Kirsten Grady
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mrskgrady.bsky.social
Kirsten Grady
@mrskgrady.bsky.social
13K followers 14K following 940 posts
Social worker. Red tape slayer. Storyteller with a Wi-Fi connection & a grudge against broken systems.

Dignity > bureaucracy. Always. Social work is political.

Here to advocate, share insights, and spark change.

All views and opinions are my own.
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mrskgrady.bsky.social
Marked safe from the workweek. This week was A Lot™. If you made it here with your humanity mostly intact, that’s a win. Put the to-do list down, tell your nervous system it’s off duty, and rest like it’s part of the work. Happy end of week, friends.
Simple graphic with a small blue triangular flag on a pole near the top. Beneath the flag, black text reads: “Marked Safe From The Workweek Today” on a plain white background.
November 14, 2025 at 10:21 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Likely born into slavery in the 1850s South, Lucy Parsons became a fierce labor organizer. After her husband, Albert Parsons, was executed in the wake of the Haymarket Affair, she turned grief into fuel and spent more than fifty years fighting for workers and the poor.

#VoicesFromHistory
Sepia-toned studio portrait of Lucy Parsons from the chest up. She wears a tall dark hat trimmed with feathers and a high-collared lace dress with striped sleeves. Her curly hair frames her face, and she looks directly at the camera with a calm, steady expression against a plain background.
November 13, 2025 at 11:33 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
In the 1940s, Lucy Hicks Anderson, a Black, trans trailblazer, managed a bustling boarding house and speakeasy in Oxnard, California. When authorities challenged her marriage and benefits, she boldly declared, "I am a woman." Her courage resonates today.

#VoicesFromHistory #TransAwarenessWeek
Square graphic centered on Lucy Hicks Anderson. At the top, white text on a deep red background reads: “I defy any doctor in the world to prove that I am not a woman. I have lived, dressed, and acted just what I am—a woman.” Below, a large semicircle frame holds a black-and-white photo of Lucy Hicks Anderson standing between two men in suits and hats in front of a car. She wears a dress, coat, hat, and gloves. Around the arch of the semicircle, her name “Lucy Hicks Anderson” repeats in curved text in yellow, green, and black. The Afiya Center logo appears in the lower left corner.
November 13, 2025 at 9:29 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
In 1866, Cathay Williams boldly joined the U.S. Army as "William Cathay," breaking barriers as the first documented Black woman in uniform. She courageously served with the Buffalo Soldiers until her identity was revealed. Let's honor her legacy! #InspiringWomen #VoicesFromHistory #VeteransDay
Black-and-white historical photo of a person standing in front of a stone wall, wearing a long skirt, light blouse, and long coat. A brimmed cap or visor shades their face, and their features are difficult to see clearly.
November 13, 2025 at 5:10 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
On 11/13/74, union activist and nuclear whistleblower Karen Silkwood left a union meeting with evidence of safety violations at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant. She died before meeting a NYT reporter. The crash was labeled an accident. The crucial documents she had disappeared.

#VoicesFromHistory
Alt text: Side-by-side black-and-white images. On the left, a head-and-shoulders portrait of Karen Silkwood, a young woman with short dark hair and a faint smile, wearing a patterned top. On the right, a small car with its front end crushed and the driver’s side door twisted open sits in a parking lot; the metal is crumpled from a severe crash and other cars and buildings are visible in the background.
November 13, 2025 at 3:05 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Civil War soldier Albert D. J. Cashier lived as a man for more than fifty years, fought in over forty battles, and was buried in uniform with full military honors.

A trans veteran long before we had words for it.

History tried to hide him. We won’t.

#VoicesFromHistory #TransAwarenessWeek
Black-and-white Civil War-era studio portrait of Albert Cashier seated and facing the camera. He wears a buttoned Union Army uniform with a high collar and looks straight ahead with a neutral expression against a plain, faded background.
November 13, 2025 at 2:54 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
The NAKATOMI PLAZA situation is a DISASTER. JOHN MCCLANE broke windows, caused MILLIONS in damages, probably ANTIFA!! Terrible cop, no respect for PRIVATE PROPERTY. HANS GRUBER was doing BUSINESS, very professional guy. CALL IN THE TROOPS!!! “Just the Movies”
November 12, 2025 at 12:56 AM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
SCOTUS just refused her appeal. Translation: marriage equality stands, full stop. The tab for using public office to deny rights keeps climbing, and accountability is finally catching up. Serve everyone, not your personal theology. Consequences cost; love is free. #SCOTUS #MarriageEquality
Close-up photo of a woman with long brown hair and glasses, wearing a blue shirt, looking straight ahead with a tense expression. White meme text across the image reads at the top: “LOST IN COURT: $100,000 FIGHT TO OVERTURN MARRIAGE EQUALITY: $260,000.” Bottom text: “WATCHING HER REALIZE IT’S STILL LEGAL AND SHE OWES $360,000: PRICELESS.”
November 11, 2025 at 4:17 AM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Next week hasn’t even started, and somehow I already feel like this cat.

My self-care this weekend? Attending the symphony with a friend, volunteering, and joining a group hike. Sometimes rest looks like connection, community, and a little movement in good company.

#CollectiveCare #SocialWorkLife
A fluffy long-haired cat with wild, windblown fur and a tired expression sits on the floor in sunlight. The caption reads “Next week has been exhausting.”
November 10, 2025 at 12:46 AM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
On Nov 5, 1968, Shirley Chisholm made history by becoming the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House. Her legacy goes beyond breaking barriers; she championed childcare, fair schools, food assistance, and dignity for all. Representation matters. #Unbought #Unbossed #SocialWorkRewind
Black-and-white photo from the late 1960s of a Black woman in glasses standing at a podium, framed by a row of microphones. She wears a turtleneck and layered necklaces. A flag and wall behind her suggest a press conference.
November 8, 2025 at 9:47 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Nov 8, 1966: Edward Brooke wins a U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts...the first Black senator elected by popular vote, and the first since Reconstruction. Representation shifts power; power shifts policy. #SocialWorkRewind #Civics
Black-and-white mid-1960s portrait of a man in a dark suit and tie, resting one hand on a leather chair embossed with the Massachusetts state seal. Neutral wall backdrop; formal, confident pose.
November 8, 2025 at 8:06 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
On Nov 7, 1916, Jeannette Rankin made history as the first woman elected to the U.S. House. Montana women had already won the vote in 1914. Organizing doesn’t wait for permission...it makes the door! #ChangeMakers #HerStory #SocialWorkRewind
Early 20th-century black-and-white portrait of a woman seated in an ornate armchair, hands folded. She wears a light dress with a dark collar and a beaded necklace. Framed paintings and draped fabric are visible behind her, with a handwritten caption along the top border.
November 8, 2025 at 6:24 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Another week has come to an end. We'll done everyone!

To those on call this weekend, I’m thinking of you. Wishing you steady nerves, clear protocols, supportive teammates, and little pockets of rest. Eat something. Hydrate. Do a 60-second reset. You’re not alone, and what you do matters.

A plush brown bear sits in a bubble bath, phone to its ear. Text on the image reads “Social worker multitasking—self care + being on call.”
November 7, 2025 at 10:11 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Flat affect is often a sign of many conditions, including dementia.
November 7, 2025 at 5:16 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
When nine Black teenagers faced an angry white mob in Little Rock (1957), Daisy Bates stood beside them. Publisher, organizer, mentor...she turned her living room into a command center for justice and kept the Little Rock Nine moving forward, day after dangerous day. #CivilRights #VoicesFromHistory
Black-and-white photo of civil rights leader Daisy Bates standing in front of Little Rock Central High School. She wears a light dress and looks into the camera with a calm, determined expression; the school’s grand brick façade rises behind her.
November 6, 2025 at 9:30 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Oglala Lakota activist Russell Means (b. Nov 10, 1939) helped lead the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation and became one of AIM’s strongest voices. He called the U.S. “the world’s longest-running crime scene.”

CarolMooreDC/Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

#VoicesFromHistory #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth
Color photo of Russell Means, Oglala Lakota activist, wearing a light jacket over a patterned shirt, hair in two braids, and a bone choker necklace. He looks directly at the camera with a steady, serious expression.
November 6, 2025 at 3:31 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
In 1791, Olympe de Gouges rewrote France’s “Rights of Man” as the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen. “If women can mount the scaffold, they must be able to mount the rostrum.” On Nov 3, 1793, she was guillotined. #VoicesFromHistory #FeministHistory
Soft pastel portrait of Olympe de Gouges, an 18th-century French writer. She has pale powdered hair styled high with side curls, a calm expression, and wears a white shawl against a muted background.
November 6, 2025 at 2:53 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
GREAT NEWS:THE ELECTIONS WERE WRONG, SO WE’RE THROWING THEM OUT AND TURNING THE BALLOTS INTO COVFEFETTI. I AM LOVED MORE THAN ANYONE IN HISTORY. FOOD PRICES ARE DOWN BY 1000%. THE PEOPLE WANT MONARCHY NOW!!!!!! I WILL PROVE IT WITH 50 POSTS IN FOUR HOURS AND A VICTORY PARADE IN MY MIND.
November 6, 2025 at 2:18 AM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Oh happy day!

Breathe. Hydrate. Celebrate. Build.

#Election2025
November 5, 2025 at 3:57 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Well, Mike, step back. Someone has come to challenge you for the title of most morally bankrupt. Who will win? Who knows. The biggest loser will be the American public.
November 4, 2025 at 5:33 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Meet Frances Pigkins, our newest little leader. We name our pigs after strong women; this one honors Frances Perkins, the social worker turned U.S. Labor Secretary who helped build Social Security and the FLSA. Tiny paws. Big history. Enormous heart. #GuineaPigs
Magazine-style cover with a red border and the word TIME at the top. Center: a cinnamon-brown guinea pig in profile on white with a soft shadow; lower left reads ‘Meet Frances Pigkins • Secretary of Salad • Hay Equity Now,’ and lower right shows stacked red badges: ‘NEXT / GENERATION / LEADER.’
November 2, 2025 at 11:03 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Happy Halloween to everyone rocking the scariest costume of all...the overworked, underpaid Social Worker™.

Comes complete with caffeine dependency, broken tech, & a haunted sense of purpose.

Stay spooky, stay compassionate, & for the ❤️ of ethics…document it later.
#SocialWorkLife #HappyHalloween
A parody Spirit Halloween costume package labeled “Social Worker.” Listed items include a cardigan, coffee, broken laptop, lanyard, 2012 iPhone, and running mascara. A woman sits at a laptop with her face in her hands, representing social worker burnout with dark humor. The image humorously connects Halloween costumes to real-life exhaustion and dedication in the profession.
October 31, 2025 at 10:08 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Don't let anyone make you doubt your power. Remember, the true power is with you, me, and the rest of We the People. Embrace your strength. #Empowerment
A quote on a light background reads: “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” ~ Alice Walker. The image is minimalist, with soft gradient tones and centered text, symbolizing quiet strength and self-belief.
October 30, 2025 at 11:59 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Born on Halloween in 1896, Ethel Waters rose from poverty to Broadway fame, becoming a recording star and the first Black woman with her own TV show. Her music transcended segregation, turning her pain into platinum success.

#EthelWaters #VoicesFromHistory
Black-and-white portrait of Ethel Waters smiling warmly, draped in a shimmering lace head covering that frames her face.
October 30, 2025 at 11:02 PM
mrskgrady.bsky.social
Judy Heumann was once denied school at 5 for being a "fire hazard." By 30, she led the 504 Sit-In, igniting the disability-rights movement. Her fight for ramps, respect, and representation reshaped history.

#VoicesFromHistory #DisabilityJustice
Photo of Judith Heumann sitting in a motorized wheelchair at a conference table, smiling warmly. She wears red glasses, a floral blouse, and a maroon shawl. A microphone sits nearby, and a name card reading “Judith Heumann” is in front of her.
October 30, 2025 at 8:42 PM