The Year in Webinars!
[Image description: Blue square with the #GivingTuesday and NAAFA logos at the top. Below is a pic of a laptop showing the NAAFA YouTube page. Superimposed are words: Fantastic! Loved it! Informative! Below the pic it states: naafa.org/webinars and youtube.com/naafaofficial]
by Tigress Osborn, NAAFA Director of Community Outreach & Webinar Host
When we kicked off our third season of the NAAFA Webinar Series in late February with a live broadcast from Palabras Bookstore in Phoenix, we at NAAFA had no idea what was in store for our webinars this year. I had stopped by the store to grab snacks for the audience at the bookstore, and I only picked up items that were individually wrapped because people were just starting to pay attention to news stories about a virus that sounded like it might cause a little trouble in the U.S. We had a few technical difficulties, but we still managed to make a fun and informative program.
By the time of our next webinar in March-- our first-ever international presenter--we were fully online. By then, NAAFA members and supporters were sheltering in place in some states. Within the next couple of weeks, schools and businesses all over the country closed. Suddenly, we were living a year we never could have expected.
In the midst of national trauma and tragedy, fat shaming rose as people worried about stay-at-home weight gain and diet companies capitalized on those fears. Headlines warned of BMI risk factors for COVID-19. Fat community had to deal with those stressors on top of the virus realities and economic challenges everyone else was dealing with.
We knew that our members and supporters--especially those who were most isolated--could use more opportunities for interaction, entertainment, and learning while at home. In the meantime, social distancing and the expansion of working from home meant more people who had previously been unfamiliar with video conferencing were suddenly getting more comfortable with the cameras on their computers and phones. We knew we had to plan more webinars than ever before in order to serve fat community.
The more webinars we planned, the more we wanted to plan. Before we knew it, 2020 had become our most prolific webinar year! From all of us at NAAFA, we send big fat thank you’s to every presenter, interviewee, webinar participant, YouTube viewer, transcriber, and financial supporter who made the 2020 NAAFA Webinar Series possible!
We are so proud of the 2020 NAAFA Webinar Series, and we are thrilled by the positive feedback we’ve received from the people who’ve been NAAFA supporters for years, the people experiencing NAAFA and/or fat activism for the first time, and everyone in between. But don’t take our word for it. Check out the following testimonies from NAAFA Webinar Series participants (below).
To see webinars you’ve missed, subscribe to our channel at YouTube.com/naafaofficial.
To support the NAAFA Webinar Series, donate on Facebook or donate via naafa.org.
Testimonies
“My experience with the NAAFA webinars have been welcoming, informative, professional and relevant. After attending one, I became a member. I look forward to attending many more in the future and supporting as I can.” - Vanessa Chica, Yonkers, NY
"As a thin ally in the fat liberation movement, married to a wonderful fat person, I know how important quality, accessible education can be, to fat people and allies. NAAFA’s webinars have explored some of the most important intersections of our time -- including LGBTQ+ issues, which deeply affect my family and I. I also love how these presentations provide community, celebration and more -- all while being free, interactive, and available as recordings!” - Mycroft Masada, Gaithersburg, Maryland
“I learned A LOT this year from NAAFA’s webinar series. Each was unique and offered something different. Not only was each speaker unique, but they were all relatable! I've never been under the hood of a car, but I was able to understand how mechanics related to body positivity and care. The speakers were diverse in their areas of expertise and got ya thinking. And isn't THAT the point to learning & growing, to think outside our perspective boxes?” - Susan Perez, Chandler, AZ
“I have greatly enjoyed and appreciated the variety of webinars naafa has offered the last few months. Seeing authors, founders, models and more, has been entertaining and informative. Being able to ask questions in chat while Tigress interviews these amazing people has felt more intimate than other webinars I've attended. I can't wait to see who will be featured next!” - Sarah Redman, San Jose, CA
“Tuning in to the NAAFA webinars has been a highlight of 2020 for me. In a year of increased isolation, it’s been really meaningful to get a chance to gather and hear fascinating conversations in such an accessible format. Tigress is a tremendous interviewer whose love of the participants’ work is both exciting and contagious. I really appreciate that NAAFA has remained active in providing this series; it gives me hope to hear about all the wonderful ways intersectional fat activism is happening!”
- Matilda St. John, Oakland, CA
Meet our 2020 Guests
Yarrow Halpern (Educator/Activist), Dany Atkins (Activist), Tigress Osborn (NAAFA Webinar Series Host), Trevor Kezon (Big Fat Gay Podcast), Dr. Sabrina Strings (Author/Scholar), Chaya Milchtein (Mechanic Shop Femme), Juicy D. Light (Fat Flash Mob Founder), Leah Vernon (Author/Influencer), Bill Fabrey (NAAFA Founder), Andy Duran (EducatorAndy), the cast of emFATic DANCE (Big Moves), Dr. Joy Cox (Author/Scholar), Ady Del Valle (Plus Model/Influencer), Dr. Nancy Ellis Ordway (Psychotherapist/Author), Gloria Lucas (Nalgona Positivilty Pride), Dina Amlund (Historian), Carole Cullum (NAAFA Board Member Emeritus), Amy Rios-Richardson (Fat Girls Hiking Phoenix Chapter), Nicky Amber (PHX Fat Force), Sauyce West (Supersize Model), Dr. Sean Massey (Former Councilman, Binghamton, NY)