Reflections on 2020

My thinking has evolved in many directions in 2020, to the past, the present, and the future. This episode and more to come this month will talk about the things that got me and my guests through 2020. But first I need to acknowledge the fact that I am only able to do so because of incredible privileges I have as a white American woman that not everyone shares, and I need to acknowledge that.

I have been a beneficiary of the structures of white supremacy, starting with the very land I now occupy. I have spent a long time this year educating myself in the history and literature of this country I live in that maybe I never really knew. I thought I was well-educated and well-read but have recently discovered a wealth of knowledge that my educational institutions, at best, never considered including in the curriculum, and at worst, purposefully denied me.

I acknowledge my role in the oppression of whole communities of people when I stay silent about the workings of the institutions around me that continue to benefit primarily people that look like me. I acknowledge that I must take up the work of dismantling white supremacy and systems that enable it to ensure justice for all.

I acknowledge the incredible contributions made to my country, my well-being, and my life by native and indigenous communities, Black communities, Latinx communities, Asian communities, Jewish communities, Muslim communities, and by many people of many races, ethnicities, nationalities, religions, and identities. I acknowledge that I record this podcast on the site of lands stolen from the Mannahoac people. I acknowledge that we need to protect and honor the history of the indigenous people from other Tribal nations that also reside in Virginia and have made innumerable contributions to our region.

I acknowledge these facts in the hope that my listeners may join me in honoring our past, present, and future. Without this land, this earth, and each other, we are nothing.