I need for folks to be better than that, white leftists have got to get their shit together because the fact of the matter is, their contributions are needed. We are not so blessed with solidarity and comrades that we can out-organize fascism without them. It's the truth.
Worldwide, the people of the global majority do not have the luxury of waiting for most of y'all to get your heads out of your collective asses on white supremacy. Stop huffing the fucking Klan glue and get serious. It's past time.
An Education for Settlers on Indigenous Peoples Day
Yehuda Rothschild republished (with permission) a presentation (Archive.org link) by Lara A Jacobs, Mvskoke citizen and Native scientist, on settler colonialism - what is it, what is colonization, what happened when settlers (in North America) arrived.
The whole thing is excellent, and I hope there's a video version, or one is done one day.
Some particular points I want to mention/synthesize:
Colonization is not a historical event, but a continuous process that requires ongoing support through social and legal systems and institutional violence.
Colonization doesn't just mean moving in and kicking out indiginous people, though it definitely means that. It's also continued occupation of their "lands, waters, and environments", the forced breakup of families and communities through unjust and cruel laws and foster systems, the intentional obliteration of native peoples' languages, cultural practices, and value systems (often through forced fostering and the original residential homes).
We (the White European Settlers) operated -- and still operate -- under a value system and ideologies that are manifestly destructive (the following is quoted):
All of these in direct opposition to the beliefs, ideologies, and practices of Native cultures and communities, which had been existing largely in balance with their environments for many thousands of years before settlers arrived.
There is much much more in the slides that were shared and I'm grateful to Lara and Yehuda both for making these available.
We collaborate with public servants throughout the government to address some of the most critical needs and ultimately deliver a better government experience to people. We work across multiple agencies and bring best practices from our various disciplines.
Also found out they are now hiring #remotework employees, a few years ago they were DC-local only. 🤔
Posted 2023 Aug 04 21:33
Michael Stipe is making music again, thank you
Michael Stipe, who just celebrated his 60th birthday, is making music again, and it’s really good music.
Michael Stipe, who just celebrated his 60th birthday, is making music again, and it's really good music.
Hearing this makes me happy and sad. I can hear echoes in this song of some of R.E.M.'s work on Up and Reveal, which were departures from their previous work and were generally disliked by fans (myself included at the time). Listening now I feel like this was a direction Michael wanted to go a long time, but fans weren't ready for it. I'm really glad he's getting to make his own music now.
