BANNED

a justice driven, bookish newsletter by Austin Channing Brown

Footnotes

Shadow of Hope

The world is feeling mighty hopeless lately. It feels like every day we are bombarded with greater and greater inhumanities. Our efforts to move the country closer to justice is being undone right before our eyes. And these injustices are not theoretical. They are not vague. They are not ethereal. The injustices we face right now are an attack on our very bodies.

Bodies snatched from the streets. Bodies stopped by police. Bodies carrying documentation. Bodies forced into hiding. Bodies without access to reproductive health. Bodies losing their jobs. Bodies standing up to the National Guard. Bodies waving signs. Bodies hosting meetings. Bodies fighting back.

But I understand if your body is tired.

Because working in the midst of hopelessness... in hope's shadow is the work only love for other humans can sustain.

Every now and then, throughout history, the fight for justice is bright and shiny and hopeful. Every now and then, the fight feels like it's within our reach. Every now and then progress feels inevitable and celebrations are planned ahead of certain victory.

But more often. Our fight for justice looks like this.

Hard. Unforgiving. Filled with sadness. Wondering if we'll make it at all.

The shadow of hope.

Working in the dark. Trusting that something new can be formed in the womb of chaos. Hope against hope. Hope when hope's back is against the wall. When hope is backed into a corner. Hope driven not by certainty but by sheer love for humanity. Hope built on a refusal to acquiesce. Hope built on a determination to remain maladjusted to injustice.

We are in the shadow of hope. But this is where creativity thrives. This is where we find our people. This is where we clarify what we believe. This is where our ethics meet our actions. This is where we prepare, plan, meet, engage. This is where we imagine what could be and fight for that reality.

Dont be afraid of the shadows. Something is lurking there. Something new. Something true. Something beautiful. Something that will change the world... again.

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*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 BOOK LINKS. I WILL BE USING SAID COMMISSION TO FEED MY BOOK ADDICTION, OFFER YOU MORE REVIEWS, AND AROUND AND AROUND WE GO. THE COMMISSION DOES NOT COST YOU ANYTHING, AND I WILL ALWAYS LET YOU KNOW IF I RECEIVED ANY OF THE BOOKS FOR FREE99.

Prose

Joy is how we stay alive

There’s a story I tell in FULL OF MYSELF about a group of Black girls playing hand-clapping games at recess. Our laughter was loud. Our rhythm was undeniable. Our joy was unfiltered. We were A L I V E.

That kind of joy- the kind that lets Black women exhale and holler and squeal and breathe- that joy has always kept us going. Especially when nothing else makes sense.

There’s a reason joy is threaded all throughout this book. It’s not comic relief. It’s not a break from the “real” stories.

It is the story.

Joy is how we survive the boardrooms, the hospital rooms, the classrooms that belittle us. Joy is how we survive the slights, the microaggressions, the meetings where we are unappreciated.

And that’s what this book is—an exploration and celebration of our joy, even in a hostile world.

So if you need a reason to laugh again…
If you’ve forgotten what it feels like to be surrounded by women who just get it…
If you’ve been longing for your own squeal of recognition…

FULL OF MYSELF holds that kind of joy. Joy is our story, too.

Here’s to delight.
Here’s to being too much.
Here’s to laughing on purpose.

Joy + Justice,
Austin

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Booked

Tour

As the world turns inside out and upside down, I hope you will consider joining me at one of the book tour stops for Full of Myself. May each one be an opportunity to sit in community- to be truly seen and practice just a bit of joy during these turbulent times.

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