#5SmartReads - October 11, 2022

Hitha on the American history you never learned, the women of Iran, and how to negotiate your next raise

October 11, 2022

Today’s newsletter is brought to you by PepTalkHer

“This is not a call for the end of Islam, it is a call for the end of the symbols of state power and abuse, a call that even religious Iranians have joined. As my quietly devout Iranian aunties tell me, this regime has taken the symbols of their faith and turned them into a tool for the suppression of half the population. They and women like them are joining the protests alongside the girls who have so courageously whipped off their hijab to face the regime’s forces with their hair flowing.”

“Woman Life Freedom” is what the women in Iran have been chanting for the past 20 days, and I can’t think of a better rallying cry for these brazen, brave women fighting for basic freedoms in an oppressive regime.

This is a really detailed, thoughtful article that teaches so much about Iranian history and Western meddling that has brought us to where we are now, and how the fight for freedom in Iran is very much the frontline of feminism globally.

“How do I ask for a raise?”“I’m dealing with some issues at work. How do I bring it up to my boss?”“How do I find a mentor or a champion within my company?”

In my weekly Q&A sessions, I get a version of these three questions every. single. time. My answers are very much aligned with Meggie Palmer's in this interview, and she goes above and beyond with her advice in her app PepTalkHer.

This is an article to bookmark (better yet, save it in Pocket and highlight the quotes and advice you don’t want to forget). It’s one that is worth reviewing at the end of the quarter against some of your goals, and retooling some of your tracking or networking efforts to stay on track with those big goals you can absolutely achieve (and the app can absolutely help with that).

And if you’re really focused on taking action, they’re hosting a 5-day challenge to help you incorporate all the lessons into regular practice. I’m planning on signing up myself as a refresher!

Here’s a necessary history lesson for us all:

“Indigenous slavery co-existed with African slavery from the sixteenth up to the late nineteenth century, Andrés Reséndez wrote in "The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America."

He estimates that between 2.5 million to 5 million Indigenous people were enslaved from the time of Columbus to the end of the nineteenth century.

Apache members were enslaved in the American Southwest and sold to work in mines in Mexico. Latter-day Saints settlers in Utah purchased enslaved Native Americans and converted them.

Reche-Mapuche people were enslaved in Chile and sold to work in Peru.”

Did you know this before now? I didn’t, and am both horrified and unsurprised that I was never taught this in school nor in my history classes in university.

Native Bound Unbound is so necessary, both for those seeking to learn more about their own families’ history and for all of us who need to widen their education of this country’s history.

spoiler alert - if you haven’t watched episode 8 “Lord of the Tides”, you may want to bookmark this article and come back to it later.

Something you should know about South Asians is that if we see a fellow South Asian - in public, in a headline, or on-screen - we will say “that’s one of ours!”

Did I do that on Sunday night when I saw “Directed by Geeta Vasant Patel” flash on the screen during House of the Dragon? Absolutely.

AND WHAT AN EPISODE IT WAS. It was certainly my favorite of the season, but also one of my top 5 favorite episodes in both series. Yes. It’s that good.

But when you read about Geeta’s path to directing this show (both in how she was hired and how she and her family relocated to London for 6 months to support her and her baby), certain choices she made in the directing (ahem, lighting), and about the franchise’s lack of diversity.

Most of all, I loved her answer when asked if she’d be returning to the show:

“I am going to come back to the show. I can’t wait. We’re bringing the baby. And maybe we’ll have another, who knows!”

Don’t be swayed by the Vice President’s (lack of) press lately. VP Harris has been tirelessly working within the administration for the advancement of equality (you can see her presidential platform in the student loan forgiveness plan and the recent marijuana possession executive order), and she’s been tirelessly working with leaders across the reproductive rights battlefield to provide support and help craft solutions within the administration’s power.

“"This is truly an issue that is going to be about what all of our movements have been about, frankly," Harris said. "There's going to be a need for litigation and legislation, there's going to be the need for organizing."

In the meetings, Harris often raises the "Venn diagram" way in which states that are restricting abortion access are also restricting access to voting and LGBTQ rights. With Roe overturned, LGBTQ activists worry same-sex marriage is next. In the intersection, Harris said there's potential to build coalitions. "Bring everybody together," she said in Connecticut.”

To better understand why the reporting on Vice President Harris is what it is, check out my op-ed in Ms. Magazine. And to learn more about our Vice President, check out my book!

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