Another Perspective

This is a-million-Great-Ideas-in-one post, so, here’s COLE ARTHUR RILEY, verbatim – with supporting resources, below:

‘In the evenings, I’ve been practicing geography. It all began in Michael’swhen I walked past a $2 laminated world map where you can fill in the country names, and all of a sudden it was in my hands at checkout. For weeks now, instead of reading in bed at night or watching reality TV, you could only find me hunchbacked over this poorly-proportioned map getting green dry erase marker all over my hands and bedding. 

I can’t say where precisely this impulse originated in me. A very bright and suspicious eight-year-old tells me, “you should at least know everywhere you’ve ever been.” And then, “you should at least know every place you want to go.” And then, “what took you so long?”

How should I tell him that maybe this is how an anxious 34-year-old copes when the world feels big and scary. That you get a marker and try to put things in order to distract from a much more terrifying alternative reality; that is, one’s own helplessness. 

I have a suspicion that something about our present moment is begging me to resist dislocation. That maybe someplace in me needs to remember both our smallness and our interconnectedness—and that if I decenter myself a bit, some other manner of vision will be revealed to me. 

I’ve said in the past, this country is a curse of its own design. What I’ve failed to say is that we cannot necessarily be trusted to conduct our own exorcisms. If you, like me, are feeling a bit unsteady in this season, here are the questions I’ve been asking to ground myself in something other than terror and helplessness:

  • Who has already survived this? What have they left us?
  • Whose memory do you trust? Who can be trusted with yours?
  • Whom do you trust to refine your vision?
  • How will you keep record?
  • Where will this record live? (it should go without saying at this point, that I personally don’t trust digital spaces)
  • What political weaponry is at work against you? How has it historically been countered? 
  • What power do you have? What are the risks in using it?

This is really not meant to sound inspirational. In my opinion, fear is the most credible response we can have to this moment. It can be a form of wisdom. I’m not quick to shame it. 

But it is to say, I’d like to retain possession over my own imagination. I can’t keep the ceasefire intact, but I can label Palestine on a map. It’s not a meaningful solution, I understand. It’s a very minor practice of defiance in which I’m the one with the marker, but maybe there’s meaning in that. 

Sending love and rest and defiance,

Cole

P.S.

Yes, that man did do a fascist salute at the inauguration yesterday. As they begin to tell you that you didn’t see precisely what you know you saw, you can trust me to hold your memory. And you, mine.’

 

~~~~

Okay, a little follow up:

To glean from the wisdom of some ‘who have already survived this’, you might read:

Trusted voices to ‘refine my vision’ include:

Our power is in our connections and community. Please consider partnering with or supporting:

Racial Justice

  • ACTION Project
    • a cohort at the intersection of learning, accountability, and praxis; learn from BIPOC educators
  • JUSTmove
    • Music. Dancing. Storytelling. Healing.
  • ISAIAH
    • multi-racial, state-wide, nonpartisan coalition of faith communities, et.al., fighting for racial and economic justice in MN

Intersectional Interests

  • 100% Campaign
    • cross-sector, statewide, multi-racial campaigns to build an equitable clean energy future
  • Doing Good Together
    • empowering families to raise children who care and contribute

Government & Economy

  • Take Action MN
    • multi-racial people’s organization building power for a government and economy that works for all

Climate Care+

  • Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light (MNIPL)
    • partners with faith and spiritual communities and all Minnesotans to build transformative power and bring the lights of people’s unique gifts to the climate crisis
  • Rise & Repair
    • a diverse alliance of people and organizations advancing Indigenous rights and climate justice in Minnesota
  • R.I.S.E. Coalition
    • educate, advocate, and inspire a new path forward with Indigenous values, knowledge, and lifeways; leading our path to a climate-friendly and inclusive future

Immigrant & Refugee Services

  • ALIGHT
    • a collaborative, human-centered approach to addressing needs of healthcare, clean water, shelter, and protection and providing livelihood programming and education for immigrants and refugees around the world
  • Rainbow Railroad
    • help at-risk LGBTQIA+ people around the world get to safety – particularly those among immigrant and refugee populations, in the US and abroad

LGBTQIA+ Advocacy & Justice

  • Out Front
    • Minnesota’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization
  • PRISM
    • a multiracial, multifaith coalition for LGBTQ liberation in Minnesota

Disability Justice

  • The ARC Minnesota
    • promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, sharing information, assistance, education, and public policy leadership

Mental Health & Trauma-Informed Ministry

  • NAMI MN
    • non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with mental illnesses through community mental health programs and services, changes in public attitudes about mental illnesses, and improved access to services and opportunities for recovery
  • Mental Health Connect
    • faith communities with no mental health stigmas; crisis & support services
  • LeaderWise
    • counseling and consulting for leaders of service