It's the Small Things …
I'm popping into your inbox after a hectic week on my end and in this hellscape we are living in.
Just want to say a couple of things based on a trip I took last week, to speak at an event and to be in conversation with a group of women of color. SO much good work and great thinking is happening. Let me say that again, all around the country, people are stepping up to help their neighbors, volunteer, call out this administration. And despite the onslaught of actual total madness from racial profiling by the Supreme Court to inane statements about political violence (what in the actual F?), people are trying to envision and build the world we want to see. So, take heart.
Two of my favorite questions of the moment are – what's something you're looking forward to between now and the end of the year? And what would you do if you weren't afraid? And let me tell you that the answers to those are not – attend a protest or launch a brand new project. People are looking forward to celebrating a kid's birthday, taking a walk, cooking something special. If we didn't worry about where we'd get money for rent or healthcare, we'd be throwing pottery, caring full time for our loved ones or traveling. I think these answers are instructive – we're not doing enough of the small things that give us joy and we're too embedded in a capitalist structure to do some of the bigger things that would release us.
Let that sink in.
Next time, you're with your people, try asking these questions.
On to other small things. In this piece I wrote for The Philadelphia Inquirer, I ask What to an Immigrant, is Citizenship Day? The answer is surprisingly simple and within our reach. I hope you'll read, comment and share it.
With love,
Sayu