia Tolentino, author of Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion

(Source: MCDbooks)

AND FINALLY . . . IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

• Black Light is a weekly column by Governor General Award-winning writer Amanda Parris that spotlights, champions and challenges art and popular culture that is created by Black people and/or centres Black people. Parris writes: “The work created by Black artists often goes undocumented. It’s a consistent and systemic problem in Canada — one that’s created a cultural amnesia that renders Black art and Black artists invisible. Black Light is a small attempt to rectify this issue.” She has curated a list of some of the most exciting projects created by Black artists that will be arriving in 2020 and the first roundup  includes visual art exhibitions, plays, a new novel, an installation, a couple of films and new sci-fi series.
• A new year brings with it new funds for women-led businesses. Before you apply, do your due diligence and check out Barb Orser’s study. “The Scotiabank Women Initiative can help women-led businesses access the tools they need – from financing to having the right financial knowledge and support to be successful.” – Gillian Riley, President and CEO, Tangerine Bank and executive sponsor of The Scotiabank Women Initiative. In December 2019, Scotiabank announced the expansion of The Scotiabank Women Initiative to its capital markets business – Global Banking and Markets. Check out the full press release about the initiative.
• Applications for Venture Out’s Founders Program closes February 11, 2020. Venture Out is seeking 8-10 LGBTQA+ founders that want to engage, with a community of advisors, investors, incubator partners, and experts over a 6-week program. This program will run between March 3 to April 7, 2020. Most importantly, passionate founders that understand this is a pilot and to provide feedback to strengthen the LGBTQA+ tech ecosystem in Canada.
• The Big Push is a TD Bank initiative founded by an all-women team who is investing in women-led companies that have the potential to become the next global tech leaders. The Lift-Off Program is an innovative funding and expert resource program designed to provide early stage women-led technology companies with access to free consultation and assessment of their business plans along with a clear roadmap that connects them to a network of highly vetted business and technology professionals.
• BDC’s 2020 economic outlook reports that Canadian entrepreneurs should benefit from a rebound in the real estate market, residential investment and household consumption.
• Noteworthy from November: Toronto-based Knix Wear has reached over $5M in VC funding with little institutional funding to date. In 2013, the e-commerce startup raised more than $1M through a crowdfunding campaign that saw investment from angel investors and small funds to fund her first line of Knix seamless underwear, which uses patented, leak-resistant, and odour-eradicating technology. Full story on Betakit.com 
• Flashback fact: How old are successful tech entrepreneurs? A 2018 study from Kellogg’s School of Management at Northwestern University reveals the answer…and it’s likely not what you think.

That’s a wrap for Dispatch #59! 

So we wrote about the fragility of intesectional feminist media in December. And soon after, we heard about the closing of GUTS, a promising, smart, fiction-based, feminist online Canadian publication fueled by grants and donations, locked its doors after five years. We supported them each month for over two years. We also subscribe to Herizon, This, Ms Magazine, The Discourse, Bitch, plus several other small, online blogs in various ways.

Feminist media matters.  Building a sustainable media enterprise of any kind these days is a challenge. Events of late have us thinking harder about how to structure LiisBeth so that we have the best possible chance of achieving our goal to create a sustainable, impactful, feminist media voice in Canada. We will keep you posted!

Remember also that we would love to hear from you so consider taking 4 minutes to complete our survey.

The next newsletter is scheduled for release the third week of February (yes AFTER VDay).  Or, see you sooner in the Feminist Enterprise Commons!

With gratitude and heartfelt thanks for your continued readership, engagement and support.

Peace out. Stay warm. xoxo

The post LIISBETH DISPATCH #59 appeared first on LiisBeth.

Wishing you peace, safety, a warm meal, hugs and joy this holiday season.
Photo by Enrique Macias on Unsplash

WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT 

It’s that time of year to reflect and set intentions for the year ahead. What served you in the past? Where can you let go? What strengthens you, reliably? Check out PK’s Viewpoint below for more provocative questioning.   

The U.S. election and all things impeachment will likely dominate mainstream media in 2020 and it’s important that feminist narratives and media continue to see the light of day, now more than ever. We have nowhere to go but forward. Because nourishing experimentation and strengthening the grassroots, courageous innovators while still operating inside the old is our only hope for a breakthrough in our lifetime.

STORY POLL & READER SURVEY: And as we enter the last month of 2019 and reflect on a year’s worth of newsletters and magazine refreshes, let us know how we can improve. What story themes are you most interested in seeing in 2020? We’re listening. Survey takes just 4 minutes, tops!

NEW FEATURES ON LIISBETH

Photo by Jeff Fielitz on Unsplash

THE MAGIC CIRCLE
In gaming, we get to live in an alternate reality—a magic circle—with its own rules that are accepted without question. We get to turn off, escape, play. No wonder it’s so popular with so many.

In the real world, we get to live in business’s magic circle…a place with its own rules that are accepted without question. But this circle is broken, and in need of feminist intervention.

Enter CV Harquail, the first Feminist in Residence (FIR) of the Feminist Enterprise Commons (FEC), who challenges the stewards of the status quo. We invite you to join us, and her, in reimagining what business could be. You can also download a complimentary excerpt, “Challenging Business’s Magic Circle” from our FIR’s new book, Feminism: A Key Idea for Business and Society.

She will be posting and responding to queries and offering a ZOOM session on the Feminist Enterprise Commons from January 5 to 31, 2020.

SIGN UP FOR YOUR 3-MONTH FREE TRIAL

After the trial period, memberships are $17.99 CDN or $15.00 USD per month, and an accessible $4.00 USD rate per month for international readers.

WE CAN’T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU! THIS SEASON, PLEASE CONSIDER A ONE TIME DONATION OF $25, $50 or $100! To get started, click here 

Truth is, we would love to do more for you. Publish more profiles. Follow up all the story leads you send our way. Advocate on your behalf to government. March for you on cold days. Send feminist thought leadership and inspiration straight to your inbox. Curate articles and publish briefs on research that might just make your day. Plus provide more fair income opportunities to young and second career feminist writers and editors–you can’t have feminist media without feminist creators.

If cash is tight this year (we get that!), you can also help us out by a) Telling five friends about us and encouraging them to sign up to our newsletter; b) Following us on social media and sharing or liking our posts; or c) Commenting on our feature articles from time to time! Every bit helps!

Thank you in advance for your generosity! xoxo

THE END OF FEMINIST MEDIA? 

Surviving and flourishing as an indie media enterprise takes more than cool content, clicks and coin–it requires a different approach to building an enterprise–more Ani DiFranco, less Warner Bros. Check out our thoughts on some recent closures, acquisitions, and “disappearing” feminist media.

PK’S VIEWPOINT 

Amazon Prime Video is partnering with JuVee Productions to develop a series based on feminist futurist Octavia E. Bulter’s sci-fi book ‘Wild Seed’, from her ‘Patternist’ series.

HOW TO BUILD A FLOURISHING ENTERPRISE AT THE END OF THE WORLD

Last year, I went through Susannah Conway’s process of choosing a word to serve as a personal compass for the year ahead. My word for 2019 was “alignment” and having that word taped to my bookshelf above my computer really helped me to stay on track. So I thought if a single, carefully chosen word can make such a difference in how I show up in the world, what might a single, equally carefully considered question of the year do in terms of advancing my why in the world?

With a new year on the horizon, predictions about what the world will be like in 2020 hit us in the face like crusty snowflakes in a blizzard. The The worsening impact of climate change. U.S. election. Growing inequality and economic security. Right wing politics. Millions of refugees. Advancements in mind reading tech for enhanced security purposes. The list is endless.

My review of predictions by pundits on the web and in mainstream media says this: In the next three to seven years, most of us will likely find ourselves living longer, on less income and with less (not a bad thing in my view), in crowded work/life quarters (could be fun), with surveilled freedom (big concern), in a radically changing biosphere (read: insects and hot mealworms for breakfast) governed by a hyper-adaptive, resilient and pissed-off patriarchy (oy!).

Which then leads to the single question as a way of charting the course of my work in the coming year: What is the purpose of entrepreneurship given the world unfolding before us?

I have not yet figured out my word for the year. But my question is clearly in sight.

Helena Verdier is seen here selling handmade items from her booth at the recent Feminist Fair. [Photo © Jennifer Prescott]

If you’re still looking to express gratitude via a thoughtful small gift for the womxn in your world, we thought it was worth reposting Champagne Thomson’s story from last month, Stuff Your Stockings with Feminist Joy.

The piece features feminist makers and changemakers have to offer from the Feminist Market at Toronto’s Gladstone Hotel, Ottawa’s Feminist Fair, and Indigenous and Ingenious in Toronto.

And from Refinery29 and Berlin Cameron here is the LLShe Women2women holiday gift guide.

LIISBETH FIELD NOTES

LIISBETH HAS A PARTY!

LiisBeth advisory board member, Geraldine Cahill, holding the holiday pickle like the champ she is! Photo by Greg English

LiisBeth’s Hopes, Dreams and Resistance Reception Highlight Video! 2.30 Minutes!

What happens when you put 60+ entrepreneurial feminist creators, writers, policy makers, and business owners in a room together? This year, LiisBeth held its inaugural Hopes, Dreams and Resistance reception in Toronto, Ontario. We brought together our contributors, editors, the people they wrote about, policy makers, academics and supporters for this pre-holiday season event. The agenda? Just to spend time together. But we did arrange for a pickle tasting and a mystery guest speaker. We know a lot of you live outside Toronto and can’t make event’s like these.  So we created this little highlight video just for you in hopes that you will feel at least in some way, part of it.

IDENTITY ECONOMICS IS A MASTERFUL ACT OF ALCHEMY 

What does it mean when art gallery programming is determined by callout culture? Elisha Lim based an article on this question, for C Magazine. Lim is a queer and transgender story-teller and graphic novelist, whose book 100 Crushes was published by Koyama Press and nominated for a Lambda. They are currently writing a PhD at U of T on race and social media so we’ll follow up later in 2020 with more on the complex topic of identity economics.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS

We teach girls that they can have ambition, but not too much … to be successful, but not too successful, or they’ll threaten men, says author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In this classic talk that started a worldwide conversation about feminism, Adichie asks that we begin to dream about and plan for a different, fairer world — of happier men and women who are truer to themselves.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: FOLLOW THE LUNAR CYCLE WITH SOME SELF-CARE

Celebrate the winter solstice with a restorative yoga sequence to slow down and unwind. Video by Yoga with Kassandra.

susannahconway.com

FIND YOUR WORD 2020–ONLINE OR IN PERSON! 

We love this idea and more importantly, the process behind it, and are promoting it here!

To find your word online, check out https://www.susannahconway.com/word/. It’s a free and wonderfully illuminating process. But be prepared. It takes some thought and time to work through it.

Dimple Mukerjee, one of LiisBeth’s first entrepreneurs profiled, says her word for this year is COMMAND.  Mukerjee says it comes from her sense of a need to develop more of a commanding presence and showing up in her business in a bigger and bolder way.

If doing this sort of thing in community with others is your thing, and if you live in Toronto, you might want to check out Dimple Mukerjee’s
Call in Your Word 2020 seminar being held on Tuesday, January 14th, 2020 at We Work, 240 Richmond Street West ($75 but includes beer, wine and food!). Note: It’s also a co-ed session. So male friends and partners are welcome!

FEMINIST FREEBIE ALERT!  Dimple has kindly offered a free ticket to the seminar to the first LiisBeth reader to comment on the profile we wrote about Dimple way back in 2016!  To get started and receive your free ticket, click here.

Photo of Amanda Palmer from Brain Pickings

FEMINIST POETRY 

Click on the starry image of Amanda Palmer above to hear her read The Mushroom Hunters: Neil Gaiman’s Feminist Poem About Science.

The poem is an ode to humanity’s unheralded originators of the scientific method, and was featured in The Universe in Verse event earlier this year, hosted by Maria Popova. The gathering is an annual celebration of science through poetry held at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, NY.

WHAT WE’RE READING

An anthology of African-Canadian writing, Black Writers Matter offers a cross-section of established writers and newcomers to the literary world who tackle contemporary and pressing issues with beautiful, sometimes raw, prose. As editor Whitney French says in her introduction, Black Writers Matter “injects new meaning into the word diversity [and] harbours a sacredness and an everydayness that offers Black people dignity. ” An “invitation to read, share, and tell stories of Black narratives that are close to the bone,” this collection feels particular to the Black Canadian experience.

“Black Writers Matter is an extraordinary achievement, a bold and loving gathering of Black writing in its sublimity; its stylistic and thematic complexity; its regional, cultural, generational, and experiential differences; its fiercely constellated energy. Whitney French and the talented contributors to this book offer us vital new writings within a two-hundred-year legacy of yearning and truth-telling. Please read this book. ” —David Chariandy, author of Soucouyant and Brother

“Reading these stories gave me both joy and grief. ” —Afua Cooper

“Black Writers? African, Bluesy, Classical, Disrespectful,  Erudite, Fiery, Groovy, Haunting, Inspiring, Jazzy, Knowing, Liberating, Militant, Nervy, Optimistic, Pugnacious, Quixotic, Rambunctious, Seductive, Truculent, Urgent, Vivacious, Wicked, X-ray sharp, Yearning, Zesty. And so, they matter!” —George Elliott Clarke (Source: University of Regina Press)

New feminist essays for the #MeToo era from the international best-selling author of Men Explain Things to Me and the forthcoming memoir Recollections of My Nonexistence.

Who gets to shape the narrative of our times? The current moment is a battle royale over that foundational power, one in which women, people of color, non-straight people are telling other versions, and white people and men and particularly white men are trying to hang onto the old versions and their own centrality. In Whose Story Is This? Rebecca Solnit appraises what’s emerging and why it matters and what the obstacles are.

“Rebecca Solnit is essential feminist reading.”
—The New Republic

“Rebecca Solnit is the voice of the resistance.”
—New York Times Magazine

“In these times of political turbulence and an increasingly rabid and scrofulous commentariat, the sanity, wisdom and clarity of Rebecca Solnit’s writing is a forceful corrective. Whose Story Is This? is a scorchingly intelligent collection about the struggle to control narratives in the internet age.”
—Alex Preston, The Guardian

“Solnit’s passionate, shrewd, and hopeful critiques are a road map for positive change.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Solnit’s exquisite essays move between the political and the personal, the intellectual and the earthy.”
—ELLE
(Source: Haymarket Books)

AND FINALLY . . . IN CASE YOU MISSED IT! 

• CFC Media Lab is pleased to introduce the Fifth Wave Initiative, a new suite of programs and services designed to accelerate and sustain the growth of women-owned/led enterprises in southern Ontario’s digital media sector. Innovative Fifth Wave Initiative programming will bring intersectional feminist business practices to the forefront of Canada’s startup ecosystem in an effort to support a broader range of enterprise philosophies. It will weave feminist ideals of equity and fairness into business sustainability and scalable growth. Click here to learn more and register!
• The Baltimore museum is taking a bold step to rectify centuries of imbalance in the fine arts space by commiting to acquiring art produced only by women starting 2020. BAM’s director Christopher Bedford, said “something radical must be done….”
• Do you have a climate change policy articulated for your company? What are your suppliers doing about climate change? Don’t know? On Dec 11, 500+ B Corps Commit to Net Zero by 2030, 20 Years Ahead of Paris Agreement! Check out the announcement here. FYI, LiisBeth Media is a B Corp!
• Ecofeminist revival?  Ecofeminism was born a few decades ago from the observation that there is an analogy between the exploitation of women and the exploitation of nature. Given the centrality of climate change as a key global issues, this part of the feminist movement’s ideas and theories are more relevant than ever. Its thought leaders include people like Vandana Shiva. To learn more about it, click here. Here is also a list of terrific ecofeminist primers!

That’s a wrap for Dispatch #58! 

This is our last newsletter of 2019!  The LiisBeth team will be taking time off to recharge until January 6th. Our next newsletter will be out January 21st, just after the Women’s March event! MARK THE DATE! We have amazing features already in the pipeline including a great piece by Carmelle Wolfson on decolonizing yourself–and your business, plus a reflection piece by Golnaz Golnaraghi, founder of Accelerate Her Future. Plus much more!

In the meantime, have a wonderful, safe, regenerating time over the holiday season no matter what you do to celebrate the coming of a new year. And stay in touch with us daily on Twitter @LiisBethHQ.

With gratitude and heartfelt thanks for your continued readership, engagement and support.

XOXO

The post LIISBETH DISPATCH #58 appeared first on LiisBeth.

Photo By Leandro Crespi

WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT 

Having lunch with an iconic Canadian feminist served as a reminder of why LiisBeth exists: a media channel that advances feminist literacy and tells stories of alternative enterprise models that enables flourishing for all. Like VentureKids Canada, where underserved youth can learn how to code. Or how Ample Labs uses design and tech to help the homeless. Activist art as a sustainable venture idea, or a gig career, takes ingenuity and persistence but gives needed voice to the hard issues of systemic racism, violence again women, patriarchy. LiisBeth is also here to call out hate and call in those looking to be more deeply informed with articles that include facts and opinions from a human rights point of view. Like when a so-called feminist thinks that trans rights threaten women’s safety…could she be the real threat to feminism? At the end of the day, the world is warming and the holidays are coming. Check out our feminist gift guide that includes seed bombs and wearable art you can feel good about.

And as we enter the last month of 2019 and reflect on a year’s worth of newsletters, let us know how we can improve. We’re listening.

NEW FEATURES ON LIISBETH 

#chatbot4change
Ample Labs: Ending Homelessness With Technology

HOMELESSNESS: THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT
Resources can be a click away, thanks to a Toronto startup’s tech empowerment.
Read the Ample Labs story on our site.

Photo by Kamil Karamali, Global News

MEGHAN MURPHY: DID THE TORONTO LIBRARY DO ITS HOMEWORK?

In October, a small branch of Toronto’s Public Library (TPL) system made the news by hosting a talk by Meghan Murphy, a Vancouver based anti-trans rights feminist and founder of The Feminist Current, a blog and podcast with an estimated 14,000 followers.

Despite the fact that Murphy’s talks have been heavily criticized as hate speech, Toronto City Librarian, Vickery Bowles, backed the event because the library “has an obligation to protect free speech.” Bowles also told the Globe and Mail that Ms. Murphy has never been charged or convicted of hate speech.

That, however, just may be a matter of timing.

This week on LiisBeth, feminist and human rights lawyer, Pamela Cross, offers a critique and legal insight on Meghan Murphy’s ideology.

Speaking from a place of compassion, we can only imagine that Murphy has had personal experiences which fuel the raison d’etre for her views and her efforts to promote them. Really, what does anyone get out of making the lives of a tiny, heavily persecuted group in society who are already traumatized enough? Perhaps a book deal? Fair enough. Tapping fear worked for Jordan Peterson.

At LiisBeth, and as social justice and systems centred feminists, we stand firmly as a trans-inclusionary organization. Call to Action? What is the path to restorative justice? We hope that the trans community rallies and continues the debate and takes the issue to court as a violation of Canada’s Human Rights Code.

Photo by Champagne Thompson

STUFF YOUR STOCKINGS WITH FEMINIST JOY

Giving and celebrating doesn’t need to be powered by a capitalistic consumer agenda. Get the scoop on what feminist makers and changemakers have to offer from the Feminist Market at Toronto’s Gladstone Hotel, Ottawa’s Feminist Fair, and Indigenous and Ingenious in Toronto.

Photo supplied by Takara Small

RIGHTING WHO WRITES CODE

What’s more fun than smashing through barriers to be a Black woman in tech? For Takara Small, it’s helping kids smash through them too. Read more about VentureKids Canada on our site.

‘Ashaba’; No human can look at her directly by Karen White explores unseen oppression.

SHUT UP, SHUT OUT, FUCK THAT

Ilene Sova’s need to talk real sparks a feminist art collective. Read her story this week on LiisBeth.

Jack Jackson and Jet, Photo by Jack Jackson

WELCOME TO LIISBETH’S NEWEST ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER–JACK JACKSON

Fun facts about Jack:

1) He was our very FIRST article written by Margaret Webb back in 2016.
2) He has been an ardent supporter of LiisBeth, attended BOTH EFFS, and served as our EFF photographer.
3) He is a trans rights activist (we did the story on his DYWM initiative)
5) He has an I AM A FEMINIST jacket!
6) He is smart and well-versed on gender issues.
7) He has never been on a board–this would be a great learning experience for him (his words)

Jack also runs a Toronto-based dog walking enterprise and photography business. Check out his latest inspiring project to advance trans inclusion, Don’t You Want Me.

PK’S VIEWPOINT 

Photo by Lana Pesch

LUNCH WITH A FEMINIST ICON 

What was it like having lunch with with Canada’s Gloria Steinem? So engrossing we forgot to take a photo of her. Our conversation about the importance of alternative media channels is a reminder of why we need to keep going. Read PK’s Viewpoint here.

LIISBETH FIELD NOTES

Digital Justice Lab

BUILDING ALTERNATIVE DIGITAL FUTURES

The Digital Justice Lab’s mission is to focus on building a more just and equitable future.

Imaging Feminist Interfaces was a workshop held earlier in November in partnership with Digital Justice Lab, Trinity Square Video and tendernet.us, presented as part of a series at MOCA Toronto’s Age of You exhibit.

The workshop explored what voice technologies might look like if they were designed in line with the central commitments of feminism: participation, agency, embodiment, equity, empowerment, plurality and justice.

There’s one more workshop in the series, Mapping Digital Bodies that navigates the impact of how our data is used, stored and shared.

WHAT WOULD THE INTERNET LOOK LIKE IF MORE WOMEN WERE BUILDING IT?

Australia’s Girl Geek Academy initiatives include coding and hackathons, 3D printing and wearables, game development, design, entrepreneurship and startups.

WHERE DO FEMINISTS GO FOR ADVICE ON HOW TO GROW THEIR ENTERPRISE OR  SUCCEED ON THEIR OWN TERMS?

Well if Kelly Diels has anything to say about it, it’s not a Tony Robbins event, or a business networking event that features talks by patriarchal Silicon Valley bros and VCs, extractive neo-libreneurs, unicorn hunters, or exploitative Uber-esque enterprises founded by any gender.

Nope. Feminists in business–or those who run any organization or project looking to model alternative ways of doing business–need advice from other walking the same path–but who might just be a few steps ahead of you.

We at LiisBeth have benefited from SOOOOO much awesome advice from generous, caring people we have met along the way. It’s why we are still here three years later.

So we created a NON-FACEBOOK (read: unsurveilled, no disappearing timelines, no money for Zuckerberg) online community on the Mighty Networks platform (founded by a woman)–the Feminist Enterprise Commons (FEC).  If you want to build a sustainable feminist enterprise, connecting, supporting and partnering with others is key.

WE INVITE YOU TO GIVE FEC A TRY.
JOIN US TODAY! SUBSCRIBER SPECIAL OFFER: 3 MONTHS FREE! CLICK HERE.

Photo of CV Harquail by PK Mutch

WHY JOIN FEC?

In addition to having the opportunity to meet up with other feminists in business, each month we will be featuring a monthly FEMINIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM. This is someone who will be on the site answering your questions, and offering online ZOOM webinars or hosting discussion sessions to help you take the next step for your project or idea.

OUR FIRST FEMINIST IN RESIDENCE: CV HARQUAIL

CV Harquail is a feminist scholar and author of Feminism: A Key Idea for Business (2019), and co-creator of the feminist business model canvas. She believes that including feminist values and practices into your workplace and the ways you do business will help to create great products and connect with customers.

Harquail says: “It’s possible, using feminism in business, to feel creative, purposeful, authentically you, “all in”, and as though everything/anything you do at work is making more of a difference than you could ever have imagined.”

She will posting and responding to queries and offering a ZOOM session on the Feminist Enterprise Commons from January 5 to 31, 2020.

SIGN UP FOR YOUR 3-MONTH FREE TRIAL
After the trial period, memberships are $17.99 CDN or $15.00 USD per month, and an accessible $4.00 USD rate per month for international readers.

Amandine Fouillard

TRAVEL LIKE A FEMINIST 

Amandine Fouillard’s coming of age European trip took a unique twist. The young French feminist‘s commitment to learning more about feminism combined with her desire to travel plus her dreams of writing formed “Travel like a feminist”. On her seven-month tour, she visited several European capitals and met with associations, researchers, politicians and personalities who were working on equality issues.

Why? To gain a deeper understanding of the advancements of the European feminist movements have made.

What did she learn? There is still a long way to go to achieve equality.

On her French Ulule site, you can check out her interviews, videos, and articles (en français) on European feminist news and country-by-country comparisons of existing legislation and rights.

WE HAVE TO ASK 

LiisBeth has published over 190 original articles and profiles of enterprising feminists. We hold leaders accountable. We advance important discourse about feminism, entrepreneurship and social change. Our dedicated team works tirelessly to advance gender and social justice. We are ad and surveillance free and believe that reader-supported media is the antidote to a corporate media dominated conversation on important issues that matter to us all.

This holiday season please consider supporting LiisBeth with a donation either via our Patreon page or on our Support Our Mission page which provides both credit card and Paypal options.

Christina Cai of @myKnowtions speaking at #movethedialsummit

WOMEN IN FINTECH MOVING THE DIAL 

The importance of mentors, funding models, and inclusivity at all levels of business were just a fraction of topics covered in the many presentations at the #movethedialsummit earlier in November, in Toronto.

Entrepreneur Christina Cai was on the panel WOMEN IN FINTECH: BUILDING AND GROWING
(pictured above). Cai is co-founder and COO of Knowtions Research Inc., a company that is building the first enterprise AI platform for health insurers. The past decade has seen a marked change in the number of women who are founding new businesses, leading teams, and investing in the next generation of unicorns, but there is still a long way to go. However Cai encourages startup founders to think more like cockroaches than unicorns and “refuse to die!”

In the video below she shares her “poor startups survival guide” that include some lessons learned in her business journey so far.

WOO HOO! CANADA’S FIRST FEMINIST ACCELERATOR PROGRAM!

Now THIS is exciting. And gutsy.

The Canadian Film Centre’s IDEABoost team, Ana Serrano and Nataly Dupont, together with partners Eve-Volution Inc (LiisBeth’s parent company), Marigold Capital, OCADU’s Superordinary Lab, the University of Toronto’s Digital Justice Lab and the Pivotal Point have launched Canada’s FIRST feminist values-led enterprise growth accelerator for women-owned/led digital media companies based in Southwestern Ontario. 

Fifth Wave is all about helping women grow and build resilient enterprises that value equity, wellness, community and fairness. The program recognizes that definitions of success vary and supports organic growth strategies as well as founders seeking venture capital.

Fifth Wave Labs, the accelerator program starts in spring 2020. Applications to the pre-requisite program, Fifth Wave Connect, are open now!

FEMINIST FREEBIE!

The first two people to comment on our feminist icon story will receive a COMPLEMENTARY COPY of her latest book. But we can’t tell you who it is–you have to read the article here first to find out!

WHAT WE’RE READING 

Technology and empathy for curious young readers. 

The Computer and the Canceled Music Lessons is a children’s book that introduces young readers (and older ones) to ‘data science,’ the process of ethically acquiring, analyzing, visualizing and monetizing data.

With advancements in technology, new jobs are emerging and old roles are being transformed as a result of the explosion in data from mobile technology, cloud computing, social media, the internet of things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Start this important conversation with kids in a fun way by reading and discussing with them, how one student in this story uses data to solve a problem at school.

Author Shingai Manjengwa (Twitter: @tjido) is the chief executive officer at Fireside Analytics Inc., a Canadian ed-tech startup that offers customized cloud-hosted data science training and consulting services to corporations, governments, and educational institutions. Shingai’s data science courses have over 300,000 registered learners on platforms like IBM’s CognitiveClass.ai and Coursera.

She is also the founder of Fireside Analytics Academy, a registered private high school (BSID: 886528) that teaches high school students to ethically acquire, analyze, visualize and monetize data! The IDC4U, High School Data Science program is inspected by the Ministry of Education in Canada and it uses real-life youth-focused case studies to combine statistics, mathematics, business, and computer programming: the pillars of data science. The program is completely online; international students are welcome.

A revealing look at how negative biases against women of color are embedded in search engine results and algorithms

Run a Google search for “black girls”—what will you find? “Big Booty” and other sexually explicit terms are likely to come up as top search terms. But, if you type in “white girls,” the results are radically different. The suggested porn sites and un-moderated discussions about “why black women are so sassy” or “why black women are so angry” presents a disturbing portrait of black womanhood in modern society.

In Algorithms of Oppression, Safiya Umoja Noble challenges the idea that search engines like Google offer an equal playing field for all forms of ideas, identities, and activities. Data discrimination is a real social problem; Noble argues that the combination of private interests in promoting certain sites, along with the monopoly status of a relatively small number of Internet search engines, leads to a biased set of search algorithms that privilege whiteness and discriminate against people of color, specifically women of color. — NYUPress

An original, surprising and, at times, disturbing account of bias on the internet, Algorithms of Oppression contributes to our understanding of how racism is created, maintained, and disseminated in the 21st century.

“Noble makes a strong case that present technologies and search engines are not just imperfect, but they enact actual harm to people and communities.” ~Popmatters.com

AND FINALLY . . . IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

• In her third collection of poetry, Holy Wild, Gwen Benaway explores the complexities of being an Indigenous trans woman in expansive lyric poems. She holds up the Indigenous trans body as a site of struggle, liberation, and beauty. Published by Book*hug Press, the book won one of Canada’s most prestigious literary awards; the 2019 Governor General’s Literary Award for poetry. This Toronto Star story outlines Benaway’s conflicted feelings around the recognition since the win coincided at a time when Benaway and many others denounced the Toronto Public Library for refusing to cancel an event featuring a speaker who has been critical of transgender rights. See our feature story for more insight.
• The good old hockey game is only great when it’s for everyone. This CBC story follows the collapse of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) to the rise of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), where 200 top female players vowed to sit out this season in order to push for one financially viable and sustainable professional league. Julie Stevens, a professor in Brock University’s sport management program, says members of the PWPHA can overcome these historical challenges by shifting the conversation from a social case to a business case. “It’s basically a startup. It’s an emerging venture that you need to look at what the market research is telling you,” Stevens says.
• Download the 2019 CBC Massey Lectures, Power Shift: The Longest Revolution and hear journalist and human rights activist Sally Armstrong argue that the future of humanity depends on strengthening the status of women and girls. The facts, Armstrong says, are beyond dispute: when women get an education, all of society benefits; when they get better healthcare, everyone lives longer.
• TIME magazine’s coverage of Colombia’s historic moment; the first time a woman and openly gay candidate was elected as mayor of the capital city. Claudia López ran for mayor on an anti-corruption platform and challenged the positions of right-wing politicians, promising to advance equal rights for minority communities and women. Her victory marks the country’s shift away from the political elite, and indicates a desire in the residents of Bogotá for a transition to more liberal policies.

That’s a wrap for Dispatch #57! 

As we near the end of 2019, the LiisBeth team paused for reflection at our annual advisory board meeting and community reception that followed.

Wow. What a year.

We are proud that the readership of our online magazine is now over 19,000 (up 40%), and surprised to find we have over 8,000 following us on social media (we are trying to get better at that).

More importantly, we are chuffed we have been able to publish over 190 impactful, quality original articles (not blog posts or curated pieces we bought from elsewhere) and provided fair income opportunities for over 30 womxn journalists, writers, and editors. And we were thrilled at the turnout of our Feminist City Walk in partnership with Jane’s Walk.

We are also SUPER excited about our new online community space you read about up top, the Feminist Enterprise Commons hosted on Mighty Networks. It’s going to take a while to work out the kinks, but we are ready to go! We gave ourselves an activist check mark for taking our community off Facebook (we still have our FB page but will only use to advertise events). Frankly, we got tired of Facebook disallowing LiisBeth article post boosts because apparently, feminism is considered extreme political activity. We also deeply question Google and Facebook’s role in elections, and are tired of Zuckerberg making money off our free labour and exposed identifies. But we thank them for pioneering this space initially and now motivating us to change platforms.

All these accomplishments were realized with one volunteer publisher, three core freelance staff, volunteer advisory board members and a tiny budget.

We plan to publish a short and jolly holiday newsletter on Tuesday, December 17, and will be back in full force in January. We hope you will consider donating to help us continue this work.

In the meantime, stay in touch with us daily on Twitter @LiisBethHQ

With gratitude and thanks,

The post LIISBETH DISPATCH #57 appeared first on LiisBeth.

LiisBeth meets Jane’s Walk Toronto, September 29, 2019

WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT In the wake of an uninspiring Canadian election full of name-calling and finger-pointing, the good news is 11.3 million or 63 percent of Canadians DID NOT vote for the regressive, conservative agenda. Still, our newly re-elected, feminist leader (of a minority government) would be wise to find common ground with the NDP, the Greens, and the Bloc because…aren’t we working toward the same thing? Kosisochukwu Nnebe thinks so. Meanwhile, UN Women is running the #flexforempowerment campaign to accelerate women’s economic empowerment that will ideally—one would hope—inspire others to do the same. But hope is not a plan. So in uninspiring times, flex. Show your principles. Take your leaders to task. Join a volleyball team to stay sane. Also, question the dominant narrative. Do we really need VC funding to grow our businesses? At the very least, take a break and read this newsletter. NEW FEATURES ON LIISBETH Kosisochukwu Nnebe, policy analyst and visual artist HOW CAN WE COLLECTIVELY BUILD A BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL? One young witness draws on lessons from the past, the present and the personal. Read her story here. Kristi Herold, Founder and CEO, Sport & Social Club SHE SCORES! Kristi Herolds seized on the gap in recreational sport for adults as an opportunity to launch her own company. Years later, Herold is the CEO of one of North America’s largest, most inclusive sport and social clubs by focusing on one goal: making sport accessible for everyone. But it didn’t happen overnight…or easily. Find out more in this story. “I used to get dejected about the fact that I couldn’t raise capital as a sole female founder without a pedigree,” says Christina Stembel. “But we’ve grown to 30 million in annual revenue with 50 percent or more growth year-over-year.” FORGING A PATH OF HER OWN Haven’t raised any of that magical over-hyped venture funding?  Don’t despair! Newly released Babson study “Beyond the Bucks: Growth Strategies of Successful Entrepreneurs” shows how women-led startups succeed when VC funding fails. Find out how Stembel woman forged a path of her own.  PK’s VIEWPOINT Image Source: Rabble.ca  Photo by Duncan Cameron FROM FEMINIST LEADERS TO FEMINIST LEADERSHIP: WHAT CANADA NEEDS NOW  Can Canada’s newly elected progressive leaders move from identifying as feminist to leading like a feminist?  Why should they? What does that even mean? Read this month’s Viewpoint here. LIISBETH FIELD NOTES LEADERS WITH THEIR HEADS IN THE CLOUDS Photo by Daniel Lepôt A 58-person formation skydive takes several elements to make it a success. The event needs good weather, collaborative and competent skydivers, aircraft to hold all the jumpers, a drop zone with staff and space to handle the organization of a large group, and leadership. In this scenario, there was one lead organizer, three plane captains, and three pilots. The aircraft not seen in the photo above, is the lead plane. The grey Skyvan on the right is the right trail plane. The blue and white Twin Otter further back and to the left is the left trail plane. All three pilots are communicating with each other via radio. The planes are flying to a predetermined altitude dictated by the location of the drop zone and the wind. It’s vital the pilots have constant communication because they need to stay close, but not too close. The pilot in the lead plane is, as you might suspect, the lead pilot. The lead organizer of the skydive is in the lead plane and trusts the pilots are doing their jobs. But he is also double-checking the direction of flight and watching the proximity of the trail planes. He also trusts that the two plane captains in each of the two trail planes are doing their jobs: taking charge of the 18 or so skydivers in each aircraft. And he trusts that the skydivers will be responsible for doing their jobs: staying calm on the way to altitude, visualizing a successful jump, looking out for the safety of their teammates, flying their slot in the formation. In brief, it takes a solid plan. And a leader who people want to collaborate with. But it is the power of the collective that allows for incredible achievements. Collaboration and trust is key and when everyone is disciplined, focused, and working together, the seemingly impossible becomes possible. Jenna and Kayla Spagnoli MEET THE FEMINIST TWINS! Fraternal twins Jenna and Kayla believed there was a need for more feminist social justice-inspired community events to bring more people into the larger conversation about what feminism truly means. So they created Feminist Twins, an Ottawa-based side hustle venture which includes an annual Feminist Fair. And wow has it grown. The fair alone has expanded from just six vendors in 2013 to over 44 this year. Last year they had over 1000 visitors. Essentially, this grassroots event provides space for women (defined to include gender nonbinary and trans women) to showcase their side hustles in community with others—versus relying just on transaction-centered, impersonal online platforms like Etsy to sell their creations. Two thirds of funds collected at the door are donated to a different local charity. The community votes on the recipient each year. Over $3,100 was raised in 2017. This year’s proceeds will be donated to the Sexual Assault Support Centre in Ottawa and any toiletries collected will be donated to Street Team Outreach Mobile (STORM) of Minwaashin Lodge, where both Jenna and Kayla also work. The fair has no set door price, is physically accessible for all, offers complimentary on-site childminding, plus free vegan pizza for attendees and vendors. Jenna and Kayla still, at this point, donate their time to keep overhead costs low. This year Jenna and Kayla will be launching their own locally made, ethical merchandise line at the event. They are pleased that larger enterprises like Evolve Eyewear, a company which creates environmentally conscious recycled frames will be joining others on the floor.  Planning to attend? The event is being held Sunday, November 10th at Landsdowne Park. Find out more here. TAKE A 2 MINUTE VIRTUAL FEMINIST CITY WALK!  If you were unable to attend The Feminist City Walk /Panel event on Sept. 29th, don’t despair! You can get a taste of it virtually here!   Over 200 people signed up.  Approximately 45 attended the panel discussion afterwards.  We raised about $400 and counting for Jane’s Walk TO.  But most of all it was a super fun learning experience!  See you next year during Gender Equality Week 2020! DO FEMINISM AND BUSINESS MIX?   CV Harquail, author of “Feminism: A Key New Idea for Business” thinks feminism and business should mix—and that this allyship is long overdue. Harquail believes feminism and business, two forces that are typically at odds when it comes to creating real social change, can co-mingle in new generative ways to advance social justice. Check out Harquail’s interview on en(gender)ed, a weekly podcast series hosted by Teri Yuan (Previous Entrepreneurial Feminist Forum workshop presenter). en(gender)ed aims to build a cultural literacy around abuse and abuse of power–in all of its manifestations–whether it shows up at the workplace, in our politics, or in our homes. The Women’s Empowerment Principles offer seven steps to guide business on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. empowerwomen.org FLEX FOR EMPOWERMENT It should be obvious that promoting the advancement of gender equality in the workplace is good for business. It should be, but it’s not. LiisBeth spoke to Stephanie Dei at Empowerwomen who told us about the Women’s Empowerment Principles. “The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) are a set of seven principles that offer guidance to companies on how to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community,” said Dei. The WEPs are listed here and include things like promoting women’s education, training and professional development, and establishing high-level corporate leadership for gender equality. The WEPs were jointly launched in 2010 by UN Women and the UN Global Compact and are informed by real-life business practices and input gathered from across the globe. The Principles also can inform other stakeholders, including governments, as they engage with business. The WE EMPOWER programme started in January 2018 and runs to the end of December 2019, and hopes to capture some feminist business perspectives. “For decades, Canada has established itself as a leader for gender equality. The #FlexforEmpowerment campaign serves as an opportunity for companies in Canada to share good practices and be recognized for their work supporting women in the workplace, marketplace and community,” says Anna Falth, Senior Programme Manager and Head of the Women’s Empowerment Principles Secretariat. Signing signatories to sign the WEPs has been slow to start but is gaining momentum. So far over 2400 companies from around the world have joined the movement with Japan in the lead with 247 and the US in second place with 99. Canada clocks in at 36 signatories and include a range of enterprises from BMO to Bombardier, Mountain Equipment Co-op to LiisBeth. But we can do better. Dei told us that even though companies are ready to support women’s empowerment in the workplace, many don’t know where to start. She said: “As part of the WE EMPOWER programme, we will publish a booklet of 250 best practices to showcase tangible practices, actions and policy changes that have proven to be effective in the workplace globally (i.e. innovative parental leave policies, flexible work policies, etc.). This booklet will serve as a template for companies who want to make a change but do not know where to begin. They will be able to learn from the experiences of other companies and implement similar policies to begin empowering women in the workplace.” Last week was BDC Small Business Week, a great time to make a move and share what your business is doing to support equality in the workplace. We have over 2,800 subscribers. Less than 30 percent contribute financially. ~ ~ ~ If social and economic justice are important to you, and if you find our content of value consider contributing to us on PATREON and help us SUPPORT, BUILD & GROW the feminist economy Jess Tomlin, Co-founder, CEO, Equality Fund CANADA’S GLOBAL WOMEN’S EQUALITY FUND: WHAT IS IT? HOW DOES IT WORK? It’s complicated. But here goes. The Equality Fund is a collective of 11 feminist organizational partners co-led by Jess Tomlin (former Co-CEO of the MATCH International Women’s Fund), Jessica Houssian (Senior Advisor, Women Moving Millions) and Sophie Gupta (Principal, Yaletown Partners). The fund’s mandate is to advance gender equality globally by creating a more sustainable approach to funding both international grassroots women’s rights organizations directly and Canadian women’s rights organizations who work internationally. The collective was formed to disrupt the largely broken, drip drip charity model, which at present has grassroots organizations spending more time fundraising than doing the work. Co-founder and CEO Jess Tomlin says the new model takes unique a multi-sector approach. It invites banks, organizations like Equileap (a gender equality ratings index for publically traded companies), social impact venture funds, plus gender-lens investors across Canada to co-create a suite of new investment products (read: return on social impact investments) and donor opportunities in an effort increase total funds available. Those funds will be deployed in ways that don’t leave these organizations gasping for air every six months. Conversations are already well underway with the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and others. And it looks like the Equality Fund team is already making waves in more ways than one. “RBC, at first, was reluctant to use the word feminist in its formal description about the new partnership. They were even more concerned about the word activist. So we said, “Okay, we’ll take out activist—if you give us feminist. So now we have a traditional, conservative bank promoting the fact it is supporting a feminist initiative. It’s a first, not only for RBC, but for any bank in Canada.” What does any of this have to do with feminist entrepreneurs who are struggling to find funding of their own? As Maya Angelou explains “The truth is, no one of us can be free until everyone is free.” We also think it’s cool that the word “feminist” is quickly becoming a safe word in business–way better, than let’s say Amy Schumer’s “pineapple” in the movie, Trainwreck. To donate, click here. FEMINIST FREEBIE! TIX TO #MOVETHEDIALSUMMIT Move The Dial Summit 2018 Calling all feminists in STEM! As a nod to our November TECH issue, we’re giving away FOUR TICKETS (value: $450 a pop) to the Move the Dial Global Summit on November 14, in Toronto. Founder and CEO Jodi Kovitz says “To ensure the design, leadership, and governance tables of businesses in our community—both today and in the future—reflect the entire population (including women-identified people), all of us must take an ‘ALL IN’ approach to inclusion.” This year’s ‘ALL IN’ event brings together thought leaders, partners, and amazing humans of all identities to connect, learn, and grow. FREE TIX to go to the FIRST FOUR PEOPLE people to comment on Cherry Tan’s story about the mental health struggles of entrepreneurs, Breaking Bad Silence. Don’t live in Toronto? No worries, the event will be livestreamed globally at no charge. You can register to watch here. MORE FEMINIST FREEBIES! FEMAS GALA FeMasCon is the first annual conference in Toronto with a goal to improving performance within business and governance by utilizing all inherent human attributes. We have historically divided these attributes into feminine and masculine boxes, and this conference seeks to inspire a conversation and new ideas to integrate them fully. Inviting all people, no matter how they self-identify by gender, to realize each of us has access to the entire spectrum of what it is to be human. Learn more at: www.femascon.com. Regular tickets are $100 and LIISBETH READERS get a SPECIAL OFFER of $65 by registering with this link. PLUS…we’ve also got TWO x FREE TIX to the Gala for the FIRST TWO PEOPLE to leave a comment on Kosi’s article published this week. WHAT WE’RE READING

This inspiring, compelling debut memoir chronicles the experiences of a female captain serving in the Canadian Armed Forces, and her journey to make space for herself in a traditionally masculine world. “In Girls Need Not Apply, Kelly S. Thompson presents us with a masterclass in resilience. With equal parts strength and vulnerability, Thompson navigates what it means to find belonging—and success—in a hyper-masculinized culture that was never built for women. A must-read for those of us who make it our daily habit to smash through age-old, sexist barriers.” – Lauren McKeon, author of F-Bomb: Dispatches From the War on Feminism Thompson writes with wit and honesty about her own development as a woman and a soldier, unsparingly highlighting truths about her time in the military. In sharply crafted prose, she chronicles the frequent sexism and misogyny she encounters both in training and later in the workplace, and explores her own feelings of pride and loyalty to the Forces, and a family legacy of PTSD, all while searching for an artistic identity in a career that demands conformity. When she sustains a career-altering injury, Thompson fearlessly re-examines her identity as a soldier. Read the chat with Thompson on 49th Shelf. Listen to this audio excerpt thanks to Penguin Random House Canada. This inspiring, compelling debut memoir chronicles the experiences of a female captain serving in the Canadian Armed Forces, and her journey to make space for herself in a traditionally masculine world.“In Girls Need Not Apply, Kelly S. Thompson presents us with a masterclass in resilience. With equal parts strength and vulnerability, Thompson navigates what it means to find belonging—and success—in a hyper-masculinized culture that was never built for women. A must-read for those of us who make it our daily habit to smash through age-old, sexist barriers.” – Lauren McKeon, author of F-Bomb: Dispatches From the War on Feminism Thompson writes with wit and honesty about her own development as a woman and a soldier, unsparingly highlighting truths about her time in the military. In sharply crafted prose, she chronicles the frequent sexism and misogyny she encounters both in training and later in the workplace, and explores her own feelings of pride and loyalty to the Forces, and a family legacy of PTSD, all while searching for an artistic identity in a career that demands conformity. When she sustains a career-altering injury, Thompson fearlessly re-examines her identity as a soldier. Read the chat with Thompson on 49th Shelf. Listen to this audio excerpt thanks to Penguin Random House Canada.

AND FINALLY…IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!  This article in the Toronto Star reads like a textbook on how to advance women’s rights in businesses and organizations across all sectors. To mark the 90th anniversary of “Persons Day” the Star spoke with leaders across the country about how Canada can do better to execute on its 1929 promise and how far is there still to go? The Women’s Philanthropy Institute released the first-ever report to measure charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations to 45,000+ organizations in the United States identified as being dedicated to women and girls. Turns out these organizations receive a mere 1.6% of all donations. But Melinda Gates for one, is committed to help closing the gender equality. Check out her #WomensPhilanthropy efforts in this Fast Company article and explore the WPI research and download the full report to learn more. From the No More Potlucks blog archives comes a clever piece complete with illustrations from Hazel Meyer and Cait McKinney. Tools for the Feminist Present is about the tools of feminist activism…re-imagined as well, tools. Think: hammers, handsaws, wrenches as “persistence chisels” and “headphones of refusal” hanging from a pegboard. Ha! Fun. But also poignant and an homage to The New Woman’s Survival Catalog, published in 1973 by Kirsten Grimstad and Susan Rennie. Their book was a take on the popular Whole Earth Catalog of the time, and a seminal survey of Second Wave feminist efforts, which, as the editors noted in their introduction, represented an “active attempt to reshape culture through changing values and consciousness.” 2019 SheEO Venture Applications are open until November 1! Ventures that are majority-women owned, women-led and aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—or what SheEO calls “working on the World’s To-Do List” are eligible to apply to receive a 0% interest loan from SheEO Activators, coaching, mentorship and support. Everyone who applies gets personalized feedback from SheEO’s community of radically generous Activators, so applying to SheEO is like marketing your business to hundreds of women. Join a Venture interest call for more information about the application process.   That’s a wrap for Dispatch #56! On other news, let’s do a check-in on our Feminist Enterprise Commons (the FEC) initiative. The FEC is our new online non-Zuckerberg, surveillance and ad/algorithm free community space where we can privately convene, connect and share our work in progress, ideas or just reach out for a digital hug. We have been talking about our launch date for four months! We hoped to open its doors to you by November 1st, but with the election and all, we couldn’t make the progress we had hoped for to be ready to bring our new service into the world. However, it has been released in Beta form! We’ve invited 15 patient people to test it out, and progress has been made! Watch for an update in our November newsletter and refresh. Rest assured, we are working on it! You will be receiving an invitation before the end of the year. As for the newsletter, we hope you found this release of value. We depend on reader donations to continue this work. If you do not currently support LiisBeth with a paid subscription or one-time donation, we hope you will consider doing so. Also, remember, if you have a story tip, email us a [email protected]. We are currently accepting queries for January and February. In the meantime, stay in touch with us on Twitter @liisbethHq Peace out,

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