The book “Beyond the Gender Binary” talks about how gender binary is about cultural belief which is upheld by a system of power, and that when it comes to gender there’s more about it, he talks about how it is discrimination that some gender are afraid to go out because the way people will look at them or treat them which the problem is not about being men or women but they were society see us and judge us. We should be comfortable with whatever we are and just be ourselves. In the reading, he stated “The thing about being visibly gender non-conforming is that we are rarely. If ever, defended by other people in public. Everyone thinks that since we “made a choice” to “look like that” we are bringing it upon ourselves. The only reason people can fathom why we would look this way is because we want to draw attention to ourselves. They can’t even consider that maybe we look like this for ourselves, and not for other people. We are reduced to a spectacle. And when you are a spectacle, the harassment you experience becomes part of the show.” I believe it’s sad because I think that to each his own and people should be doing whatever makes them feel happy. 

I feel like I was very lucky to live the way that I have been living. I can tell that a lot of people wish to live the way I do and have things that I do have in order just to survive. Most people did not choose to have a difficult life so whenever I am having a difficult time I always look at those that would be extremely happy to have even ¼ of what I have. In taking into my own experiences, growing up in poverty in an impoverished community without many resources, it would’ve made a world of difference in my quality of life if there had been accessible after-school programs or even lunch programs. Growing up in my country , I oftentimes went to schools knowing my parents couldn’t afford items like new uniforms. I remember feeling ashamed knowing my button-down shirt wasn’t purchased from the same uniform shop where all the other girls’ parents spent hundreds of dollars on their uniforms. The rare occasions funding for workshops, food banks, and book clubs were provided for people in my community, it strengthened our morale as neighbors and improved the community as a whole.

I am a believer which makes me personally follow my region, but I also do believe that to each his own and everyone should just follow whatever they feel okay with without the judgment of anyone or being declined to those decisions, I think if you are not the one providing my foods, drinks and just living expense you should not have any right with what I should be doing with my life or body. When looking it up at Pew Research Center it stated that “One-in-five Americans (21%) say abortion should be illegal at six weeks. This includes 8% of adults who say abortion should be illegal in all cases without exception as well as 12% of adults who say that abortion should be illegal at this point. Additionally, 6% say abortion should be illegal in most cases and how long a woman has been pregnant should not matter in determining abortion’s legality. Nearly one-in-five respondents, when asked whether abortion should be legal six weeks into a pregnancy, say “It depends.” Even though I am against abortion it’s crazy to me those that who do not follow religion or anything have to listen to strangers with whatever they should be deciding for their bodies. 

The video “Untold Stories of Black Women in the Suffrage Movement” showed the brave women that show bravery and stand to fight for women’s rights by raising their voices and especially the rights of black women. And that it wasn’t an easy fight because they went through a lot especially white people blocking them to raise their voices but that didn’t stop them and kept on fighting for years and years. I believe those women are heroes because they changed how black are treated today and because of them we are able to hold positions in today’s life. I sometimes wonder if those brave women didn’t fight and raise their voices what will be the world of today for black women? 

I believe those activism art means a lot to most of people and it also did benefit most of us because they the one that raise up their voice describe their pain and fight in a piece of art just to make a change in society. Every little art have a meaning behind it and a brave person behind that creation. Leveraging the affective qualities of the arts and the effective capabilities of activism, the practice made  by artists is to attract people and reveals  social impact, activists operating on an increasingly media-rich political landscape, and civic organizations looking for creative ways to engage the public and change perspective, discourse, behaviour, and policy especially when there’s un unjustice going around, they decide to have to courage to step up and speak up. 

If it were not for those that try to fight for justice we would be living in a different world.

When I was reading more about “Identity politics,and there was a quote that states ““Identity politics” is a very vague phrase, but it generally refers to the discussion of and politicking around issues pertaining to one’s, well, identity. The focus typically falls on women, racial minorities, immigrants, LGBTQ people, and religious minorities, such as Muslim Americans. All the social issues you may have heard of in the past several years — same-sex marriage, police shootings of unarmed black men, trans people in bathrooms, the fluidity of gender, discussions about rape culture, campus battles about safe spaces and trigger warnings — are typically the kinds of issues people mean when they refer to identity politics.” (By German Lopez) it made me realized that what we be showing in the tv are totally wrong, there are things that you can only believe when you experience it or see it yourself, I know that all country have their own problem but I think the richest of America had blinded lot of country because whenever I say explain something to my friend back in country they always have a weird reaction saying what can go wrong you are in AMERICA! The richest country and everyone dream I be like sure but nit lot of people have that privileged and I don’t really blame them because I have that same mindset until I came here and experience the racism and discrimination especially as a muslim women, people will always make you feel that you don’t belong. 

Garza shows why she is a singular figure of her generation a generation about which everyone was convinced, she writes, ‘that there was something inherently wrong with us.’ Combining personal and national history, Garza reveals all that is right about a generation forged in the fire of the Clinton-era carceral state and coming of age in the era of Obama-enforced respectability. Refusing to romanticize any moment or movement, Garza explains both the why and the howof meaningful, impactful organizing for and with black communities.

 I learned a lot coming in United States I don’t know if it was because I was young or just because we don’t face most of this things back in my country. I never knew the world racism existed i guess because there was only black people in the country and were only few other races that come to visit, but we were all treated equally and only get inequality when it comes to our class but never because of our skin color. So I was actually very surprised that even in high school soe kids would not want to get involve with you because I was black and especially those who came from Africa we have a really bad reputation in the United States so most of the people treat us differently, I got use to is by now but when I was 16 years old I was so confused and would get really hurt by those treatment. But I understand that every country are different and I am glad that I traveled to know and be aware about this it made me learn so many things. 

“We are a collective of Black feminists who have been meeting together since 1974. [1] During that time we have been involved in the process of defining and clarifying our politics, while at the same time doing political work within our own group and in coalition with other progressive organizations and movements. The most general statement of our politics at the present time would be that we are actively committed to struggling against racial, sexual, heterosexual, and class oppression, and see as our particular task the development of integrated analysis and practice based upon the fact that the major systems of oppression are interlocking.” (Combahee River Collective). While reading the first paragraph it occurs to me that this been a relly long battle that us women and especially black people are been facing this and even though it way better than how it was before, we still feeling and facig those same problems with society. To be honest it is hard and annoying to all the time be reminded our role as a women, what we can and can not do by society. There has this certain view of us that been over centuries that keep on going and actually even still today we have to work hard just to prove that we can do certain things. I am sometime wondering if this will ever end and it is actually really sad that we still have to raise our voices to be heard.