What is Real Images?
I could quote our description and our mission statement to define who we are as an organization. However, that’s the pretty version of words for our website, IRS forms, and grant applications. It’s not that those words aren't true, but we can break ourselves down as so much more.
Real Images is a concept that was formed in my head, a concept that women in Little Rock can be so much more than we currently are. Our daughters, granddaughters, nieces can be so much more than they are. There is so much power in women and so much great movement that happens when we join together to battles social ills. I want the community to get back to that and highlight that we are so much more together than we are fighting each other. Now I use “fight” in a general term. I can say when we are jealous of one another, throwing shade on social media to one another, giving the side eye in the mall to one another or at the lowest, physically fighting one another. This is a problem that needs acknowledgment. Real Images hopes to shine a light and find solutions to this problem.
I have had great conversations with varied groups of women: black and white, republican and democrat, christians and muslims, gay and straight, etc. What has been so eye opening to me is that we [women] all go through the same issues: fighting for equal pay at work, heartbreak, love, motherhood, making the right career choices, trying to be good enough, etc. etc. I’ve often wondered if I can get all of these women in the same room for a good ole fashion girl talk, what will happen. In my mind what will happen is that we will look at each other differently and say, “I’m not in this by myself.” That’s what Real Images will accomplish through the Sisterhood Connection forums for women.
It’s a common image daily on our television screens that women should consistently fight each other to be relevant. Today I write this first entry after watching a video of our little girls fighting in the street at a parade to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What is even more concerning to me are the comments from women in the community asking where are their parents. The question is, “Where are we?” Where are the women coming together in this community to be role models for these girls? We have lost the “it takes a village” concept. Even though it can be a challenge, we must begin volunteering in places where we can talk directly to our young girls and teach them how to be women. We must talk to them about how they feel about themselves. We must understand that if they are hurting inside because they too are asking where’s their moms, then they will damn well make sure someone else will hurt too. Where are we? Real Images will answer this question through our MIRROR project for young girls.
We are new, we are small but our goals are timely and big. We hope you support our endeavors in 2015. We have a long way to go, but we are committed to: uplift and unify our women, love our babies, and celebrate the power of women.