January 2022 NAAFA Newsletter |
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by Tigress Osborn, NAAFA Board Chair |
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 Each year, dictionary.com adds new words and chooses one word as the Word of the Year. In 2021, for the first time ever, the site's annual pick was also one of the new words: allyship. There are many ways to define allyship, and this is how dictionary.com defines it:
allyship (
noun): the status or role of a person who advocates and actively works for the inclusion of a marginalized or politicized group in all areas of society, not as a member of that group but in solidarity with its struggle and point of view and under its leadership.
Coincidentally, NAAFA also spent the end of last year thinking about the meaning of allyship. Back when we were planning Fat Liberation Month, then-volunteer and now new board member, Trevor Kezon, suggested the idea of setting aside some time outside of FLM to focus on how people can be better allies to fat people. Plus, for the past few years, we've been trying to help NAAFA community to better understand intersectionality, to recognize how privilege and marginalization impact what fat people face in the world in addition to anti-fatness, and to be in solidarity with other marginalized communities. We knew we wanted to create programming that would address both aspects of allyship -- being supportive and being supported. We were in the midst of discussions and planning when dictionary.com announced their Word of the Year choice.
Our 2022 Ally Week explores the meaning of allyship in fat community -- how others show up for us and how we show up for others. We know thin people have a lot to learn about how to be allies to fat folx; we also know that fat folx with other privilege have a lot to learn about how to center marginalized people in fat community and how to show up as allies for other oppressed groups. NAAFA volunteers, guest speakers, special bloggers, and others have worked together to create programming about being allies; how we operate in our relationships of all kinds; how we invest our time, energy, and money; and more.
All events are free. Most are open to everyone, but some have specific intended audiences. (If you don't understand why, our Intro to Allyship workshop will include discussion of safe spaces and why sometimes
not showing up is an important part of allyship). At the time of this publication, we're still putting finishing touches on the schedule, so be sure to check naafa.org/allyweek for the most up-to-date info on everything we're offering. |
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5 Tips for Being an Ally
Franchesca Ramsey aka Chescaleigh got her start as a graphic designer before she became known as an activist for her YouTube videos. On her MTV webseries
Decoded, she discussed racism and social issues. In our featured video, she talks about being an ally.
youtube.com/watch?v=_dg86g-QlM0 |
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Health At Every Size and HAES are registered trademarks of the Association for Size Diversity and Health, and are used with permission.
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Meet Our New Board Members |
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Welcome to the new year! As you saw in our December newsletter, we wrapped up 2021 with a very successful board search. We are thrilled to welcome the six fat community leaders below to our Board of Directors!
Our new BOD members initially join us as Members-at-Large, with specific titles, committee assignments, and projects soon to come. They join our returning BOD members: Amanda Cooper (Public Relations Director), Marcy Cruz (Fashion Industry Relationships Director), Darliene Howell (Administrative Director), Peggy Howell (Member-at-Large and Newsletter Content Editor), Elaine Lee (Member-at-Large), and Tigress Osborn (Board Chair).
The bios below were provided by each new board member, and we can't wait for our NAAFA community to get to know them even better!
Christina Chase (she/her) holds a Master of Arts in Education, and is experienced in curriculum design, professional development training, community outreach, and coaching. Christina is a creative problem solver who is passionate about equity, inclusion, and body liberation.
Dawn Clark (she/her) is a couple of years into fat activism. She has done advocacy previously for housing and food insecurity. She has had the privilege to share her experiences in fat phobia with medical students and eating disorder professionals.
Tamra Dozier-Garland (she/her) is a certified life coach, writer, speaker, MC, and serial entrepreneur. She owns and operates Dozeland Creative and is co-founder of a fintech startup. Tamra's coaching is dedicated to helping fat women transform the way they see themselves and love the body they are in. Tamra brings a passion for creating lasting change along with her marketing experience and love of service. Tamra has volunteered for various non-profits in service of children and people experiencing financial insecurity for more than 15 years.
Amithyst Fist (she/her/femme) is a Queer, Superfat Femme living and loving in the Bay Area. Amithyst is a social worker/prison abolitionist who works with incarcerated people. She was previously on the Board of Directors of NOLOSE, a vibrant community of Fat Queer and Trans folks with a shared commitment to intersectional anti-oppression, seeking to end the oppression of Fat people. Amithyst loves Fat people, planning events for Fat people, fried chicken, pit bulls, her partner and her mama.
Trevor Kezon (he/him) is a writer, activist, and podcaster. His work has been featured in the New York Times, and he currently co-hosts The Big Fat Gay Podcast, which discusses the issues that fat people and their admirers face in relationships, media, and society.
Tegan Lecheler (she/they) is an organizer and policy nerd from Minneapolis, MN. Her work primarily centers around fat and anti-poverty organizing. |
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The NAAFA Community Voices Blog has a new Editor! |
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In addition to new board members, Team NAAFA is growing in other ways, with new committees forming and new projects in development. We're excited to introduce you to Janet Conroy-Quirk, who is taking on the role of Blog Editor. Janet will work with our communications team to grow readership and build relationships with new writers. Got ideas? Reach out to Janet at blog@naafa.org
Janet Conroy-Quirk (she/her) is a journalist and co-owner of National Plus Guide, a fat-positive resource/community. As a social worker, Janet worked with underserved populations in New York City for over 15 years. She then pursued acting, and holds multiple stage and film credits. She believes strongly in fat representation in the arts. Janet has also been very active in supporting proposed anti-weight discrimination legislation in Massachusetts. She has provided testimony about her experience with weight stigma and size-based mistreatment. |
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Hollaback! With NAAFA to Stop Harassment
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As part of Ally Week 2022, NAAFA has initiated a partnership with Hollaback!, a global organization focused on ending harassment in all settings. Hollaback! was founded in 2005 with a goal of ending gender-based street harassment. Since then, the organization has grown into a network of advocates and trainers who teach businesses, organizations, and individuals how to interrupt harassment based on gender, race, sexual orientation, or any other marginalization. They offer a wide variety of trainings -- many of them free -- based around their 5 D's model of intervention. They've trained hundreds of site leaders across the globe to engage in community-based efforts to end harassment. Their HeartMob project is a community dedicated to those who experience online harassment.
NAAFA is teaming with Hollaback! to learn from each other about creating more specific anti-harassment training for and in support of fat community. As our first stage of this partnership, we've invited Hollaback! to lead their acclaimed
How to be an Ally When You Witness Online Abuse workshop as part of our Ally Week this month. We know that fat community can benefit from learning Hollaback's 5 D's as a skill set for fighting anti-fatness and for supporting other marginalized communities.
In this one hour training session, Hollaback! will discuss the severe impact online abuse can have -- on well-being, livelihoods, and free expression -- and how it's drowning out voices that urgently need to be heard in public discourse. Then we'll share concrete strategies for how to distract, delegate, document, delay, or directly intervene in a way that is safe, effective, and centered on the needs of the person being targeted. There will be time to practice so you can leave feeling more confident intervening the next time you see someone being abused online.
The training will be held on Saturday, January 29 at 1pm PST. This training is open to all the NAAFA community, as well as friends and supporters. This free interactive virtual workshop is presented by Hollaback! on Zoom, in English, with automated captions. Registration is required. Please register by January 20 if you have additional accessibility needs. https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZZFJn1FVRF2Z3zAFk-49UA
The Hollback! training will be followed by a NAAFA-hosted Zoom session for workshop participants with time for processing together and hearing more from fat liberation leaders and social media influencers who have experienced online harassment. The link for the follow-up session will be shared with all who register for the Hollaback! workshop.
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For this month's entry in the NAAFA Chronicles feature, here's NAAFA's 72nd newsletter, from August 1986.
For more, check out the "Chronicles" page of NAAFA's website, https://naafa.org/chronicles
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Fat Liberation Month 2021 Now on YouTube |
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The wait is finally over . . . our 2021 Fat Liberation Month videos are now available on YouTube! Thanks to the help of the video team at Foolish Tree Films, all our FLM webinars have now been edited. Each video features ASL interpreting by Pro Bono ASL. English captions are also available. (YouTube users control their own caption size and appearance, so if the way the captions look doesn't work for you, you're able to adjust them.)
These are the webinars now available:
- Fat Liberation Month Kickoff with Angry Fat People and DJ Bugie
- Reclaim U.G.L.Y. with Vanessa Rochelle Lewis
- Fatizen Graphic Novel with Phillip Baragan & Spencer Mason
- Fat Magic and Tarot with Bree XVI
- 10 Years of Fatshion for Men and Masc Folx with Bruce Sturgell
- Fat and Superfat Visibility in Art and Graphic Design with Toni Tails
- Empowering Fat Bodies Through Photography & Selfie Expression with Spencer Pablo
- Fat!So? Forever! with Marilyn Wann
- On Fat and Faith: Working to End Weight Stigma in Spiritual and Religious Realms with Rev. Dr. E-K Daufin
- Live Big Girl Poetry Reading and Writing Workshop
- Destigmatizing Mental Health & Queering Fat Visibility with Aarti Olivia Dubey
- Fat Justice: Understanding the Rights we Have and the Goals we Must Work Toward with Brandie Sendziak of Fat Legal Advocacy, Rights, And Education Project (FLARE)
Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss our NAAFA Webinar Series videos and more in 2022!
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Exciting News for the Blind |
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NAAFA member Mark Fox, (see An Interview with a Blind NAAFA Member, October 2021 NAAFA newsletter) called to report great news. The audio version of
Land Whale by Jes Baker is now available through the NLS, National Library Service for the Blind. This means that any person utilizing the library will have access to this powerful message about size acceptance. This has come about as a result of Mark's activism.
While many fat community favorites are available as audiobooks through paid subscription services, helping to make them available through NLS gives the blind community even more access regardless of income. NAAFA is happy to support Mark in working with NHS to create more access to books about fat liberation, HAES, and other topics that are important to our community.
Do you know authors or publishers of fat positive books? Please suggest to them that they help create more audiobooks for the blind that have fat positive messages. While we are still staying indoors and unable to mingle, creating audio versions of books would be a great use of their time!
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Anti-Racism Resources - Allyship Edition
compiled by Darliene Howell |
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Each month, we feature educational resources on the NAAFA Community Voices Blog, with historic information about systemic racism, how to do the internal work of understanding the part we play in that system, and actions to directly oppose racism. This month, we focus on being an Ally.
Guide to Allyship by amélie lamont
An open-source starter guide to help you become a more thoughtful and effective ally. One way to be an ally is in financial support of the labor of BIPOC individuals. To show support for this guide, buy Amélie a cup of tea.
Guidetoallyship.com
8 Ways to Be a (Better) Ally from Syracuse University
Good guide to use as a jumping off point in learning to be a better ally.
news.syr.edu/the-peel/2020/10/14/8-ways-to-be-a-better-ally/
How to Be an Ally (for Educators) by Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance)
Any educator can become an ally, but the journey might look different depending on one's identity, experience and familiarity with issues of power and privilege.
learningforjustice.org/magazine/spring-2018/how-to-be-an-ally
There are many underrepresented groups that need your support. The basics of allyship may be similar for each but take a look more specifically at each group to understand what they want from you as an ally. Here are links to some articles/guides by community:
BIPOC
LGBT
Trans and Nonbinary
Disability Community
Fat Community
Fat Community is Intersectional
Videos
Be an Ally - A TED Talk by Melinda Epier
3 ways to be a BETTER Ally in the Workplace
edi.nih.gov/blog/communities/be-ally
For more ways to learn about supporting underrepresented communities and to be a better ally, check out the Anti-Racism Resources page on the NAAFA website, the monthly column in the NAAFA Newsletter or on the NAAFA Community Voice Blog.
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Media and Research Roundup
by Bill and Terri Weitze
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December 2021: Follow Jeff Jenkins,
Chubby Diaries travel blogger, as he discusses his passion for travel and helping others, and his trip to the Florida Keys where he participated in a project for divers to help restore the shallow water coral reefs.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/creativegroup/marriott-bonvoy/a-plus-size-adventurer-dives-to-revive-floridas-coral-reefs
December 1, 2021:
Expand the Curve podcast interviews Ragen Chastain about her participation in a marathon, speaking engagements, the diet industry, and weight discrimination.
https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/expand-the-curve/diet-industry-doesnt-tell-EC24aSVP5Dx
December 9, 2021: Researchers, presenting their findings at the American Epilepsy Society 2021 Annual Meeting, conclude that an increased risk of epilepsy should be added to other long term risks associated with WLS (weight loss surgery).
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/964471
https://cms.aesnet.org/abstractslisting/epilepsy-risk-following-bariatric-surgery-for-weight-loss
December 27, 2021: The "DentalSlim" device consists of magnets clamped around the user's teeth to prevent solid food intake, akin to having one's jaw wired shut. As such, it is still a method of dieting, and just as sustainable.
https://scitechdaily.com/dentalslim-diet-control-researchers-develop-world-first-weight-loss-device
December 29, 2021: Healthcare professionals are beginning to realize that it may not be necessary to weigh their patients every time the patients come in, and in fact, the practice may be detrimental to some patients.
https://www.wbur.org/news/2021/12/29/body-acceptance-weight-physicians-shaming
January 2022: The most recent issue of
Fat Studies is now available. This issue is focused on public health, healthism, and fatness.
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ufts20/11/1?nav=tocList
January 2022: Judith Matz discusses the commonly-accepted theory that people who suffer trauma (especially sexual trauma) become fat as a protection from further trauma or abuse, and why this needs to be looked at more carefully.
https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/magazine/article/2621/unlearning-weight-stigma/751aa799-34e8-44c4-80c3-7cd27416454a/oim
January 1, 2022: BMI has racist and non-medical roots, and is also misogynistic (the original data included only European men). The article talks about why BMI and weight-centric healthcare are not useful when it comes to the health of individual patients.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-02/the-problem-with-the-body-mass-index-bmi/100728416
January 11, 2022: Jessamyn Stanley shows how fitness instructors can become a fat ally while offering more inclusive services for clients of all sizes and abilities. Prospective clients can use the recommendations in educating themselves about what type of fitness instructor would be a good match.
https://www.self.com/story/fitness-instructors-anti-fat-bias |
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Founded in 1969, NAAFA, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, is a non-profit human rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy, and member support.
Any products or services mentioned in articles in this newsletter are for information only and should not be considered endorsements by NAAFA.
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