Brainstorm 10 - Haleh Mawson

First off, it's rather inspiring how many of these projects arise from the communities. Ovarian Psycos and Chicas Rockeras were created by ordinary individuals who saw a need in their community and wanted to help. They are maintained by people who love the project and want to make the world better. I suppose one could argue that having these gaps in the first place is a sign that our government is failing us or something, but I'm inclined to see them as examples of mutual aid in practice. You support them when you can, and you can trust them to carry on when you cannot be there, like how Xela was able to leave to spend more time with her daughter, safe in the knowledge that the Psycos would continue.

Another thing you hear a lot is this underlying assumption that things cannot change. Current states are phrased as intrinsic, rather than as products of the time and place. Gender essentialism is one manifestation of this, but the same view is often taken towards poverty or oppression, this sneaking belief that a whole community could be "broken beyond repair," without hope of change or healing (Schwartz 60). But that's not true, of course. The work of Chicas Rockeras and Ovarian Psycos is to reconceptualize the present and, in so doing, reimagine the future. It's strange, because it's not merely an act of creation but something intergenerational, a future built on bicycles and music and the line of "cool tia[s]" who "kept that spark alive" (Schwartz 60).

Thanks for a swell quarter, folks, and hope you all have a lovely summer. Remember to wash your hands and water your plants.

- Haleh