Thanks. I think reaching out to the Black and Latino communities, the left behind, homeless, or the chronically ill, or those scapegoated as too Other, who suffer, yet continue to survive, under a neoliberal US structural white supremacist authoritarianism, might help. Their daily negotiation with economic oppression, generational cultural erasure and ongoing unaddressed politicised racial violence, might offer us all valuable embodied wisdom gleaned directly from their visceral collective lived experiences.
I found this new piece enormously comforting, and as always, you offer valuable tools from the heart for navigating this truly frightening political moment. Your work is thoughtful, rigorous, but sometimes disorienting, and that is especially true here. In the brief pantheon of inspirational role models you cite, who cultivated beauty, joy, purpose and meaning despite overwhelming brutality and oppression during their lifetimes, did you consciously or unconsciously choose to skip over the entire Black American experience in this country? Really? No Sojourner Truth, W.E.B. Du Bois, MLK, no one? Hard to reconcile this erasure when every word you wrote had me remembering so many hard won lessons my grandmother taught me, walking upright and dignified while she walked to work cleaning white folks' houses in the Jim Crow south. I remember once you wondered why black women were overrepresented amongst your readers. Don't know if that's still true, but I think I understand why. Staying human, pressing on, claiming joy, decoding lies and clinging fiercely to a Truth that is somehow still knowable and teachable--these ways of being are true to us, but sadly, not new to us. You write with empathy and insight, intellectual honesty and discipline, and I'm grateful for every brick you contribute to building dialogue and wisdom. But for our sake, get out there and meet more Black grandmas! Even my bougie black ass knows that there are some things money can't buy and they don't teach you in school!
That is a superb article, which is realistic and contextualise what is happening. Not an anomaly, but 'business as usual'; no reason to accept it as how things now are or yo lose all hope. Thank you. Love from the other side of the Atlantic xxx
Thanks. I think reaching out to the Black and Latino communities, the left behind, homeless, or the chronically ill, or those scapegoated as too Other, who suffer, yet continue to survive, under a neoliberal US structural white supremacist authoritarianism, might help. Their daily negotiation with economic oppression, generational cultural erasure and ongoing unaddressed politicised racial violence, might offer us all valuable embodied wisdom gleaned directly from their visceral collective lived experiences.
I found this new piece enormously comforting, and as always, you offer valuable tools from the heart for navigating this truly frightening political moment. Your work is thoughtful, rigorous, but sometimes disorienting, and that is especially true here. In the brief pantheon of inspirational role models you cite, who cultivated beauty, joy, purpose and meaning despite overwhelming brutality and oppression during their lifetimes, did you consciously or unconsciously choose to skip over the entire Black American experience in this country? Really? No Sojourner Truth, W.E.B. Du Bois, MLK, no one? Hard to reconcile this erasure when every word you wrote had me remembering so many hard won lessons my grandmother taught me, walking upright and dignified while she walked to work cleaning white folks' houses in the Jim Crow south. I remember once you wondered why black women were overrepresented amongst your readers. Don't know if that's still true, but I think I understand why. Staying human, pressing on, claiming joy, decoding lies and clinging fiercely to a Truth that is somehow still knowable and teachable--these ways of being are true to us, but sadly, not new to us. You write with empathy and insight, intellectual honesty and discipline, and I'm grateful for every brick you contribute to building dialogue and wisdom. But for our sake, get out there and meet more Black grandmas! Even my bougie black ass knows that there are some things money can't buy and they don't teach you in school!
Thank you for this today. I needed this.
"that people you trusted reveal themselves untrustworthy"
I trusted Americans not to elect someone who would threaten my country's sovereignty.
They did so anyway.
But I also know that the majority of Americans are not in favour of that policy, and that gives me hope--even as the trust has been destroyed.
That is a superb article, which is realistic and contextualise what is happening. Not an anomaly, but 'business as usual'; no reason to accept it as how things now are or yo lose all hope. Thank you. Love from the other side of the Atlantic xxx
This was a great reality anchor. A touchstone for me to remain grounded focused and capable.