Our Dirty Laundry
Our Dirty Laundry
Minisode: Moms Against Genocide
Des Moines area locals, Please join Mom’s Against Genocide on August 13th from 10a-12p at the Neal Smith Federal Building. More info on Instagram @momsagainstgenocide.
Even if you’re not in Des Moines, please listen for ways you can organize in your community!
Hi, this is Mandy Griffin. And I'm Katie Swalwell, and welcome to our Dirty Laundry, stories of white ladies making a mess of things and how we need to clean up our act.
katy:Hi.
Mandy:Hi.
katy:I am really excited for this very quick but powerful interview that we are featuring in this mini, so with a good friend of mine, Bridget Reid Bird, who lives in Des Moines and, a nonprofit and. community organizer, she is gonna talk about this, but organized an event called Moms Against the Camps in 2019. Has just been a her whole life actually, and her parents are, her dad has now since passed away, but he was an incredible community organizer. Her mom, she just comes from this tradition of anti-racist social justice. Organizing people, community organizers. She's also a mom and a white woman and has two kids that are my kids' age. And we actually met years ago in kind of a community organizing space and then just really connected over a lot of our shared interests and values. And I'm so excited that you got to meet her and. grateful that we have the chance to lift up an event that she's working on. That I think will hopefully be something people in the Des Moines area can attend, but also something that could inspire other people. Anything you wanted to note before we
Mandy:Yeah. One thing that I really loved when I was talking to her, she said that she, because of her parents' activism, she had grown up attending protests and being involved in all of this stuff, which I love so much because it's something that I really do want to make sure. Kids also do, and one of the things that I think is great about the event that she is sponsoring, that we are talking about with her is that it is also meant for people to bring their children and to bring their families too. So I think this is a really good way that people can get involved with their kids and something that people can do.'cause we talk all the time about.
katy:what
Mandy:can we actually do as individuals? And I feel like this is something concrete, even if you're not in the Des Moines area, where this is taking place, which we know a lot of our listeners are there,
katy:but
Mandy:the majority are not. Maybe an idea of things that you could start working on in your own community and things that we could do.
katy:Yes. The last thing I'll say, I mean, this just popped up because she and I were, were talking about this event and I thought, oh gosh, we have a way to help promote this with the podcast. But I was. Especially motivated, I think because a few days ago, Ms. Rachel had spoken
Mandy:Mm-hmm.
katy:very outspoken about supporting children who are suffering in Gaza right now and had just had this post and, and. Had a big interview that is going viral, just about why she cares about this issue and why it's so important to speak up. And she works really closely with Jewish folks, with Palestinian folks and, and just to name the fact that a lot of Jewish people are very worried and concerned about. The suffering in Gaza and what's happening with children, starving, being shot, being bombed, you know, parents dying and kids being orphaned and it's, it just it's not it, it's like a, a humanitarian human issue. And in Ms. Rachel's post, do you, are you familiar with Miss Rachel? Your kids are old
Mandy:Yeah, I was gonna say for, yeah, they didn't watch her, but I have nephews that are young and watch her all the time. I was gonna say for people who are maybe not in the parents' sphere of knowing who Miss Rachel is, she isn't. Mega popular children's entertainer. She has a show on YouTube that I just has untold millions of people who watch it. I mean,
katy:massively,
Mandy:like.
katy:popular.
Mandy:It's a huge, huge show,
katy:Yeah.
Mandy:but she has come out against what's happening in Palestine and against the genocide and the starvation there, and she has received a lot of hate and backlash for it. And despite that, she continues to speak up for what she believes is right to do for the children and the people in Gaza. And so.
katy:So here's her, her post. That really struck me to just think about what more can I do, should I be doing especially to people who have any kind of platform. I'm not pretending that this platform, this podcast is like that influential. I wish it were more, but.
Mandy:Yep. Yep.
katy:that says, I will always choose kindness, but I will never understand your silence. I want people around me whose hearts break for every child, not just when it's convenient, not just when it's easy, not just when it's not controversial, not just when the child looks like you or is born in a quote, acceptable place. I especially can't understand those with so much privilege. The un cancelable who still remain in the shadows. I want the light and I see those of you who risk everything to hold it. I'm in awe of you and goes on to just thank the. Palestinian Jewish people she works with for, for supporting her in this time when she's getting a lot of criticism and how it shouldn't be controversial to not want children to starve to death. get blown up like that should just not be a controversial thing to want or to support.
Mandy:Yep.
katy:I heard that and I felt that, and appreciate also Ms. Rachel as a white woman who's clearly, leveraging her position however best she can and appreciating that. So yeah, this is a tiny thing to be able to do. But if you are in Des Moines and you can come to this event that bridge is gonna talk about in just a minute here. If you can share information, if you can think about ways to connect with other people just in this season that we are really focused on white in particular, and the ways that it has been weaponized. To justify and defend genocide over many generations and defend and justify racism and white supremacy and, and all kinds of oppression. the ways that it doesn't have to be like that. How we can use our position are, are who we are in the world to actually. Promote dignity, justice, peace, human rights, sustainability, like all of all of the things that are wrapped up in justice and equity and love, that we actually can, that's another way to be in the world, and we are trying to be that.
Mandy:Yep.
katy:So yes,
Mandy:Yeah.
katy:here's, here's
Mandy:so here's that. Okay.
katy:Hi. Hi. Well, I, I'm so excited about a mini, so I can't remember the last time we did win. It's been a long time, but I'm excited and it actually was so, serendipitous. So today we're talking with one of my dear friends who is such an inspiration to me. I, Bridgette is here and I love you so much. And I, we were just having coffee earlier this morning and she was very passionately telling me about this event that she's organizing. And I thought, oh my gosh, we have. A platform that can help promote this event in whatever small ways that we can. So I want to ask her details about the specific event, but then I also would just love to hear more about how this event came to be and, and how Bridged thinks about organizing because our whole season is on white motherhood and the ways that that's been weaponized for white supremacy. But we know that that's not the only way to be. And I, when I think of Bridget, I think of someone who's really embodying, uh. A very different version of that's intentionally disruptive of white supremacy very explicitly and very boldly. And I think the event that she's organizing is a testament to that. So welcome Bridgette. Thank you for being here. Here. Thanks for inviting me. We should do more coffee more often. Maybe I'll. Yeah, we should. And I honestly, I was just saying that you, Mandy and Bridgette are like sisters from another mister that there's just so much you guys have in common, even. Even just your, like a knee jerk reaction to something is so similar, like you're two petty detectives, let's put it that way. Like you are on the case for, for everything and have no problem speaking your mind. And I think that's just something I really admire. So let's just jump right in this. Let's talk about the specific event first. What exactly it is? How people can participate, even if they're from far away, and maybe even think of events like this in their own locations. And then we'll ask some questions that get into how you came to organize it in the first place. So let's start with the event. Sure. So, on August 13th from 10:00 AM to noon a group of us are planning an event around Gaza. So many folks know the, what's happening the genocide that's, taking place, master Star Basin, people being sought at, bombed. At the hands of Israel and Netanyahu.
Bridget:Um, and so I've just been really struggling with what to do. It's been going on for almost two years now, and I'm like, we have got to do something. So we are planning we're calling ourselves Moms Against Genocide, um, and really focusing on turning out moms and children. But it's really for. Everybody who, cares about what's happening and wants to just do something. So we're going to really be calling out, humanitarian aid people. We need humanitarian aid into Gaza immediately, and not through the Gaza Humanitarian Fund.'cause we know what's been happening. Um, when folks are lining up to get food, they're being shot at. So we need the United Nations. We need a safe place to to get food into Gaza. Um, and then an arms embargo Now. No more weapons. No more money. No more taxpayer dollars going to. Fund genocide. Um, so those are the two big pieces that we're lifting up. But since we're saying everybody come, we want this to be a kid friendly event. There's going to be a lot for kids to, to do, there'll be an art project, um, a big banner that we're that says Let Gaza live for kids to be able to color and send their messages to, you know, the people of Gaza. And, um, a story time for kids as well. But we'll also be talking about, tangible ways to take actions in our demands to Senator Grassley, Senator Ernst, and really trying to get the message out that Des Moines families even, you know, from the heartland sharing out as far as and wide as we can to the international community that we care and the families of Iowa are absolutely against this genocide and what Israel's doing, genocide.
Mandy:So this is happening in de in Des Moine, Iowa because as most people who know, who listen to the podcast, that is where Katie and I met is where Katie still lives. Um, we have lots of listeners in Des Moines'cause I can see on our stats like where downloads come from. And we definitely have a lot in Des Moines, so anyone who is local to there, uh, we will post some information. In the show notes on where this is taking place and how you can participate. For people who don't live in Des Moines though, how can they support this event and you in particular or, and what do you recommend if people do, like, how did you organize this? What kind of community resources were you able to pull upon that people might be able to do in their own communities? So, just a
Bridget:little backstory. So in 2019 we organized a similar event. So we called ourselves then mom against the camp because if you remember at that time Trump and his administration. Were separating families and putting children in cages. And these images that I was seeing, I was like, oh my gosh. You think of yourself again as a mom. What would you do if your children were taken from you? It was just like, I can't even imagine it. And so I was like, how do we lift up the voice of moms? And. Our experiences of as being a mother and, what would you do if your child was taken from you. And so we were really appealing to Senator Joni Ernst as a mother and said, what would you do for your daughter if he was taken from you? You would do anything in, in the world to keep your child with you and keep them safe? And so that is just some backstory. So we organized a sit-in with about a hundred people there. It was like a mom toddler sit-in at Doni Ernst's office, and it really kind of went viral. It, it went far and wide. And and then we ended up. Having a phone conversation with her and just highlighting again that people in Iowa really care about, all children and no families should be separated. So since all of this has been happening, I've been really, struggling with, you know, how, again, to, what would you do as a mother if your child, if you saw your child, without arms, what would you do if your, you know, if your child had literally no food, if your child had no arms and no food, like, I just can't even imagine it. How would you feel? It a constant worry of like, what will happen to you if something happened to you? What does that mean for your children? Um, and so I just, it's just like how. Putting yourself in all of these people's shoes. How can we not do something, anything? Um, this is not gonna be a sit-in, it's gonna be outside of the federal building. But I think for anyone, it's like, who do you know? In your network that cares about this, who are the people that have influence in your community that you can talk about? Bringing folks together. Just telling stories and, sharing. Anything to personalize its issue. So folks really see the humanity in that we are not separate from each other, we are all in this together. People in Gaza, people in Sudan, people in Congo, everywhere we are in this together. And if someone is hurting in another country, in another part of the world, it it impacts all of us and our children. So. I think we have a, we just created a new Instagram account. It's called Moms Against Genocide. So I'd say folks can follow that. And please just share it with anybody that you know. Also on the day of, on August 13th, help us lift up. The pictures and the stories that we're going to share on that day and share it to your senators. Share it to again, the other people that, it's like, can we organize something similar in our community? And then get with the other people that can organize events. So I'm planning this not by myself. I'm planning this with other parents and I'm planning this with, you know, a great art human that can help us, just make this event look, get cool and, whatever, to, just make it punchy and make folks notice what's happening. And think of what you would want to get out to say. So we're gonna have a, a letter that we're gonna deliver to our senators at the federal building. We're asking folks to bring formula'cause we are going to be asking our senators that you have the power to get this to Gaza if you want to. If you want to, you can do this. So we'll be we'll be lifting that up. Um, and then following the event, we're gonna ask folks to show up to town halls and ask our senators to their face, to stop funding Israel, make sure humanitarian aid gets into Gaza. Um, and then some postcard parties. I just think of all the ways that you your, everybody's community is different. I don't know what's going on in every, so you think of what makes your community unique and the people that you know there and start having conversations. This shouldn't really, this should not be political at all. This is it. Humanitarian crisis, the a manmade one by Israel, but this is, we're talking about feeding people and making sure people are not being bombed at hospitals and shot at in food lines. This is like the most basic plea to our government and to the international community that this has to stop.
katy:Can you, Bridget, just, I know we only have you for a couple more minutes, but just thinking about. Why it is so important for you to foreground your identity as a mother in your organizing and what you think the power is of moms like this season so far, we're just learning about the ways that so many white moms have weaponized that to support white supremacy. So just whatever thoughts you have about why that is so powerful and how you see that as a way to disrupt. Injustice to disrupt oppression. You know, I think of the James Baldwin quote, the children are al are always ours, every single one of them all over the globe. And I'm beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.
Bridget:I think like we have to connect ourselves to the rest of the world. We're all linked. And then I, again, I just keep on, I just keep thinking of it. Of what I would do. I just, I just, it always comes back. That is like, your children mean more to you than any anything. And so I love my kids as much as a mom and Gaza loved her kids. There's no difference. And if something, if what was happening to them was happening to us, we would want them fighting for us. We should all be doing this. And I think we so often think we have no power. We can't do anything about it. But we do have power. We collectively have power. So if we are all trying to find the little ways to do something, then we are fighting back against. Oppression. We are fighting back against systemic racism. We are, all of these issues are linked. And just again, at the very basic of like just feeling empathy and compassion and understanding for other people, um. This is like the least thing that we could do. I am like, I am talking about this in such a privileged way. I was, Katie and I were talking earlier today of like, we're busy with this and we're busy with this, and oh my God, we're so overwhelmed. But I'm like, I can't even, how can I even complain when other people are suffering so much in the world? So this is just the very, very least thing I can do. And for folks who have been wondering what they can do. The least you can do is show up, take off an hour or two of work. The least you can do is share this and try to, talk about. How, personalize it for yourself. Do a little bit more. Try to just really put this in your shoes for other folks to understand and just share it. Use whatever power and platform that you have to try to do something.
katy:Thank you so much, Bridget. I I just appreciate all your organizing efforts and just the ways that you're trying to think collectively and creatively for what to do. The suffering of children anywhere is unacceptable, especially when there this particular community suffering is. So manufactured and does not have to be this way, and that as Americans, our government is supporting the government that is causing that suffering of these kids. So I just appreciate your. Passion for this and, your dedication to this. And yeah, we wanna do whatever we can to support this event and other events. So thank you for spending time with us today. Mandy, any last words from me? No, super great to meet you. Hopefully I can make it out to Iowa sometime. We can all do coffee. Yes, that would be great. Yeah. And we will definitely post some information about the event. We'll post a link to the Instagram account that you mentioned.
Mandy:And anyone local, please share it. But even if you're not local share the information about it just so that people can follow along and also get ideas. I think that's really great to put it out there. See who else is around you locally that might be interested in doing something as well, and just start to do some organizing around that. Absolutely. It's great.
Bridget:Thank you. Thanks for having me on all.
Mandy:Yeah, thanks. We'll talk to you later. Bye.