NAAFA Community Voices Blog
Sharing thoughts and ideas from fat community.
Image shows a young black woman with blonde hair and wearing glasses, a pink sweater and a laptop on the desk in front of her.
Blog postings are shown in date order of posting (newest to oldest). You may search by author, tag or use the following categories: Events, From the Newsletter, Guest Posts, History, Legislation, LGBTQIA+, Medical, Press Releases, Resource Guides, Videos, Webinars.
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Media and Research Roundup - July 2022
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media & Research Roundup. This issue features: looking at the credibility of studies, issues in getting accurate blood pressure reading for fat folx, and other medical issues.
Anti-Racism Resources
Each month, we will be featuring educational resources in the NAAFA Newsletter and on the NAAFA Community Voices Blog. Some resources will be historic information about systemic racism. Others will be resources on doing the internal work of understanding ourselves and how we play a part in that system. There may also be actions that can be taken to directly oppose racism.
ANTI-RACISM + DISABILITY JUSTICE RESOURCES
July is Disability Pride Month! Multiple marginalizations can equate to not being seen and recognized on one hand and the potential of hate and violence on the other. This month’s resources look specifically at the intersection of BIPOC and disability.
Media and Research Roundup - June 2022
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media & Research Roundup. This issue features: 14-year old Zeke Sanchez and how he is changing body expectations, memories of activist Dr. Cat Pause and discussion of the numerous weight loss drugs that the FDA is approving, and more!
Anti-Racism Resources for LGBTQIA2S+ People of Color
June is Pride Month! While the LGBTQIA2S+ community and allies celebrate the month with parades and activism events, gay, trans and queer folx deal with biases and discrimination on a daily basis. Compound that with being a person of color and you add a layer of racism to that. This month’s anti-racism resources look specifically at that intersection.
Anti-Racism Resources - AAPI
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In this edition of NAAFA’s anti-racism resources, we focus on Asian American and Pacific Islanders: history of Asian Americans; contributions made; what each of us can do to break the cycle of racism and violence against our AAPI family, friends and neighbors.
In Celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Month
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. To our Asian and Pacific Islander community members, we honor you and past generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have made positive contributions to American history, laying the groundwork for future generations to continue their important work.
Anti-Racism Resources
Each month, we will be featuring educational resources on the NAAFA Community Voices Blog. Some resources will be historic information about systemic racism. Others will be resources on doing the internal work of understanding ourselves and how we play a part in that system. There may also be actions that can be taken to directly oppose racism. You can find more resources on the NAAFA website at https://naafa.org/antiracism-resources.
ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES CELEBRATING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH 2022
Each month, we will be featuring educational resources on the NAAFA Community Voices Blog. This month, we focus on Women’s History Month 2022 and Black women that everyone should know. The breadth of the contributions of Black women to the U.S. is immeasurable. There are too many to recognize in this compilation, so here are just a few.
Media and Research Roundup - February 2022
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media and Research Roundup. This issue features: how far we have gone and how far we need to go to change the pervasiveness of the "ideal body" in teen magazines, don't weight me cards, body neutrality, and more!
Decolonizing Wellness Book Giveaway!
Decolonizing Wellness Book Giveaway!
Dalia Kinsey (Nonbinary|No Pronouns) is a queer, small fat, Black Registered Dietitian, the creator of the Body Liberation for All podcast, and author of Decolonizing Wellness: A QTBIPOC-Centered Guide to Escape the Diet Trap, Heal Your Self-Image, and Achieve Body Liberation. Dalia and publishers are giving away a free copy of the book to someone in our NAAFA community. Read the blog post to enter the giveaway! Enter by 2/28/22.
ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2022
Each month, we will be featuring educational resources on the NAAFA Community Voices Blog. Some resources will be historic information about systemic racism. Others will be resources on doing the internal work of understanding ourselves and how we play a part in that system. There will also be actions that can be taken to directly oppose racism. This month, we focus on Black History Month 2022 whose theme is Black Health and Wellness.
Black History Month And Black History Always
A personal reflection on Black History Month and a look at today’s questions surrounding Black leadership in NAAFA and fat liberation spaces from NAAFA’s Board Chair, Tigress Osborn.
“We see fat Black leadership in other social justice movements at the time of NAAFA’s founding. What does whiteness have to do with why we don’t see Black leadership, or even much Black participation, in early NAAFA? What does anti-Blackness have to do with it? Is there simply more urgency of other issues for Black folx (then? now?), or is there discomfort in these spaces for Black people (then? now?), or are Black people simply not interested in NAAFA (then? now?). The questions feel rhetorical, but they’re not.
If you’re wondering how we got from my first grade memory of Black History Month to the difficult questions NAAFA and other fat lib spaces have to answer about lack of intersectionality in the history of fat community, here’s how…”
Anti-Racism Resources - Allyship Edition
Each month, we will be featuring educational resources on the NAAFA Community Voices Blog. Some resources will be historic information about systemic racism. Others will be resources on doing the internal work of understanding ourselves and how we play a part in that system. There will also be actions that can be taken to directly oppose racism. This month, we focus on being an Ally.
ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES - WINTER CELEBRATIONS EDITION
Each month, we will be featuring educational resources on the NAAFA Community Voices Blog. Some resources will be historic information about systemic racism. Others will be resources on doing the internal work of understanding ourselves and how we play a part in that system. There will also be actions that can be taken to directly oppose racism. This month’s Anti-Racism Resources focus on some of the various Winter Celebrations.
NAAFA 2021 Year in Review
As I reflect on this year, I’m so proud of folx on the NAAFA team at every level, not only of our accomplishments, but also of the ways we have challenged each other, worked through difficult issues, grown and created opportunities for others to grow. We got soooooo much done this year. I’ve outlined some highlights here, but they are really only a fraction of all we achieved. We hope that our work is evident to our community, and more than that, we hope each of you finds it meaningful in one way or another.
The Artful Tradition of Native American Beadwork
Native American beadwork has been a lifelong tradition passed down through the women in my family for generations. As soon as my daughter was able to properly thread a needle and sit at a table without tipping over the beads, she too was indoctrinated into this unique method of cultural expression. It takes a calm mind, good spirit, steady hand and sometimes a quality magnifying glass to create the intricate patterns the world has come to recognize as North American Indian beadwork.
Anti-Racism Resources - Indigenous Heritage Month
Each month, we will be featuring educational resources on the NAAFA Community Voices Blog. Some resources will be historic information about systemic racism. Others will be resources on doing the internal work of understanding ourselves and how we play a part in that system. There will also be actions that can be taken to directly oppose racism. This month’s Anti-Racism Resources focus on Indigenous People in honor of Indigenous Heritage Month.
NAAFA Recognizes Indigenous Heritage Month
Every November, we receive the reminder that American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month (as referred to by the United States government), also called Indigenous Heritage Month, provides the opportunity to recognize, reflect, and amplify Indigenous people, cultures and the historic and current impact of Native American activists and actions in the United States.
Anti-Racism Resources in Celebration of Latinx Heritage Month
September 15th through October 15th, National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated in the U.S. As an organization, NAAFA recognizes this period as Latinx Heritage Month. These anti-racism resources look at the history of racism against Latinx people in the U.S., fighting racism in the Latinx community, and allyship in supporting Latinx people.