Tag: community

Community Accountability in the Wake of Gender-Based Violence

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By Max Sheffield-Baird

CW: discussion of domestic abuse, sexual assault, incest, victim blaming

Trauma is both a personal journey and a community reckoning. Survivors understand better than most that the abusers lurk amongst the illustrious, the trusted, and those who are seen as leaders in their community circles. This bears out in headline after headline, but even deeper and closer to home for so many of us.

Dr. Judith Herman’s book  Truth and Repair gives us a roadmap for truth, accountability, and healing as a community that does more than pay lip service to survivors. How many of us have been made to feel that it was our speaking our truth that was the problem instead of those who would use and abuse their authority against us? I wanted to know how survivors can navigate the personal and political, and Dr. Herman brings a lifetime of insights and experiences to this work.

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Meghann Henry’s Tool for Leading What If Puppets? Diversity is Key.

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By Sophia-Joelle Oswald
Photos by Travis Young

Meghann Henry stepped into a man’s legacy and made it her own when she joined What if Puppets just a few years ago. What started as a team of three has grown to 11 team members led by Henry who are making a large impact on the Kansas City community. 

These days the group leans heavily into knocking down barriers. No longer male-dominated, they’re creating characters who depict a range of people who face unique challenges and come from all walks of life. An effort has been made to hire women and non-binary folks—so there’s diverse representation in everything What If Puppets does.

We sat down with Henry to discuss what it’s like to be a woman in puppetry, the impact What if Puppets has on the community, and what we can look forward to in 2023.

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