F is for Freedom, Fairness, Family, Fear, Fun and other F-Words. #AtoZChallenge2016

 1. Other F-Words:
I have banished a particularly miserable F-word from my blog today.
This post could have been very different but hopefully I have saved it.
I don't think that particular F-word would have been very constructive for me at the moment.

2. Freedom and Fairness: 
On Monday the world remembered Martin Luther King Jr and the shocking events of  4th April 1968. I don't remember exactly when I first learned about his life and the American Civil Right's Movement that he was such a major part of, he always seemed to be someome who was a role model for me. He was and still is a symbol of the power of peaceful protest and of the (always ongoing) fight for freedom and fairness for human beings in all parts of the world. 

Civil Rights Museum - October 2009

So to find myself in Memphis in 2009, visiting the Civil Rights Museum which now stands at the place where Martin Luther King was assassinated, was both very emotional and a huge learning experience for me and Mr Stayingawake. 

I found an interesting article on Monday about the idealised image of Martin Luther King or the more recent reclaiming of him as a radical, can ignore and perpetuate other forms of multiple oppression; and misrepresents the roots of the Civil Right's movement which the writer highlights came from Black women's struggle for justice in the face of sexual violence from white men. The article shares this link
to an article about one such incident and talks about Rosa Parks in this context. I had no idea that Rosa Parks played a wider role in the Civil Rights Movement, being an activist and investigator for the NAACP working on documenting sexual violence against black women.  

Rosa Park - image from Wikipedia

3. Family: 

This week I have been humbled by families and how they can support each other in difficult times. 

I am in a position in my work where I see families at these times and on an everyday basis they allow me access to their homes and share intimate details of their lives. I try to always remember that this is a privilege. 

I count myself very lucky to have a large family who are very supportive. We don't always see so much of each other due to having busy lives, but they have supported me in the past and I know if I needed help they are just a phone call away.

 

 

4. Fear: 

 “I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.”
― Rosa Parks

  

5. Fun: 
Anything with muppets in it is fun, particularly The Count from Sesame street who is my favourite.  
For me this is worth watching just to see him counting his Family at the end, plus Whoopi Goldberg is in it.