Tomorrow is the third annual Wear Star Wars Share Star Wars Day. To observe, either wear something Star Wars or donate a new, unwrapped toy to one of the many organizations out there that take donations for children in need – but make sure to specify that the toy can go to either a girl or a boy with a post-it.
Wear Star Wars, Share Star Wars on December 16th
Remember last year when the Star Wars community rallied around Katie in Chicago who was bullied for liking Star Wars? Everyone wore Star Wars and was encouraged to donate a Star Wars toy in her honor.
We’re going to do it again this year! Friday, December 16th is the day to wear Star Wars in some sort of capacity.
Fans are also encouraged to donate a Star Wars toy to a charity (labeled as “either boy OR girl”). If you’d like to really keep it in the Star Wars family, the 501st is a big supporter of Toys for Tots.
Show your support for Katie today by wearing and donating Star Wars
Today is the day to support Star Wars and geek pride for Katie, so wear or display some Star Wars gear, or donate a Star Wars toy to needy children. (But don’t forget to add a note saying that the toy is for a boy or a girl!)
Meanwhile, io9 has an theory on the reason behind bullying Katie.
Katie, Ashley Eckstein make headlines on CNN
As a nice counterpoint to yesterday’s facepalming about TheMarySue.com, CNN’s Geek Out has a double-punch of stories: One about Katie the Star Wars girl and geek girls in general (featuring Ashley Eckstein!)
Savage Oppress makes big-screen debut In L.A., Chicago
The Savage Oppress episodes of Clone Wars have started screening this week (Dallas, Boston, and D.C. tonight) and the reports have been rolling in.
If you haven’t been on Twitter the past few nights, you can check out Bonnie’s photos of the Los Angeles screening on Flickr. And now, onward:
- IGN’s Eric Goldman says that for action-oriented fans, “these are the episodes you’ve been looking for,” and that the storyline is “exactly the kick in the pants this season has needed.”
- Newsarama’s Lucas Siegel says that Savage “injects not just some straight action but also some of the … intrigue into the mix. ”
- Amy of Geek with Curves says that “series is truly meant for the big screen; it was stunning.”
- NJOE’s Darth Potentia gives a fairly detailed run-through, saying “Katie Lucas… crafted a tight story, which showed action, emotion, and humor.”
- RedEye’s Elliott Serrano attended the Chicago screening (with Katie the Star Wars Girl!) and while he wasn’t a fan of the series originally, he’s now a convert, saying “the story line was fast-paced with lots of action and humor to break up the exposition, just like classic Star Wars.” (And he’s giving away Savage Opress t-shirts.)
There are spoilers out there if you know where to look – or if you’re an Insider subscriber – but for the most part these reviews are keeping the big secret… So far.
“We’re all fine here now, thank you.”
More happy news from Katie’s introduction to fandom. (This is the little girl who was deluged with love after her mom wrote about her being teased for liking Star Wars.) Her mom reports that she has not only gotten some awesome stuff from fans, but she has learned lessons from folks who have written in and is now helping others.
Rock on, Katie! Here’s hoping we all live up to your example.
Katie update: Geeks share the love
Katie, the young Star Wars fan who was bullied for liking Star Wars, has been getting a lot of love in a short time.
In addition to several pieces by several prominent female geeks, GeekingOutAbout.com reports that the stars of The Clone Wars have offered up some sweet gifts and opportunities for her. (The numbers have already changed drastically from when this article was written.)
Katie has also received many offers of toys and other collectibles. But the family is requesting that you donate those, instead, to a charity. I know the 501st is about to kick in to the Toys for Tots season. It might be a sweet way to honor one small voice who has inspired so many.
Girl bullied for liking Star Wars
This has been all over the internet today, so apologies if you’ve heard it already. A girl was bullied for – of all things – bringing a Star Wars water bottle to school:
But a week ago, as we were packing her lunch, Katie said, “My Star Wars water bottle is too small. It doesn’t hold enough water. Can I take a different one?” She searched through the cupboard until she found a pink water bottle and said, “I’ll bring this.”
I was perplexed. “Katie, that water bottle is no bigger than your Star Wars one. I think it is actually smaller.”
“It’s fine, I’ll just take it,” she insisted.
I kept pushing the issue, because it didn’t make sense to me. Suddenly, Katie burst into tears.
Response has been pretty overwhelming – There are 300 comments on the original post and more than a thousand on Epbot, who’s been spreading the word. It’s pretty much all over Twitter and even Tumblr this evening. But that’s no reason not to drop in a word yourself.
UPDATE: Bonnie at StarWars.com and our pal Mandy at The Adorkable both have messages for Katie and other girls.