Meet the STEM-inists

March 2021 Newsletter

Here we are in March, the one year anniversary of life during Covid. People seem to have different dates memorized as to when their lives moved to Zoom, the day they started masking up, the day their children began home schooling. We have acquired a Covid vocabulary….. unmute, essential workers, safer at home, zoom, pause, recalibrate.

While we can make a list of benefits that the “pause” has given us –more time at home for those who can work virtually, more time with family, less commuting, less traffic – we recognize the profound toll this time and this virus has taken on so many.

As Create Protest works to embody our “say it/do it” motto, we partnered with our newest artist Marcos Lutyens on his Rose River Memorial. The project invites individuals to make red felt roses that get included in a collective river of roses commemorating each life lost this year to Covid. The roses are installed in various locations around the country, providing us all with a way to mourn the loss of over 500,000 Americans, to grieve for their families, and to heal together.

Say It/Do It! Rose River Memorial


Create Protest hosted a virtual rose making workshop on February 28, the day before the first National Covid Memorial Day on March 1. We came together in community, each making roses from our own homes, to honor and remember lives lost. Thanks to all who participated!


Rebecca Masterson of Chandler, Arizona made 64 roses!

Do It!

You can “do it” too by organizing a rose making workshop in your community. Click here for instructions.

Support the project by purchasing Rose River merchandise on our Create Protest site. A portion of the proceeds goes to the memorial project.

Below, artist Marcos Lutyens with his family, Yi-Ping and Jasper, wear Rose River shirts.

Women's History Month

March is Women’s History Month and Create Protest artist Melanie Green is creating a series of designs that celebrate “STEM-inists”, impressive women working in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).


ENGINEERING: First in the STEM-inists series is Dr. Swati Mohan, the Guidance & Controls Operations Lead for the Mars rover 2020 mission Perseverance. Working from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Dr. Swati narrated the landing events from inside mission control. When she announced "Touchdown is confirmed," she inspired girls everywhere to think about engineering as a career choice.

SCIENCE: Rosalind Franklin was an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA, RNA, viruses, coal, and graphite. Franklin has been in the shadows of science history. Her "photo 51," an X-ray of a DNA molecule showing the helix pattern, was used by two of her male colleagues without crediting her. Years later, her contribution was acknowledged. Let's bring Rosalind out of the science shadow and celebrate her groundbreaking achievements!

Shop our STEM-inist series.

Watch our social media for the next sheroes in our STEM-insit series!

 

Wearing It/Doing It

Who is wearing our Create Protest merchandise and what actions are they taking locally? Meet local hero Chris Love who is fighting for reproductive rights. Chris is wearing Create Protest artist Naimah Thomas' shirt "Without Community there is no Liberation.” You too can wear this shirt by clicking here!

 

 



Chris Love
Senior Associate Attorney, Kewenvoyouma Law, PLLC
Chair, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona

Chris Love is a tribal attorney and unapologetic reproductive rights advocate. Chris has dedicated her legal career to serving indigenous communities in and around Arizona. Chris also proudly serves as the Board Chair for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, the political advocacy and education organization that supports the work of Planned Parenthood clinics and exists to create a political atmosphere where abortion will remain safe, legal, and accessible in all 50 states. Chris volunteers for the City of Chandler, which she has called home for 20 years, as an appointee on various commissions and boards. Chris is a wife and mother of 4, horror movie aficionado, and in the “before times” she was an avid concertgoer. Now, she stays home, masks up, and builds miniature houses.

Do It! Attend Planned Parenthood Arizona Advocates virtual fundraiser, April 8, 2021. Buy tickets here.

Other Creative Endeavors

The Mourning Project by artist Mary Vaneecke

One of our rose makers, Mary Vaneecke, is an artist, author, and founder of The Mourning Project that brings awareness to the high rate of infant mortality in this country. She is asking for people to sew, knit, felt, weave, or crochet 23,000 baby booties to represent the number of American infants who die each year. The booties will come together as a travelling art installation designed to advocate for policy changes that can save lives. The work will be both a visual reminder of a national tragedy, and offer ways that people can take action. Mary is “saying it/doing it” and you can participate too! Thank you Mary.

Wear it/Post it/Tag it!

When you wear your Create Protest merch, be sure to take a picture, post it on your social media, and tag #createprotest, @createprotestmerch. And, send of a photo of yourself wearing one of our products, we’d love to share.

Thank you for joining us in our effort to Create Protest.

Julie and Cynthia