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"If Black women were free, it would mean that ever

"If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression." —The Cohambee River Collective, a Black feminist lesbian socialist organization

Movements that support the destruction of systems of oppression are often led by Black, queer, femmes. This International Women’s Day, take time to honor the movement toward gender equality by honoring the women and femmes whose radical ideologies have led us toward progress.

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International Women's Day is a holiday celebrated each year across the world on March 8th. It centers the achievements of women, women’s rights, gender equality, reproductive healthcare, and ending violence against women.

“As long as women are using class or race power

“As long as women are using class or race power to dominate other women, feminist sisterhood cannot be fully realized.” ―bell hooks, author and activist

Intersectionality—a term coined by activist and lawyer, Kimberlé Crenshaw—describes how race, class, gender, and other individual characteristics from historically marginalized communities “intersect” with one another causing an overlap of oppression. It is a term that describes what is often left out of conversations in the fight for women’s rights. This International Women’s Day, set aside time to review your own positionality in the context of socio-cultural identity so that you might better use your positions of power and influence in the fight against systemic oppression.

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International Women's Day is a holiday celebrated each year across the world on March 8th. It centers the achievements of women, women’s rights, gender equality, reproductive healthcare, and ending violence against women.

“We are powerful because we have survived,

“We are powerful because we have survived, and that is what it is all about- survival and growth.” —Audre Lorde, author and radical feminist activist

The fight against the violence experienced by girls, women, and femmes across the world is a constant battle with no clear end in sight. This International Women’s Day, take time to evaluate and your commitment to this cause; reevaluating how you might be perpetuating violence against women and femmes and in what ways you might begin or continue to create opportunities to stand up for the well-being of those whose identities are oppressed through misogyny.
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International Women's Day is a holiday celebrated each year across the world on March 8th. It centers the achievements of women, women’s rights, gender equality, reproductive healthcare, and ending violence against women.

“Voting is the foundation stone for political ac

“Voting is the foundation stone for political action. With it the Negro can eventually vote out of office public officials who bar the doorway to decent housing, public safety, jobs and decent integrated education. It is now obvious that the basic elements so vital to Negro advancement can only be achieved by seeking redress from government at local, state, and federal levels. To do this the vote is essential.” —Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On March 14th of 1965, an article by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was published in the New York Times. The article is titled “Civil Right No. 1: The Right to Vote”. In the piece Dr. King emphasizes the urgency of securing and protecting the right to vote for Black peoples in this country. He reminds us that the vote is essential.

In the article, Dr. King discusses various forms of action, including voting as the “foundation stone for political action,” the power we have through united action, as well as the need for sustained creative action in pressuring our institutions to reflect more just ways of being.

On this day, we take extra time and energy to reflect on the Reverend’s work. His work has inspired and activated millions of people and reverberates through generations. Today we honor him, all movement makers, and the pursuit towards collective liberation. #MLK #MLKDay

“After so many years of intimidation, the Negro

“After so many years of intimidation, the Negro Community has learned that its salvation lies in united action. When one negro stands up, he is run out of town. But when a thousand stand up together the situation is drastically altered. Abuse of the law by local police power is expressly designed to frustrate such united action, and so long as these mass arrests are made on trumped-up “charges” the path to the registrar's office is obstructed.” —Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On March 14th of 1965, an article by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was published in the New York Times. The article is titled “Civil Right No. 1: The Right to Vote”. In the piece Dr. King emphasizes the urgency of securing and protecting the right to vote for Black peoples in this country. He reminds us that the vote is essential.

In the article, Dr. King discusses various forms of action, including voting as the “foundation stone for political action,” the power we have through united action, as well as the need for sustained creative action in pressuring our institutions to reflect more just ways of being.

On this day, we take extra time and energy to reflect on the Reverend’s work. His work has inspired and activated millions of people and reverberates through generations. Today we honor him, all movement makers, and the pursuit towards collective liberation. #MLK #MLKDay

“One of the difficult lessons we have learned is

“One of the difficult lessons we have learned is that you cannot depend on American institutions to function without pressure. Any real change in the status quo depends on continued creative action to sharpen the conscience of the nation, and establish a climate in which even the most recalcitrant elements are forced to admit that change is necessary.” —Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On March 14th of 1965, an article by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was published in the New York Times. The article is titled “Civil Right No. 1: The Right to Vote”. In the piece Dr. King emphasizes the urgency of securing and protecting the right to vote for Black peoples in this country. He reminds us that the vote is essential.

In the article, Dr. King discusses various forms of action, including voting as the “foundation stone for political action,” the power we have through united action, as well as the need for sustained creative action in pressuring our institutions to reflect more just ways of being.

On this day, we take extra time and energy to reflect on the Reverend’s work. His work has inspired and activated millions of people and reverberates through generations. Today we honor him, all movement makers, and the pursuit towards collective liberation. #MLK #MLKDay

The commodification of our cultures thrives off a

The commodification of our cultures thrives off a white supremacist, individualistic, and capitalist system— entitled to a toxic and exploitative way of building and misusing relationships.

The commodification of knowledge and culture thrive in a nation built off the backs of enslaved Black people and the lack of accountability of those who hold power.

Instead of valuing the spectrums that exist in our ways of being, cultural appropriation is adopted through a filter of Eurocentric standards, white-washed, and fed back to our communities as new knowledge.

Be conscious of connecting with communities in ways that build trust, foster connections based in love, and support justice and liberation.

The commodification of our bodies is a white supre

The commodification of our bodies is a white supremacist ideology supported by the system of capitalism, power hoarding, and the patriarchy which perpetuates harmful practices in labor laws, the sustainability of sex trafficking, and even the control over abortion access.

These violent ideologies are a continued practice of colonialism which devalues the lives of Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, people with disabilities, trans people, and women.

Capitalism thrives off our continued consumption and purchase of unethically made goods created by the hands of exploited laborers and children.

Be conscious of connecting to movements that support our liberation and fight for the freedom of all of us who are being harmed under the system of oppression.

The commodification of land and resources is a whi

The commodification of land and resources is a white supremacist ideology supported by the system of capitalism which thrives off of the violation of treaty rights, climate change, polluted waters, and gentrification.

White supremacist ideologies would have us believe that we are individually entitled to take from the land, create waste, and claim spaces for ourselves without considering the collective community impact.

Consumption without digestion creates a rift between ourselves and the land that cares for us, perpetuating ineffective and unsustainable community practices and anti-liberatory policies.

Be conscious of your connections—your connection to land and nature, your connection to our communities, and your disconnection from white supremacy culture.

So, what can we do beyond voting? Voting alone wi

So, what can we do beyond voting?

Voting alone will not liberate those people who are exploited and oppressed in the United States under what bell hooks calls an “imperialist white supremacist capitalistic patriarchy.”

The options we are given on the ballot are far from the holistic sustainable society we want to live, create, and build community in. We acknowledge the nuance in choosing candidates in such that some candidates are merely the lesser of two evils. As a result, our wide-spectrum communities struggling in a variety of different areas are often pitted against each other.

We see voting as only a partial tactic in minimizing discriminatory and oppressive policies and practices in order to halt the undoing of progress we’ve made so far—e.g. abortion rights, gay marriage, trans rights, etc. Voting helps us build capacity to imagine, vision, and build a collective future beyond the confines of this current, oppressive duopoly.

Joining your local grassroots movements centered in ideologies surrounding abolition, housing for all, environmental justice, healthcare for all, and labor and tenants union will build a robust collective platform in which people can engage in discourse and ultimately vote on in the future.

#vote #voting #ivoted #electionday #politics #illustration

So, how do we make voting accessible? The right t

So, how do we make voting accessible?

The right to vote is only partially viable in having our voices heard. Social, technological, economic, environmental, and political conditions make access hard for many to engage in the voting process. Examples such as working multiple jobs, inaccessible housing, lack of childcare, and inaccessible transportation to polling sites also make conditions difficult for people to vote. All these things disproportionately affect Black people, people with disabilities, and/or lower-income households.

Be a part in the collective care to make voting more accessible for our communities. Vouch for unhoused people without addresses, give rides to polling sites, advocate for more accessible polling sites, or offer child and elder care.

#vote #voting #ivoted #electionday #politics #illustration

So, why do we vote? We vote on behalf of the abol

So, why do we vote?

We vote on behalf of the abolitionists, freedom fighters, activists, organizers, and liberation movements who fought and created opportunities for everyone’s right to vote. We vote in recognition of progress through our collective civic engagement.

The fight for the right to vote has and continues to be a persistent one, beginning long before the American Civil War. We constantly fight for this right to overcome the many roadblocks for Black people—especially Black women—to participate in civic engagement through the voting process.

We continue to vote to further the progression in the expansion of voting rights for those who hold marginalized identities including immigrants and incarcerated people. The state continues to silence and exploit the labor of immigrant and incarcerated populations by suppressing their right to vote.

#vote #voting #ivoted #electionday #politics #illustration

#NoJusticeNoStreets

#NoJusticeNoStreets

#JusticeForAmirLocke

#JusticeForAmirLocke

#DefundThePolice

#DefundThePolice

Blackbird is celebrating 5 years! Over these past

Blackbird is celebrating 5 years!

Over these past five years, we've had the opportunity to work with some really dope community members, organizers, and creatives. As we move into this next year we intend to further lean into the things that matter to us. We intend to use more time, resources, and energy to support the work of abolition. As members of a collective community, we know we cannot succeed alone. This year we're looking to partner more.

We are continuing to embrace design and branding projects but we are also creating more capacity for self generated projects and partnerships. We’re shifting to focus more on our vision and how we continue to weave our skills into the necessary work of addressing white supremacy. Not only do we intend to help challenge the deeply rooted systems of oppression, we intend to add to the visions of an abolitionist future.

At Blackbird, we envision a world free of systemic harm. We see a future in which every individual is part of a community. A community filled with love, passion, justice, creativity, peace, knowledge, and opportunity.

Thank you all for supporting us along our journey.