the little newsletter that might get you in big trouble
by Austin Channing Brown
Footnotes
I'm pissed... but with a purpose.
Photo Credit: Jadon Johnson via Unsplash
I am pissed all the time.
The death of Nolan Wells and his family’s quest for justice is heavy on my heart. I feel as if I have been propelled backwards because we still dont know what happened to Sandra Bland. And I'm still mad that a whole rally had to be created to arrest Trayvon's assailant. America's favorite pastime lives on- treating Black lives as expendable. Our lives, our jobs, our futures, our work, our presence, our stories, our histories- all expendable in an administration emboldened to erase us and our contributions from the story of this nation.
I am pissed all the time...
But now with a purpose.
Because I'm not done fighting back. And I don't think I'm alone.
I have to believe that we are still fighting back. That we have not exhausted our imaginations. That we refuse to curl up in a ball and hide away. I have to believe that we are still here. That they can’t erase us all. That they can’t undo everything. I have to believe that we will not stop speaking truth to power. We will not stop telling our stories. We will not stop sharing history.
We will not stop defending one another, protecting one another, caring for one another. I have to believe that you are still out there.
And that you know our education, commitment and growth are as important now, as they have ever been.
I am pisssed, but with a renewed commitment. I am recommitting myself to study, to education, to critical thinking, to collaborative learning. I am recommitting myself to Lorde and Baldwin. I am recommitting myself to paper and pen and highlighters. I am recommitting myself to art and artistic expression.
And I thought you might like to join me! I’d like to tell you about my new freestyle book club: We’re Still Here.
We’re Still Here Book Club:
The foundation for our book club is my little, green book: Im Still Here. If you’ve heard me talk about this book, you know that I tried earnestly to drag racial injustice into the light- illuminating the ways the status quo is keeping us from honoring the inherent human dignity of every body. So our book club starts there, with one chapter from I’m Still Here.
How does it work?
Every few weeks, I’ll choose a theme based on I'm Still Here. I'll send you an email with a specific chapter to read, along with a list of other resources. These may include long form essays, movies, a podcast episode, a music playlist... you get the picture. A suggested schedule (week by week) will also be included, but I won’t be grading you on whether or not you follow it. You get to freestyle your education- picking and choosing the resources you want to engage. You can read a chapter or the entire book. Read the essay provided or check out the authors interview instead. You can watch the suggested movie or skip forward to the music playlist. It's entirely up to you.
Membership Details:
This list of resources and suggested schedule is FREE and open to anyone who is a member.
For those who become paid members, you also receive the following
a readers companion for contemplation and application of what you’re learning. This may include reflection questions, a fun check list, journal prompts or other ways to begin implementing your learning into your daily life.
an invitation to hang with me at the close of each theme. This gathering will sometimes include a lecture, an open discussion, an interview or some other form of gathering to help us alchemize all the readings.
a chance to process what you are learning together in real time via chat. The chat is intended to be helpful and empowering- offering a space that is social but untouched by algorithms and founded on an ethic of care.
When do we start?
September 1st!
I hope you’ll join me, and prove that We Are Still Here. Come be pissed, but with a purpose.
Please note for your own well being that the incomparable Kiese Laymon is blessing us with a new book called Good, God and it's now available for pre-order. Don't say you didnt know when this book hits all the "must read" lists! Okay, onto our list:
What fuels and sustains activism and organizing when it feels like our worlds are collapsing? Let This Radicalize You is a practical and imaginative resource for activists and organizers building power in an era of destabilization and catastrophe.
Read This When Things Fall Apart is a care package for activists and organizers building power under fascistic, demoralizing conditions. It's an outstretched hand, offering history lessons, personal anecdotes, and practical advice about how to navigate the woes of justice 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
Next week I'll be heading back to Akron, OH to continue my archival research on urban riots in the midwest during the 1960s. I love going back to Akron because it is the place where my dad was born and raised. I am filled with stories about his childhood- beautifully idyllic but in an income poor, love rich kind of way. Ive memorized so many maps of the neighborhood, that I can now drive around the west side of the city without GPS.
But what I'm most excited to share with you all is what I'm learning about urban riots and white fear, about Black business and militancy, about the push and pull between nonviolence and violence, about what it meant to navigate the silent but violent Jim Crow of the North.
So, I wont be waiting until I have the whole book done. I'll be sharing my "aha" moments, my questions, my journey (and maybe my office supplies) with all of you.
Stay tuned for ongoing check-ins on 'Riots, Rage and Social Change'.
*Please be aware, this newsletter contains affiliate links to bookshop.org, which means I receive a small commission, if you choose to make a purchase using the above book links. The commission does not come at an additional cost to you, and I will let you know if I received any of the books for free.*
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.
