the little newsletter that might get you in big trouble
by Austin Channing Brown
Footnotes
A Quiet No
photo of two pairs of dirt covered garden gloves by Jonathan Kemper via Unsplash
A couple weeks ago a friend of mine was sharing her frustrations with gardening. She relies on the veggies from her garden to offer food to her local pantry. But nothing was growing. She described her immense frustration and that all too familiar sinking feeling that her attempt at contributing to justice work would fail. I was touched by her sincerity and her determination... puttingon her gloves, digging into the dirt and trying again with hope.
That digging into the ground would not be placed on social media. She had no fruit to showcase from her work. All she had so far was her Quiet No, her decision to return to the hard work of hope.
And I realized how often we must face the injustices in the world, injustices that are so very loud, and respond with a quiet no.
I think of the attorneys who respond to unjust legislation with a brief that few of us will ever read- a quiet no.
I think of the organizers who are leading registration drives in small communities- a quiet no.
I think of the folks determined to keep inclusion, belonging, and accessibility alive on their campuses- a quiet no.
I think of all the people raising their hands at the conference room table, steering the decision-makers towards equality- a quiet no.
I think of the artists toiling away on a guitar or over pen and paper or with a paint brush- the work still in process. A quiet determination to speak truth to power, to shift consciousness.
Your quiet no probably feels like its no match to the breaking news, but your job isn't to be loud. Your job is to be consistent in your determination to create a better world.
I am convinced that most of our freedom work doesn't come with huge speeches, viral posts, or big wins. The vast majority of work lives inside our quiet no. And in a world where what is loud, contentious and chaotic receives the most attention, your quiet no is also quite radical.
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All Boys Arent Blue is both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color. Itcovers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson's emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults.
Sister Outside is a classic for everyone concerned with the project of freedom work. In this charged collection of fifteen essays and speeches, Lorde takes on sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, and class, and propounds social difference as a vehicle for action and change. Her prose is incisive, unflinching, and lyrical, reflecting struggle but ultimately offering messages of hope.
The religious thought and activism that shaped the late twentieth century is typically described in terms of Black men from the major Black denominations, a depiction that fails to account for the voices of those who not only challenged racism but also forced a confrontation with class and gender. Of these overlooked voices, none is more important than that of Pauli Murray (1910-1985), the nonbinary Black lawyer, activist, poet, and Episcopal priest who influenced such icons as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall. To Speak A Defiant Word is a collection of Pauli's sermons and speeches.
It's happening. I have started writing a proposal for my next book. This one is all about the riots of the 1960s. I fell into this book by accident. I was doing some research on Akron, OH, the place where my father was born and raised. He and his siblings had the most delightful stories of growing up on the predominately Black side of town. And one of my father's earliest memories was his participation in the 1968 riot as a twelve year old. So I decided to ransack Akron's archives for more information, and inadvertently made some interesting discoveries. What if I told you that the riots were effective? What if I told you that the riots produced tangible results for Black neighborhoods? What if I told you that riots are not the reason why so many Black communities are still suffering where the riots took place?
This is the book proposal, I'm making the case that urban riots in the 60s were a chaotic good.
Austin Channing Brown is the author of NYT Bestseller and Reese Book Club pick, Im Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Her newest book, Full of Myself is already a USA Today bestseller but she's waiting to be placed on your bookshelf.
