Nasty women are back! This week's #WELLREAD is all about the matriarchy that is disrupting the status quo. Plus, a new CTZN podcast! 

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where wellbeing meets politics
Up with the Matriarchy

We’re SO excited to drop a new CTZN Podcast featuring powerhouse writer, speaker, and #MeAndWhiteSupremacy author Layla Saad tomorrow! Get early access to the episode right now when you join us on Patreon for as little as $2/month!
LISTEN ([link removed])

Y'all, I'm sorry to keep harping on this, but I am convinced buying into the myth of electability is going to destroy this election and our democracy. We don't need to hold our nose and settle for the most "electable" and pragmatic candidate. And as Jamil Smith writes this week, "we certainly don't need to become Trump to replace him".

You don't win by replacing one bully with another bully, or one billionaire with another billionaire, or one misogynist with another misogynist.

That's how we lose. That's how we stay stuck in the same place, destined to repeat this pattern over and over again.

We need to choose the best candidate who reflects our values and will radically transform our country. Then, we need to do whatever is necessary to get them elected. It is OUR job to elect them, not theirs.

Let us dream beyond our fears and rally around a courageous candidate who will lead with love and be the change.

We deserve better but we are going to have to work to get it.

Kerri
she/her

DEBATE
Nasty women are back. And by "nasty" I mean highly qualified and not taking any shit. In last night's Nevada debate, women dominated the stage ([link removed]) and showed us what they're made of. And Elizabeth Warren did not come to play ([link removed]) , attacking her opponents on everything from stop and frisk to non-disclosure agreements to post-it notes. Warren proved that she will not back down and she will not be erased ([link removed]) . Here's the case for why Warren
([link removed]) should stay in the race. Meanwhile, all eyes were on Bloomberg, for whom the DNC conveniently ($$$) relaxed their rules of entry. Bloomberg's plan to buy democracy endangers America ([link removed]) . The truth is, we don't need to become Donald Trump to defeat him ([link removed]) . That is only going to get us right back where we started. We need a candidate of good moral character who is going to get the job done for the people.

DISINFORMATION
Trump is not biggest threat to our democracy; disinformation is. Disinformation has been the critical ingredient by the right to discredit any and all reason and progress. At no time in human history has it been easier to bombard the public with false data and bogus information. And things are about to get a lot worse. Get ready for the billion dollar disinformation campaign to reelect the president ([link removed]) . From campaign propaganda to facebook ads to fake news to geo targeting, we are looking at a war on the truth. My latest obsession on this topic is Ezra Klein's recent book about how and why we are polarized AND how the media is partly (mostly) to blame. "Here’s the dilemma: to decide what to cover is to become the shaper of the news rather than a mirror held up to the news. It makes journalists actors rather than observers" ([link removed])
. His interview with Krista Tippett is a must liste ([link removed]) n ([link removed]) . And be sure to buy his book ([link removed]) as it will illuminate much of what's to come.

UP WITH THE MATRIARCHY
It's not enough to #SmashThePatriarchy. We need also be dreaming beyond systems of oppression and dominance and create a new culture of leadership. Matriarchies aren't about gender. They are about collective care. Matriarchies are mother-centered societies ([link removed]) . They are based on maternal values: care-taking, nurturing, mothering. This holds for everybody: for mothers and those who are not mothers, for women and men alike. Matriarchies are brave. They are not afraid to challenge the status quo and do things differently because that is what is needed for people to thrive. We are starting to see signs of the matriarchy rising in people like Ayanna Pressley and Elizabeth Warren. But make no mistake, we are going to have to work for it
([link removed]) . And we will.

AUDRE LORDE
This week in Black History Month we celebrate Audre Lorde and Toni Morrison ([link removed]) —two of the most important writers in womanist literature and black feminist theory. Both were born on February 18th (in 1934 and 1931). Lorde would have been 86 and Morrison 89, and fans on Twitter are advocating for “Lorde-Morrison Day” in celebration of the literary icons’ legacies. For now, you can catch up on the best writings you've never read from these two icons including The Cancer Journals ([link removed]) and Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination ([link removed]) .

DEAR WHITE PEOPLE...
Michael Harriot says that Black History Month is for white people ([link removed]) ...because black people have always known American History as Black History. White people are just catching up. But seeing black history in the context of now also matters ([link removed]) . Because we have a long way to go to reach the ideals of freedom and liberty for all that were promised to us in our founding. And it means #doingthework. Check out this helpful list of how we, white people, can honor Black History Month all year long ([link removed]) .


Shout-out to our amazing community of Patreon ([link removed]) members who make it possible for us to produce WELLread every week.

Join us for a little as $2/month to get behind-the-scenes access to our work and bonus content that we don't share anywhere else. Plus, we share guided meditations, host online meet-ups, and create monthly toolkits for you to take the work to the next level!

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