Visible, and InvisibleIt’s Veteran’s day, and today I feel compassion and gratitude for soldiers who served my country. I also can’t wait for tomorrow’s parade (which happens to march right past my neighborhood). The kids twirling batons and the marching bands playing “Eye of the Tiger” always get me teary-eyed.
And while I am grateful to individual veterans, when it comes to my feelings about the military—it’s complicated. I am angry and sad about our country’s military past and present. I am angry that the effects of PTSD and inadequate healthcare cause a lifetime ripple of casualties (suicides, broken lives, and the latest mass shooting) for veterans whose service has supposedly ended. I’m angry about the violence towards women, people of color, and LGBTQ people that continues to haunt our military. I am horrified that we continue to sell to Saudi Arabia the weapons that are raining down on innocent humans in Yemen, for starters. But I am grateful that I live in a country where I’m still able to freely express this ambiguity and where in the midst of extreme partisan polarity, we are maybe also growing to accept and express nuance and conflicting feelings within ourselves. Maybe? I recommend this article about women in the military, and the internal conflict that many experience with trying to fit in and to move past at the same time. Women are the Most Visible Servicemembers, and the Most Invisible Veterans https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/women-are-the-most-visible-soldiers-and-the-most-invisible-veterans
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"Women hold up half the sky."
Half Sky Writing was born from Half Sky Journeys
My name is Ila Asplund. My vision is to increase the impact of organizations advancing gender equity and social justice. I do this through creating in-person and digital engagement experiences, storytelling, and thoughtful communications strategies for my clients. In previous years, I also provided international journeys to give travelers the opportunity to meet and engage with global leaders who are improving life for women.
Since 2020, I have joined the digital marketing team at Mercy Corps — an international aid organization working in 40+ countries to help people survive crises and thrive in the longterm. From time to time, I write web articles and other digital pieces, in my role managing the email outreach program. Sometimes I find a moment to draw or write or create and share that on Instagram or here on this website.
You can reach me at ila@halfsky.org.
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