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Be Ruthless: Honor RBG’s Legacy and Get Out The Vote

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The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is certainly a reason to mourn, but the best way we can honor her legacy is to ensure that as many of us as possible vote in this election.

Brilliant. Passionate. Notorious. 

Last month, we didn’t just lose a Supreme Court Justice, we lost a beloved icon. Someone larger than life who served as a role model, not only for women, but for everyone. 

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, was a force to be reckoned with. Small but mighty, she challenged the status quo with her memorable dissents during a nearly 40-year tenure on the federal bench. 

Because of RBG, women gained the right to financial independence with the ability to apply for their own bank account, credit card, and home mortgage. She narrowed the pay gap between men and women and brought us closer to equal pay (sadly, we’re still not there yet). From supporting women in the military to ensuring women serve on juries, RBG paved the way for many of the rights women often don’t give a second thought to today. 

RBG also recognized that discrimination exists beyond gender and social norms. By expanding the concept of discrimination, she was instrumental in making same-sex marriage and other protections for the LBGTQ community possible. Ever mindful of marginalized and underrepresented groups, she served as an advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, advocating for their rights to live among communities, not institutions. RBG even argued cases in which men had been discriminated against, with one prominent case becoming the premise of the biographical film On The Basis Of Sex.

RBG’s philosophy was profound in its simplicity: equality for all. 

Not just equality in theory, equality in legislation. There’s a difference. People and politicians can claim to support equality, but only when action is taken can true constitutionally-protected equality become law. Until then, “we the people” are not equal. That is a fact.

From recent headlines to the presidential debate (travesty?) last week, no doubt you’re witnessing what happens to a democracy when facts no longer matter and the truth begins to erode. Injustice not only exists, it perpetuates. Under Trump and the current administration, equality for all doesn’t have a chance. 

We’re a month out from the most critical election in our nation’s history. If you’ve been waiting or wondering when to get involved, now is the time. Each of us has a role to play to save our democracy. To begin the end of systematic racism, gender bias, homophobia, and all forms of discrimination in this country. To move closer to RBG’s vision of a better America – one that’s not only equitable, but smarter, kinder, and more empathetic. 

Equality for all starts when we take action. Let’s honor RBG’s legacy and get out the vote in whatever way we can. 

Getting out the vote can be as simple or as multi-faceted as you want it to be, from increasing visibility through tactics like putting out a yard sign, posting on social media, or creating a Tik Tok video, to registering voters, phone banking, and writing letters (see below for more info).

One of the most impactful ways of getting out the vote simply comes down to having conversations. According to Tova Wang, Democracy Visiting Fellow at the Ash Center and a member of the Universal Voting Working Group, having one-on-one conversations with people who you’re close to is the most effective way to change someone’s mind about voting and registering to vote. She adds, “The other proven way to help people is to create a plan for how you’re going to register [and] how you’re going to vote. Do it with a friend; do it with family member, so it’s not just you, and then follow those steps.” (Source: The Harvard Gazette)

Politics has long been considered a “taboo” topic in American society, but we can no longer afford to be silent about what’s happening in this country. Normalize the topic of voting in everyday conversation. 

As the saying goes, democracy is not a spectator sport. For it to work, everyone must participate – that includes YOU. Whether you make it a solo mission or gather your friends for a virtual #GOTV effort, just do something — anything. From now until November 3, ask yourself, Have I done something today? Can I do more? And then do it and keep doing it. 

Below are ways you can take action, locally and nationally, right now. Check back as this list is continuously being updated. For a state-by-state guide to voting in the age of COVID-19, check out FiveThirtyEight’s How To Vote In The 2020 Election. 

FAITHFUL CITIZENS

Faithful Citizens is a year-round civic engagement program that emphasizes the fullest participation of people of faith in the electoral process. On Monday, October 5th, they’re kicking off 30 days of GOTV which includes peer-to-peer texting/emailing using the OutVote app and registering first time voters (primarily high schools, college campuses, and youth groups).
Learn More: Virginia Interfaith Center Civic Engagement or email: Dora Muhammad, Congregation Engagement Director.

NEXTGEN AMERICA

NextGen America (formerly NextGen Climate) is a diverse coalition of young people who seek to identify, engage, and mobilize people under the age of 35 who are less than likely to vote or who are not currently registered to vote. The NGVA Richmond team is doing weekly phonebanks to call voters (typically using Slack and ThruTalk), recruit volunteers, and mobilize the #youthvote. Sign up on the website to get started.
Learn More: NextGen America

PROM AT THE POLLS

Prom At The Polls is a national grassroots student-led event focused on giving students the unique prom that they deserve, while also encouraging them to vote. Proms all over the country were cancelled this year, so this initiative inspires groups of friends to dress up and take their party to the polls, make voting the next best thing. 
Learn More: Prom At The Polls

PROTECT THE VOTE

The Virginia Civic Engagement Table’s nonpartisan Election Protection work is built around ensuring all Virginians have equitable access to the ballot so people can cast their votes safely and without confusion or intimidation. Volunteer opportunities include being a part of the Sign Team (distributing yard signs at polling locations) and being a Poll Monitor (assisting voters at polling locations).
Learn more: Virginia Civic Engagement Table

RESISTERHOOD 

This documentary, directed by Cheryl Jacobs Clim, follows a diverse group of grassroots activists working tirelessly to defend democracy and stop the erosion of civil rights. The website also offers an informative Voter Toolkit as your ultimate guide to voting in the 2020 Presidential Election. Get yourself (and others) informed, inspired, and ready to take action with voter FAQs, relevant links, shareable social media content, and inspiring films/stories.
Learn More: Resisterhood

ROCK THE VOTE

Rock the Vote is the most trusted and effective nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to building the political power of young people. Their Relational Organizing initiative is based on the premise that when people reach out to their friends about voting, their friends engage in the political process like never before. Join their GOTV efforts using their Empower app to immediately add 10 friends and family names and phone numbers and get started.
Learn More: Rock The Vote

VOTE EQUALITY TOUR

VoteEqualityUS is a nonpartisan grassroots effort promoting equality for all Americans. On September 26, the Vote Equality RV, a.k.a. “The Notorious RVG” (Ruthless Vote Getter), set off on a statewide tour to get out the vote on college campuses and in local communities. In addition to the GOTV tour, VoteEqualityUS offers many ways to raise awareness on gender equality including essay contests, legal symposiums, and general advocacy.
Learn More: VoteEqualityUS

VOTE FORWARD

Vote Forward is a national letter writing initiative to encourage unregistered and low-propensity voters to vote. Handwritten letters have been proven to be one of the most effective ways to increase election turnout. Sign up on their website and once approved, you can start writing letters to voters in different states using their pre-made templates. It’s easy and straightforward. Plus, buying stamps supports the USPS. “The Big Send” mail date is Saturday, October 17.
Learn More: Vote Forward / “The Big Send”

VOTE SAVE AMERICA

Vote Save America is a one-stop-shop for information and tools to get out the vote, brought to you by Crooked Media (the guys from Pod Save America). Their “Adopt A State” initiative lets you choose one of the key battleground states (Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin) to support so you can help voters make their decision and get them to the polls on Election Day – all from the comfort of your own home.
Learn More: Vote Save America

WOMEN’S MARCH

Women’s March will be holding a socially distant national march on Saturday, October 17 in Washington D.C., along with sister marches across the country, to send an unmistakable message about the fierce opposition to Trump and his agenda, including his attempt to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat. In 2017, women made history when millions came together in the streets of Washington D.C. to make the resistance clear. Pledge to join the October 17 march in DC here.
Learn more: Women’s March

YWCA

YWCA has put together a comprehensive Get Out The Vote Guide of ways to get involved outlining opportunities to register, educate, and mobilize voters in your community, whatever your capacity level may be. They have made it an imperative to prioritize GOTV activities that will empower historically marginalized communities and ensure that women — especially women of color — are able to fully exercise their fundamental right to vote on November 3rd.
Learn more: YWCA GOTV Guide

SHARE ON SOCIAL

Spread the word on the importance of voting with these ready-to-share social media kits:

AAUW Action Fund
Campus Election Engagement Project
Cheat Sheet for the Voting Booth 
The National Council
Virginia Education Association 

BUY STUFF

Chi-Vote-Le Tee
Chipotle wants you to prove you love democracy as much as you love burritos with their signature “vote” shirt, complete with scannable QR code to Democracy Works.

got mail?
Inspired by the controversy over mail-in voting, Chris and Elizabeth Knudson of local music project LightBody Sound created the “got mail?” shop to advocate for voting rights with 25 percent of proceeds going to the Stacey Abrams-helmed voting rights and advocacy organization, “Fair Fight.”

Sk8boardingSaves
As a husband and father of two daughters, creative director and former pro skateboarder Bernie O’Dowd felt the need to take action. He created a series of RBG art prints, tee shirts, and other swag, with 100% of the profits going to Flip The Senate. 

KEEP AN EYE OUT

Kamala
A new mural collaboration featuring our future vice president created by muralist Nico Cathcart and fiber artist Michael-Birch Pierce in Brookland Park to inspire getting out the vote. Very Instagram-worthy. 

Stop The Shit Show
A guerrilla campaign created by the creative department at Yebo featuring a punk band-inspired sticker designed by Ken McIntyre and featuring a QR code that leads to the Virginia voter registration site with important dates leading up to the election. 

Got a GOTV initiative to share? Send an email to: [email protected]

For valuable information about how to stay safe while voting in person, please visit https://www.safety.com/public/coronavirus/how-to-stay-safe-if-youre-voting-in-person/

Top Photo: “RBG” Art Prints created by Bernie O’Dowd, now on sale at Sk8boardingSaves with 100% of the profits going to Flip The Senate. 

Bedazzled Jockstraps and Iridescent Auras

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Diversity Richmond’s Iridian Gallery presents its first show since the pandemic, featuring Everett Hoffman and Nick Simko, two artists whose work redefine the ways queerness is represented, using found objects and abstract imagery.

Lovers of shiny things and psychedelic imagery, you’re in luck. When Diversity Richmond reopened, so did the Iridian Gallery – just in time to present Everett Hoffman’s Dazzling and Tremendous and Nick Simko’s Queer Dimensionalities. 

In the past, the Iridian Gallery has shown multiple artists’ work as one show under an overarching theme. This two-show approach is meant to give more agency to the artists. At six feet apart, viewers can enjoy two separately spectacular shows (and search for hidden similarities, too).

One of the great things about art galleries, Iridian Co-Chair Michael-Birch Pierce will tell you, is there’s no right way to experience them. “There’s nothing specific anyone’s supposed to get out of any art show. I think that there’s a lot of power given to the viewer in art,” they said. 

With that in mind, know this: Hoffman and Simko, who both hail from rural America, make work that penetrates normative structures associated with queerness. Simko focuses on photography, Hoffman on craft. At the show, you can expect to find bedazzled steel jockstrap cups that light up from behind and manipulated cell phone photos that defy the laws of gravity and time itself. That’s a pretty good reason to get out of the house for a while.  

Image: “Little League,” Everett Hoffman

Everett Hoffman

Hoffman resides in Richmond, but grew up in conservative rural Idaho, where he played little league baseball and watched his grandmother quilt. These experiences would later influence his choice of materials and subject matter.

His artist statement reads, “My work reimagines the function of ornamentation and its relationship to the body. I approach new materials and found objects with the eye of a jeweler, highlighting and exploiting the subtle, and often invisible, links between material histories and their connection to identity.”

While it might help, you don’t have to know the history behind Hoffman’s work to feel its impact. His materials are familiar, like that old dusty chair in the corner of your grandma’s house, and certainly aren’t anything you’d expect to see re-imagined as a jockstrap. The masculine collides with the feminine, or on the contrary, the outside goes on the inside. Rough upholstery sitting against skin, symbolizing how our environment has an intimate role in shaping who we become. 

Image: “Rose Bud,” Everett Hoffman

Antiquing is a favorite pastime of Hoffman’s. He gravitates towards needlepoint while browsing, because, he explained, “Needlepoints are on everything from purses to chairs to wall dividers. And a lot of them have a narrative quality to them.”

If you look at the careful quality of Hoffman’s handiwork, it’s clear he has as much love for the original creation as he does for the new one he’s making out of it. “I’m interested in how I can enter into a dialogue with the person who made that needlepoint, or made that cross stitch, in creating something new.”

There’s something inherently tongue-in-cheek about Hoffman’s work. If you laugh, that’s okay. Whatever your reaction, he’s here for it. “For me, I think the work that interests me as an artist is the work that sticks with me afterwards,” he said, recalling a chair made out of woven belts by artist Hector Garcia. “Every time I see a woven belt I think of that chair that he made. And I kind of hope that my work does something similar.”

Image: Nick Simko

Nick Simko

Up until recently, Simko’s work has been mostly figurative, but when he started going for walks around his neighborhood in Kansas, that changed. To be honest, given the delightful variety of Simko’s work, it’s not surprising he’d explore a new direction.

“Queer Dimensionalities explores the possibilities of what it might look like if I took a chance to author myself in the terms of my own deeply personal vision,” reads his artist statement. It continues, “Departing from figurative representation, this project considers how queerness might be represented in textural, spatial, and atmospheric ways.”

Queerness is more complicated than most over-simplifying media representations make it out to be. “And so I was like, ‘How would I visually approximate that feeling?'” Simko said. “It’s a really complicated feeling!”

The answer didn’t come to him instantaneously. Instead, it snuck up on him in between projects, in the space he had dedicated to himself. Simko took thousands of cell phone images of grass, concrete, and his own shadow. When he started to manipulate the images in Photoshop, he was pleased to discover how they might be transformed. The process, he described, was more like working “with” the computer than telling it what to do.

“They’re not images of me, they’re images of my shadow. I’m there, but I’m not there, and I’m also an instrument in my own illegibility,” Simko said. After a brief detour on the illegibility of ancient Greek poetry, he concluded that the images weren’t exactly self-portraits.

Image: Nick Simko

Instead of presenting the viewer with an obvious subject, Simko’s images invite them to tumble through the rabbit hole of glittery, grassy gook. They’re more intangible essence than they are a thing, and I believe that’s the point. 

“Photographs, especially straight photographs, have the privilege of being something you look through, as opposed to looking at,” said Simko. “It’s more of a systematic way of looking that I’m pushing up against, as opposed to any one subject.”

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For pandemic-related safety, Iridian is allowing five viewers into the gallery at a time and offers hand sanitizer to those who enter. Opening night last Friday was a minimal affair, without the wine and cheese, but judging by the gallery’s Instagram story, still very spirited. 

Pierce made sure of it. “It’s such an important part of being an artist, when you’re baring your soul out there with a new solo exhibition, that I couldn’t imagine depriving the artists of that opportunity,” they said.

Thirty percent of the proceeds from Everett Hoffman’s work will be donated to the Black School, an experimental art school teaching radical Black history.

You can stop by Wednesday through Sunday from 9am to 5pm until September 15. Do it!

Top Image: Left side by Nick Simko, right side, “Young Buck” by Everett Hoffman

Drive Up For Groceries At The Viva! RVA Food Drive

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Coordinating public events during a pandemic is a challenge, but Diversity Richmond’s Raul Cantu is up for it. This Tuesday, he’s bringing back Diversity’s Viva! RVA as a food drive to benefit Hispanic families in the Richmond area.

You may remember Diversity Richmond’s Viva! RVA celebration, a food truck-filled festival which took place last September in recognition of Hispanic Heritage month. This year, Diversity Richmond is celebrating a little early, with a pandemic-appropriate alternative: a food drive. 

Raul Cantu, founder of the recently closed but much beloved Nacho Mama’s in Carytown and longtime President of the Carytown Merchants Association, organized the event in his role as Diversity Richmond’s new Event Coordinator, a role he’s been thriving in since the beginning of the pandemic.

“We decided to do it a little earlier than September obviously, because people are in need of groceries for their families now,” said Cantu.

The U.S. hospitality industry is disproportionately represented by Latinx workers, and when the pandemic hit, many Latinx families were out of work and struggling to feed their families. Cantu has first-hand experience with this, as a Latino man and restaurant owner himself.

“They’re the backbone of most of the restaurants, no matter what cuisine you are eating,” he said. “Chinese, Mexican, Asian fusion, there’s gonna be a Latino working in that kitchen. And with COVID-19 hitting hard on the restaurant and hospitality industry, they haven’t been working.”

A scene from times past: Viva! RVA 2019. Photo via Diversity Richmond

Using the funds reserved for this year’s Viva! RVA celebration as well as $5,000 raised in donations, Diversity Richmond will provide over 500 families with a week’s worth of groceries. The grocery bags, filled by volunteers, are to be plopped into car trunks assembly line style on the morning of Tuesday, July 28. Diversity Richmond purchased the groceries at cost, or at wholesale price, from Diaz Foods, for just under $13 per family.

Within Richmond’s Latino population, which is on the rise, no two families are alike. Cantu took this into consideration when designing the menu.  

“I asked around, because in the Latino community, everything’s different,” he explained. “Not everybody has the same staple. Puerto Ricans, for example, like their black beans. The Hispanics and Tex-Mex people like their pinto beans.” For the grocery bags, Cantu went with black beans.

Cantu also took inspiration from his childhood, having grown up a migrant worker from South Texas. His family’s staples were refried beans, rice, and tomato sauce. “Let me tell you, I can cook you some mean Mexican food, just from watching my grandma cook as a kid growing up,” he said.

Thanks to his grandma, Cantu never cooked with recipes, a habit ingrained in him that would later pose a problem when opening Nacho Mama’s. “It was tough, because we had to be consistent with our food,” he said. “It was a little challenging, but we got it together and the restaurant was successful.”

However, after 22 years of restaurant ownership, Cantu was burned out. He and his partner sold Nacho Mama’s in 2018 and spent eight months traveling all over the world, planning to eventually settle in Florida for some much-needed easy living. To keep busy until then, Cantu served as a board member for Diversity Richmond, filling in between event coordinators.

“They liked what I was doing so much that they offered me the job,” said Cantu. “And then when COVID-19 hit, we decided not to move, because we didn’t want to start anything new during this pandemic. So I accepted the job!”

Diversity Richmond’s Drive-In Drag Show. Photo via Raul Cantu/Diversity Richmond

Event Coordinator is a position that comes naturally to Cantu. “Event planning to me is like planning a party. I could do it with my eyes closed,” he said. Recalling restaurant ownership, Cantu continued, “I even had a catering company where I planned events, weddings, quinceaneras, you name it. Coming here to work is just so fun, because you get to be creative.”

While the pandemic poses a new challenge, so far he’s only helping Diversity Richmond grow. With the infectious, positive attitude of a salesman, everything becomes an opportunity to Cantu.  He’s even started renting out Diversity Richmond’s parking spaces to delivery drivers for a little extra cash.

“That’s my job, makin’ money!” he laughed.

Diversity Richmond has been less than quiet during the pandemic. In addition to hosting free COVID-19 testing, government press conferences, and the Stonewall Rising rally, their Drive-in Drag event is one of the most enticing uses of Diversity Richmond’s large parking lot thus far.

“We had heard that a lot of the entertainers weren’t making any money. A lot of the drag queens, drag kings and people that normally would work at clubs weren’t working because of the pandemic,” said Cantu. Learning that, he and Diversity Richmond board member Michael-Birch Pierce worked on a solution.

What they created was the Drive-In Drag Show, hosted in Diversity Richmond’s parking lot. For $10 a ticket, attendees enjoy a security-protected, DJ’d event featuring drag queens like Melanin Monroe and Sweet Pickles. The most recent event, held this past weekend, sold out despite the heat.

But how did they handle tips? Cantu had a solution. “We had two handsome young men walking around with fishing nets with six feet poles… we got some really cute ones that were pink and green and blue,” said Cantu. At the end of the night, the money was sprayed with disinfectant and distributed equally. 

Fishing for tips at Diversity Richmond’s Drive-In Drag Show. Photo via Raul Cantu

Event coordinating isn’t all fun and games. Cantu also answers all of the phone calls and emails, is the person you talk to if you’re looking to reserve a room, and sets up venues before events. He has one assistant, but the bulk of the work is on Cantu’s shoulders. 

“It’s very time consuming, trust me. I spend three or four full days just on [emails], and I go home and work at night,” he explained. “But it’s fun because I get to know them, they get to know me.”

When Cantu isn’t responding to emails, he’s out on the town, visiting other nonprofits and comparing notes with friends.

“I try to keep Diversity on the map, so to speak. I let them know that we’re here for many reasons – to give out to the community, for event space, for our thrift store,” he said.

Aspiring party planners who still want to have fun during the pandemic: here’s what Cantu recommends.

“Number one is, you gotta do something you love. If you love to entertain, it’s gonna be easy,” he said. “As far as planning a party, you wanna make sure that you’re looking primarily for safety. Don’t lose your guard, make sure that people are keeping their social distance, and make sure they’re wearing their masks.”

“Number two is to be creative! Don’t let the pandemic make you think it’s over,” he said. “Look around your surroundings and see what else you could do. If you’re a club owner, maybe open up your club for meetings, if you have the space for social distancing.”

Even in retirement, Cantu will be throwing parties. “I was planning to, maybe down the road, open up a little beach taco margarita stand somewhere. So that’s still on my horizon, if I get bored,” he said. “Outside a beautiful condominium complex, [I’ll] hang out with all of my friends, close up and go home and open up the next day. Gives me something to do.”

It’s nice to think about. 

This Tuesday’s Viva! RVA food drive will be held in the parking lot at Diversity Richmond, located at 1407 Sherwood Ave, from 9-11 AM. Supplies are first come, first served. For more info, visit Viva! RVA on Facebook.

Photos courtesy Raul Cantu/Diversity Richmond

Richmond’s Queer Artistic Radiance

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Iridian Gallery’s last show of 2019 presents a variety of local LGBTQ artists and allies in a community-focused juried exhibition entitled Radiance.

Iridian Gallery at Diversity Richmond will cap off their 2019 with a group art show you do not want to miss. Radiance, a group show featuring dozens of local artists, opens tomorrow night, December 13, with a reception that will feature drinks by Belle Isle Moonshine and a raffle to win artwork by Iridian Gallery Vice Chair Michael-Birch Pierce.

Billed as a “community-centric art show and sale,” Radiance features work by both up-and-coming and established Richmond artists, all of whom are members or allies of the LGBTQ community, and all of whom promote queer-positive messages. The show was curated by jurors Amber Esseiva, assistant curator at Richmond’s Institute For Contemporary Art, and Stan McCulloch, co-owner of Mongrel, and will be a benefit for Diversity Richmond.

All art on display will be for sale for prices of $500 or less, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to purchase great holiday gifts for the art lovers in your life. Sales will support both artists and Diversity Richmond.

Artists with work on display include Aída Bogado, Alex Foster, Alice Anne Ellis, Blythe King, Chris Morris, Dakota Summer Becker, Damian Elio Massie, Dan Mouer, Elliot Scaparo, Emmanuelle Garcia, Eric May, Janet Scagnelli, Jeanne Schlesinger, Jennifer Woehrle, Johannah Willsey, Jonathan Lee, Jorge Ariel Escobar, Kim Sandara, Lev Keatts, Natasha Kovacs, Lindsay Parnell, Mary Vivo, Michael A. Pierce, Michael-Birch Pierce, Miriam Cooper, Nava Levenson, Rob Ryder, Sara Ferguson, and Sarah Midkiff. That’s a total of 29 artists, so there’ll be a lot to see!

Head to Iridian Gallery at Diversity Richmond, located at 1407 Sherwood Ave, on Friday, December 13 beginning at 6 PM for the Radiance opening reception featuring Belle Isle Moonshine and a raffle for artwork by Michael-Birch Pierce. And if you can’t make it Friday night, don’t worry — the exhibit will remain on display until January 5, 2020. Whether you’re in need of some holiday gift ideas or just want to see the best of what the Richmond LGBTQ arts have to offer, this is one show you need to see. For more information, click here.