Paper Straws: A Lifetime of Activism

Paper Straws

The Brief

Today’s brief comes to us from the incredible Guerrilla Girls.

A while ago I saw one of their art works and asked them if they would be willing to let me send it to you. They were! So here it is. It’s a video. Your brief for the day is to watch it, and to respond to it! Respond to as many (if not all) of the points they are making. Create a piece that really makes a difference!

WATCH IT HERE

And if you don’t know about The Guerrilla Girls, please check them out! They do amazing work.

 

Remember, this is a weekend task, so take your time – changing the world requires effort!

And as always with weekend challenges – the only bonus points is for you to write something you’re happy with.

 

The Excerpt

So, I bought this bag of paper straws, and I could feel the casher looking at me, like, here’s some white woman with colored hair buying designer straws, and she thinks that’s gonna change the world.

But the thing is.

I’ve been changing the world all my life.

For example.

I am three years old. I hear my grandmother speak in whispers about how some woman I don’t know is a (whispers) lesbian (normal voice) and I don’t know what that means, so when Mommy gets home from work, I ask:

“Mommy, what’s a lesbian?”

And Mommy says, “well, when two men love each other, they’re gay, and when women love each other, they’re lesbians.”

And in my three-year-old heart, this is perfectly natural, so I say, “Well, I must be a lesbian, too, Mommy, because I love you.” And Mommy laughs and says, “You keep thinking just that way.”

To Read the Entire Play

Click here: 1902.15 – Paper Straws – A Lifetime of Activism