Women With Trees

Where are you from?

I am from California. NorCal. The Bay. I grew up in San Jose and now I live in the East Bay.

You have been an activist for a long time. What was the first action you took?  How old were you?

I have this very vivid memory of organizing and leading a tiny protest march at a friend's sleepover birthday party when I was in 6th grade. I blame much of my early political radicalization on my sweet little public library branch—there was a table near the entrance that was always covered in fliers. When I was 11 or 12 I started paying attention to them, rather than rushing past in a beeline to get to the section with all the Babysitter's Club books. I picked up several leaflets from PETA and an environmental activist org, and I learned about animal testing and cosmetics, as well as the connections between Burger King and rainforest clearcutting. I brought the info to this birthday party and told my friends we had to do something! We literally marched in a circle on her lawn for like 5 minutes, then went inside. It was pretty ridiculous, but I remember feeling proud and empowered. It was the first in a long string of marches, protests, and me trying to convince my friends to give a shit and do something ;)

Growing up, how did you feel about your appearance/ body?

Um, super hyper conscious of it? My earliest memory of thinking I was "fat" is probably 4th grade, and my earliest memory of feeling self-conscious about my "flat chest" is sometime in middle school. I feel very lucky that I escaped adolescence without an eating disorder.

How do you feel now?

Strong and comfortable. Still critical and not always psyched, but for the most part I feel good in my body, and happy with my appearance. I love intense exercise, whether it's CrossFit or ashtanga yoga, and I am happiest in my body when I feel badass and strong. That's way more important to me than what I actually look like. I've given birth to two humans and I turn 40 this year and I can do pull-ups and handstands and I can run fast and I feel wildly grateful to have an able, healthy body. It is one of the many privileges that I have, and I don't take it for granted.

You wrote my Go To gift for all kids birthday gifts, Rad American Women A-Z. Talk to me about why you created this amazing series.

I write books that I would've wanted to read as a kid. I write books that will enable diverse women and girls  to see themselves and their histories and their potential futures reflected in the pages. I write books that show boys and men the power and radness of women. I write the books because I can, because I love to do it.

You have also co-founded Solidarity Sundays, which is a feminist, activist group that has 20,000 members across the country.  As an activist, how do you cope with donor fatigue? Meaning, how do you stay energized and inspired when tackling such an enormous task of dismantling the current administration as well as the systemic inequalities that have been around since this country was founded?

It's my Virgo nature. It honestly keeps me sane—I am much happier when I am doing and moving and working. I can't stand sitting around feeling paralyzed by worry and anxiety. It totally happens, believe me, but I do everything I can to stay engaged in practical, hands-on, action-oriented work. I have an enormous amount of privilege (I am a white, healthy, cis-gendered, employed, home-owning, conventionally attractive, insured, able-bodied American citizen with communication and leadership skills) and thus an enormous amount of responsibility. II believe we are in a legit national crisis, and I don't give myself the option of checking out completely. Every now and then? Sure, I take a break and avoid social media for a few days. I recharge, I take vacations, I do yoga, I play with my kids, I do bougie white lady stuff like drinking rose and eating stupidly expensive snacks. But I don't let myself lost sight of the brutal reality of life for so many people who are terrorized by this administration, by the police, by the racist sexist institutions that perpetuate inequity. Those institutions (from public schools to police departments to city, state, and federal governments) serve me and my white children, and it's my job to do what I can to call that out and make a change.

When you think about your daughter Ivy, now 8 years old, at 25, what are your hopes for her in terms of having the playing field leveled a bit more for women in the next 10 years?

I often joke that my daughter has all the qualities I want her to have as a grown woman—independence, confidence, curiosity, attitude, etc—but it can all be a real pain in the ass when she's 8. Like yes! I want you to be strong and sassy and not give a crap! But also please sit down and eat your dinner right now. It's wild to think about what the world will be when she's 25—it's changing so much every day. I hope she's as badass and sassy as she is now. I hope that she and her brother are kind, compassionate, confident humans who know how to advocate for themselves, and for others. And if the playing field isn't leveled by then, I hope that her brother is a young man who is working to fix that.