Guest Blog: Becca's Reflection for International Women's Day

Argrow’s House 

Generosity is felt in a smile. Truth is seen in another’s eyes. Wisdom is absorbed through shared words. And love is built through time as we discover the generosity, truth, and wisdom of our sisters.  

I have learned all of this from the Reverend Dr. Kit Ford. We met years ago as she was founding Argrow’s house in Iowa. In the ensuing years we have watched each other’s families grow, have traveled the world, and shared dreams. Agrow’s house was named after her grandmother, Rev. Argrow Margaret Warren. She lived through a violent marriage but embraced courage and love. Dr. Kit is her rightful heir and a powerful leader in building community and confronting justice. 

If you ask Dr. Kit about her journey into becoming a national leader she would say, "As leaders we take things one day at a time. We work to use the privilege we have to advocate for the marginalized women and children we serve. The more we lean into loving others with genuine empathy, compassion, and service, the more we are blessed in our leadership." 

I would say what makes Dr. Kit so powerful is her ability to tell you the truth with her eyes, convey her deep generosity when she smiles, and share her wisdom in the story of her family and how it leads her to love the world. Thank God for leaders like Dr. Kit Ford. 

Cooperativa 1050 

Sitting in the bright Oaxacan sun with Kitzia, the founder and director of Cooperativa 1050º, she leaned over and asked me if I would braid her hair. 

We had been traveling around the countryside, learning from potters, playing with natural dyes, and celebrating the art of flower candles. 

I have admired Kitzia for years. She honors the knowledge of potters who have had no formal education. She grasps the ecosystem of justice, where the parts depend on a healthy community. 

She invites qualitative questions that blur the lines between givers and receivers. There was no question that Thistle Farms and Cooperativa 1050 shared the dream of being a global movement for women’s freedom. 

We had laughed, cried, and even been frustrated together. But it was the moment she invited me to braid her hair that I realized we were becoming friends. 

That is the greatest joy in this hard and sometimes lonely work: when you make a new friend, it means someone will walk alongside you when the road is rough. Someone will want to know how your children are faring in this hard world. Someone will celebrate your victories and share your post! 

As we strive for economic, political, and professional success in the name of justice, it is the best news to find friends—people who are willing to be in proximity to suffering and who won’t defund you when you fall behind on a building project. These are folks you can trust with the truth of the underlying vulnerability of leading as a woman. 

So this whole blog, this whole Women’s History Month, has boiled down to celebrating a new friendship with a great leader on behalf of women potters in the mountains of Mexico. 

Thank you, Kitzia, for asking me to braid your hair. Thank you for reminding me that we can be vulnerable with one another in the midst of always trying to show the world how strong we are. Thank you for teaching me that through pottery we remember who we are—historically and fundamentally.