I escaped to Tracy's for a few days. It was bizarre. The girls and I wore masks to snuggle, I went back to fastidious hand washing and sanitizing, we swam in their pool, we ate a lot of takeout, and we were just together. It was lovely. I hadn't hugged anyone other than Andrew in months, and it made me tear up. My love language is touch, and I've been suffering. I'm just so glad I'm not still single. I would be in a very bad place if I were.
Some normal things happened. Holly came down for a two-week visit. I baked some pies. I baked my dad his favorite blueberry cake for his birthday. I slept late a lot. I read books. I caught up on good TV. These are all regular lovely summer things for me. Normal things in an abnormal time.
We did a crazy, exciting thing and bought an RV. We pick it up Friday. More of that to come later.
My Anti-Racist Journey continues:
Money: I donated $20 to the Des Moines Black Lives Matter movement for bail money for arrested protesters.
Movies/Shows: We watched 13th on Netflix. Whoa. Again, I say WHOA. On this journey, I feel like I don't recognize my home. It shows me how clueless I was about the true state of my home. I'm embarrassed and again (as is my new normal, I'm sitting in my own discomfort. We also started watching, based on Tracy's recommendation, United Shades of America on CNN with W. Kamau Bell. The episode we watched had a lot to do with agriculture and how hard it is for Black family farmers in the U.S., compared to white family farmers. I had no idea. Literally no idea.
Books: Since I last wrote, I finished Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby, Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams (which I bought based on the research in my class earlier this summer... I'll take it to school for my classroom library), The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, and The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon. Right now, I'm reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, and Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad.
Purchases: I preordered Class Act by Jerry Craft, the follow-up to the graphic novel, New Kid. For my granddaughters, I bought Grandma's Purse by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, and Whose Toes Are Those? by Jabari Asim. For my classroom, I also bought Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson, A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee, All American Boys by Jason Reynolds, and Some Places More Than Others by Renee Watson. For myself, I bought the audio book of Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, because I want to preview it for possible use in my classroom. I was really impacted by the movie, and its story could balance my use of To Kill a Mockingbird in class. For reading on my Kindle, I also bought Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson, Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad, and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds. The last one was one I'd see on a lot of social media posts, but a student recommended it to me (I love when they do that), so I wanted to be sure to read it myself.
One of my proudest and reaffirming moments was during my granddaughter Alice's 3rd birthday party. We zoomed with her, her parents, and all the other grandparents. I held my breath as she opened her Black babydoll, wondering how she'd react, what would be said, etc. She squealed with delight and picked her right up into a tight hug. She immediately wanted to feed her with the little spoon and to change her diaper. It was just another one of her babies. No one said a word except to "Aww" at how cute she was with her new baby. It was the best possible outcome. It reaffirmed for me that racism IS taught. It reaffirmed to me that even though Alice is going to grow up in a white household with all white family members, if she sees People of Color of all kinds in her books, in her shows and movies, and in her toys, they will become part of how she sees her world. It's a step.
And, John Lewis died. I'm embarrassed that I didn't really know who John Lewis was before I read the March books a couple of years ago. He was a true hero. He inspires me to get into Good Trouble. RIP, Sir, and thank you.
