Thursday Murmurings
Brittney Griner, historical bad bitches and saying no.
Happy Thursday, ya beauties!
Kicking it off this week with even more concern for WNBA star Brittney Griner. Her trial for possession of cannabis oil started in Russia last week. She has been detained there since February. Every image of her being taken to court, she understandably looks traumatised and terrified. It’s a travesty how little attention this case has been given by mainstream media. We all know how differently this would’ve played out if it was a white male NBA star.
Griner wrote a letter to President Biden last week, pleading for him to intervene, saying;
“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever.”
Less than 1% of trials in Russia end in acquittal.
I just really hope they get her home. No one deserves this.
Things that caught my eye this week
You know I love me a historical bad bitch, so I was thrilled this week to learn about Katharine Dexter McCormick. This badass was smuggling birth control (diaphragms), sewn into her clothes, from Europe to the States in the 1920s. Her advocacy eventually led to the invention of the birth control pill. In light of everything that’s been happening these last few weeks, seeing women’s rights being stripped in the States, it gave me a bit of a boost to read of the women who were fighting for us 100 years ago (though admittedly it’s depressing AF to think there’s still more fighting to do).
Food for Thought
“No” is a complete sentence.
Stop agreeing to shit you don’t want to do to make someone else comfortable. This notion that being agreeable because it keeps the peace is bullshit if your own peace is destroyed in the process.
Locate your backbone and use it. Stand up for yourself. Boundaries and clearly stating your own needs are life essentials. That momentary discomfort you might feel when asserting a boundary is far better than the knot that forms in your stomach when you betray yourself.
You Should Subscribe to the Paid Version of The Murmuration because…
In Monday’s paid version of the letter, I’m talking about monogamy. I was raised Catholic (safe to say I am an extremely lapsed one at this point) and my parents have been married 45 years, so monogamy as a relationship model was pretty engrained in me. Though admittedly, as I get older, I’m finding I have more of an open mind to different kinds of relationships. My brief stint on dating apps there a few months back showed me there are many, MANY people in open relationships (do I think all of those people are aware they’re in one? Nope, but I’ll get into that further on Monday). Are traditional heteronormative relationship types on the way out? Is marriage still the ultimate goal? I have a lot of questions I’m exploring and would love to hear your thoughts.
Your Weekly Biggie Smalls (P)update
Today is Biggie’s birthday! This lil joy machine was born five years ago today and ain’t the world a better place for him?! I asked him what the biggest lessons of his five years of life have been. Here are his thoughts:
“Peanut Butter is life.”
“You should sniff every blade of grass”
“Zoomies are big fun.”
“Good sits should always be rewarded.”
“I am a really good boy (my mum tells me all the time).”
Wise beyond his years, I’m sure we can all agree.
Until next week, smile at strangers, spread good vibes, be nice to people.