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Series: bride blog
Series: pregnancy & parenting

Category Archives: gender-based violence

Thought for the Day: it takes time

June 19, 2017by gemmaruthbrown Leave a comment

Drawing inspiration from William Wilberforce, Rosa Parks and the Suffragettes, here are some thoughts on progress… Listen here. Advertisements

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Activism, Advocacy, Creativity, Fairtrade, Faith, Feminism, gender-based violence, God, Hope, Human Trafficking, Labour Exploitation, Leadership, Modern Day Slavery, Objectification, Poverty, Slavery, Theology, Violence against women

DIGNITY: Taking a stand against Gender-Based Violence

October 9, 2015by gemmaruthbrown Leave a comment

Today, I will be a part of a conference on gender-based violence along with Tearfund, IBM and BMS organised by Contemporary Christianity (who played a massively important underground role in kickstarting the […]

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Activism, gender, gender-based violence, Human Trafficking, Human trafficking in NI, Northern Ireland, Violence against women

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5 days with my 2 favourites. (And also Beyoncé. Thank you Netflix.)

When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. #wendellberry

#MarchReads were a mixed bag! 📚 I like books to teach, entertain, challenge or inspire. Unfortunately The Happiness Project did none of those things (I was disappointed as I’d heard it recommended for #Enneagram1 folk!) 📚 Thankfully the month was redeemed by #EmotionallyHealthySpirituality. If you’re a Christian and have emotions and especially if you ever relate to other humans, please make sure you read this at some point in your life - the earlier the better, really. It’s clear and helpful and really good at addressing the myths Christians sometimes believe about feelings and God. I remember being told that worrying was a sin because the Bible said ‘do not worry’. This led to me to believing I was a bad person for having anxious thoughts and just burying them as a result. Not helpful! This book gives you freedom to acknowledge your emotions, but it doesn’t leave you there. I could go on all day: get it. 📚 And the third read was Philippa Perry’s latest book. I know it’s a lot in two months but I do think this is an essential read for parents. It takes you right through from pregnancy to grown-up children, looking at families of origin and communication and behaviour and mental health and sleep and feelings and play all underpinned by solid research (Perry is a psychotherapist so she gets it) and a kind, empathetic understanding of children AND parents. I loved it and will definitely be referring back to it. What did you read in March? Any recommendations? #GemmasMonthlyReads

If you zoom in you will see what my face looks like when I am #livingmybestlife. Baby B was doing the same, running down the street (in the opposite direction to us, bien sur). Love re-discovering old favourites through his eyes. Thanks for the pic @clairekikilise ❤️

Baby B has excellent taste in cupcakes & cards. (@cocouturechoc have expanded their range in store to include baked goods...these are delicious!)

Happy birthday to the girl I’d have picked to be my sister even if we didn’t share parents! 28 years of excellent living.

You know that all-important new stationery shop for your first day back to school? Well, I kind of adapted it for my first day back to work! I picked up a few work handbag treats and wanted to share them on here with you (as did Baby B, obv.) He is grabbing the @georganicsuk mouthwash tabs, which are toxin AND plastic-free 👏 Next to them is my @jobrowne_ireland solid perfume (again, no toxins or plastic in sight!) and DIY @youngliving Stress Away roller which does exactly what it says on the tin. Above that is my @kutis_skincare deodorant which is the only natural deodorant that works for me, which I got from @doyourbit.ni. Then my Smash reusable coffee cup which is the PERFECT size for an uncommitted hot drink drinker 🙈 and the latest issue of @turfandgrain to enjoy on my commute. Voila! I’m now almost home and ready for baby cuddles so I’ll see ya later!

Today is the last day of 14.5 months of just him & me, kicking it by the sea (most days!) as I am ‘officially’ back to work tomorrow. It’s been the best year of my life. So grateful to have been given this little life to nurture and for the chance to have taken extended leave and witness all of its wonderful moments so far. ❤️

Someone told me the other day that fighting sexism was an empty cause that was done and anything that was claimed under it now was simply exaggerated offence. I dream of a world in which that kind of statement is true, but right now - it’s not. And what I want you to remember today is that even if as you read, you can’t recall ever being harassed or mistreated or violated because of your gender, your salary is equal to your male counterpart’s, you never feel under pressure to present a certain way, your domestic set-up is completely shared, you’ve never been told you’re too much or not enough as a woman, etc...that is NOT the end frame. Because even if you and I find complete freedom and empowerment, there will still be others who do not. So this #InternationalWomensDay, I’m pledging to spend this year seeking out and handing the mic to those lesser heard voices. Women of colour, single mums, women living in areas of conflict or natural disasters, women stuck in underemployment, LGBT women, women survivors, women living in poverty, differently-abled women. “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” Lilla Watson

Twitter

@FaeriBex Me too! 1 hour ago
RT @ruthvalerio: So I get the questions around @ExtinctionR but we need large-scale societal change & for that we need agitators as well as… 1 hour ago
@jasonashford89 💔 1 hour ago
@rachelheldevans is in an induced coma right now. Her work has blessed so many. Lord have mercy! #PrayForRHE twitter.com/sarahbessey/st… 14 hours ago
RT @K_interarma: Lyra’s own words, which resonated with me: “We were the Good Friday Agreement generation, destined to never witness the ho… 1 day ago

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