Hello and welcome to the last Saturday in June. Today is June 27th.
Okay, I get it. People are tired.
It’s been one month since the death of George Floyd set into motion a national upheaval. It’s been a steady drum beat of Black lives matter! All lives matter! All lives matter when Black lives matter! Aunt Jemima was removed from the syrup bottle, something in there about NASCAR and a noose?, and an annexation in Seattle for crying out loud. And let’s not forget the latest news: an uptick in confirmed COVID-19 cases in 36 of our united states.
Even my older kids said, “Mom, it’s too much. Stop.” Or in teenspeak: “Maaaahm.”
This week I’ve been thinking about power. As a parent, I’m constantly thinking about the power structure. As in: I’m a parent, you’re the child; do as I tell you. Anyone who’s been either a child and/or a parent will find this assertion of power incredibly comedic and downright ironic. Just yesterday, I relinquished my second (and last) key to the Subaru Outback to my second child. Now both of the older kids have the keys and I have been relegated to my husband’s second love, his “Jalopia” Jetta he lovingly calls Great Grandma. [Note: Our other Subaru, the Legacy Brighton wagon, was dubbed the new “grandma” (or in Czech, babičko, pronounced “bah-bich-ko”) so our dear ‘ole Jetta got a name upgrade.] However, with her new brake pads and drums, I gotta admire the old dame. And I got a double thumbs up from the WAKWIR's twin friends who admired my vintage vehicle with the hand crank windows. (Power-nothing on this car!)
It’s been an intense month and I agree that, yes, this national conversation is tiring. I feel the same. Then I remind myself that I have only been making an effort for one month. One month. People who live in a society in which they are not part of the dominant culture – who have no influence or power within the current framework – traverse the roads of this conversation every single day. I’ve read articles in which these people describe their fatigue and their self-care strategies. If they have been tired a lifetime, is it really fair for me to complain about being tired for one month?
Yes, I know you are tired, dear Wannaska readers, but please, indulge me briefly in making one last point before we all get back to planning our respective July 4th celebrations.
This national conversation needs to be more than a flash in the pan. Not just the need, but the desire to evolve as a society and to shift the power paradigm is urgent. The momentum has been there in past movements, and indeed there was some progress, but, over the course of the last sixty years, society has sagged back into, "the way it's always been." People older than me tell me this time is different. There is a new energy and momentum that just may be strong enough to create that societal shift. If not in my lifetime, ideally in my children's, and certainly it is fair to expect by my grandchildren's. When I'm an old lady telling stories on my porch, I hope the grandchildren will be horrified by the tales I tell. I hope they will hear my stories of yesteryear and shake their heads in disbelief instead of nod with the understanding that comes with personal knowledge.
#1 Book Discussion: Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation
#3 Book Discussion: White Fragility: Why It's So Hard For White People to Talk About Racism
And this is my offering. As a writer, a linguist (that's my degree, actually) and someone who has lived in three other countries outside of the United States, I'm particularly fascinated with the intersection of language and culture. I also want to get better at talking about race. I'm terrible at it and I'm really looking forward to gaining some skills in this area.
My book club discussion will be hosted online beginning Thursday, July 9 at 7pm. This is a 6-week journey of hour-long discussion and we'll take two chapters at a time. On the first night, we will be designing an alliance, which is a group-led activity to outline the framework for creating a safe space for ALL participants. This is super important to me. If you have a sneaking suspicion that I want to convert you, please know that that is not my intention. I recognize that my job will be to listen, to facilitate conversation, and to create a safe space for conversation. (Yes, I'm actually looking at it that broadly.) Because I value transparency, I will also share that I do have one hope/expectation and that is that we all come away with a common language that we will be able to use in our conversations in the greater world.
I already have a couple items that I will be contributing to our alliance. I will insist on no name calling and no finger pointing. To have a productive, thoughtful conversation, we must elevate the conversation above the individual to be able to focus on the cultural and systemic behaviors and activities discussed in the book.
My Facebook invitation is here.
As a White person, regarding the conversation about systemic prejudice, I know I'm out of shape. If you believe you might be like me, then you probably are, too. So, let’s lace up our sneakers and do what all once-out-of-shape athletes do best: walk down the driveway and back. Do it again tomorrow and maybe the day after that. In a week, try a block, then two, make it a loop. Take it slow. Remember to stretch. We have lifetimes of walking to do. Per the Chinese proverb, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
And so, I invite you to walk with me. This is not a sprint. It's not even a marathon. It's more than a marathon. It is a long walk. A very, very, very long walk.
Kim
Okay, I get it. People are tired.
It’s been one month since the death of George Floyd set into motion a national upheaval. It’s been a steady drum beat of Black lives matter! All lives matter! All lives matter when Black lives matter! Aunt Jemima was removed from the syrup bottle, something in there about NASCAR and a noose?, and an annexation in Seattle for crying out loud. And let’s not forget the latest news: an uptick in confirmed COVID-19 cases in 36 of our united states.
Even my older kids said, “Mom, it’s too much. Stop.” Or in teenspeak: “Maaaahm.”
This week I’ve been thinking about power. As a parent, I’m constantly thinking about the power structure. As in: I’m a parent, you’re the child; do as I tell you. Anyone who’s been either a child and/or a parent will find this assertion of power incredibly comedic and downright ironic. Just yesterday, I relinquished my second (and last) key to the Subaru Outback to my second child. Now both of the older kids have the keys and I have been relegated to my husband’s second love, his “Jalopia” Jetta he lovingly calls Great Grandma. [Note: Our other Subaru, the Legacy Brighton wagon, was dubbed the new “grandma” (or in Czech, babičko, pronounced “bah-bich-ko”) so our dear ‘ole Jetta got a name upgrade.] However, with her new brake pads and drums, I gotta admire the old dame. And I got a double thumbs up from the WAKWIR's twin friends who admired my vintage vehicle with the hand crank windows. (Power-nothing on this car!)
Yes, I know you are tired, dear Wannaska readers, but please, indulge me briefly in making one last point before we all get back to planning our respective July 4th celebrations.
This national conversation needs to be more than a flash in the pan. Not just the need, but the desire to evolve as a society and to shift the power paradigm is urgent. The momentum has been there in past movements, and indeed there was some progress, but, over the course of the last sixty years, society has sagged back into, "the way it's always been." People older than me tell me this time is different. There is a new energy and momentum that just may be strong enough to create that societal shift. If not in my lifetime, ideally in my children's, and certainly it is fair to expect by my grandchildren's. When I'm an old lady telling stories on my porch, I hope the grandchildren will be horrified by the tales I tell. I hope they will hear my stories of yesteryear and shake their heads in disbelief instead of nod with the understanding that comes with personal knowledge.
As a society, we must transcend. We
must be better than this. We have to try.
On that note, I have an invitation. Three, actually.
Kecia Stroot, Associate Pastor of Children and Family Ministry at Roseau Covenant Church and Chaplain at LifeCare Medical Center, will be hosting a weekly discussion in Roseau beginning July 8. Here's her invitation:
"Hey everyone! Our world today is so divided. And I want to be part of the healing and reconciliation. I want to listen, and to learn so I can love better. Join me in reading the book "Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation" by Latasha Morrison! Let's get together to discuss it on Wednesday evenings at 7 PM starting July 8. We'll meet on the back patio of the Roseau City Park. If you need childcare, let me know!
Who'll join me??"
#2 Neighborhood Church in Roseau
Kate Lundquist, wife, mother, Scentsy Director, and Breast Cancer Survivor, along with her family, will begin hosting a Roseau branch of the Neighborhood Church in Cloquet, MN. This is a church that centers its Christ-driven mission on inclusivity. Here's Kate's invitation:
Beginning THIS Sunday. 💜 A safe and inclusive place to visit and grow.
You are welcome here- at the Lundquist home.
We will stream in Neighborhood Church of Cloquet, we will drink coffee, we will talk, and eat a meal together.
All of it optional.
All of it optional.
You are loved. You are valued. You are welcome!
***Please let me know asap if you are in need of a ride. Pick up within Roseau will be around 9:30am.
***Please let me know asap if you are in need of a ride. Pick up within Roseau will be around 9:30am.
If you are not local to Roseau County, please let me know if you would like to have a Sunday evening Zoom gathering to discuss the morning service. 💜"
#3 Book Discussion: White Fragility: Why It's So Hard For White People to Talk About Racism
And this is my offering. As a writer, a linguist (that's my degree, actually) and someone who has lived in three other countries outside of the United States, I'm particularly fascinated with the intersection of language and culture. I also want to get better at talking about race. I'm terrible at it and I'm really looking forward to gaining some skills in this area.
My book club discussion will be hosted online beginning Thursday, July 9 at 7pm. This is a 6-week journey of hour-long discussion and we'll take two chapters at a time. On the first night, we will be designing an alliance, which is a group-led activity to outline the framework for creating a safe space for ALL participants. This is super important to me. If you have a sneaking suspicion that I want to convert you, please know that that is not my intention. I recognize that my job will be to listen, to facilitate conversation, and to create a safe space for conversation. (Yes, I'm actually looking at it that broadly.) Because I value transparency, I will also share that I do have one hope/expectation and that is that we all come away with a common language that we will be able to use in our conversations in the greater world.
I already have a couple items that I will be contributing to our alliance. I will insist on no name calling and no finger pointing. To have a productive, thoughtful conversation, we must elevate the conversation above the individual to be able to focus on the cultural and systemic behaviors and activities discussed in the book.
My Facebook invitation is here.
As a White person, regarding the conversation about systemic prejudice, I know I'm out of shape. If you believe you might be like me, then you probably are, too. So, let’s lace up our sneakers and do what all once-out-of-shape athletes do best: walk down the driveway and back. Do it again tomorrow and maybe the day after that. In a week, try a block, then two, make it a loop. Take it slow. Remember to stretch. We have lifetimes of walking to do. Per the Chinese proverb, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
And so, I invite you to walk with me. This is not a sprint. It's not even a marathon. It's more than a marathon. It is a long walk. A very, very, very long walk.
On This Day
Historic Highlights (credits)
1991 - Yugoslav troops invade Slovenia
The attack, which marked the beginning of the Ten-Day War, followed Slovenia's declaration of independence. It was the first of the Yugoslav Wars, a number of ethnic conflicts leading to the break-up of Yugoslavia and resulting in at least 140,000 deaths.
1986 - The 1980s U.S. intervention in Nicaragua is declared illegal
The International Court of Justice condemned the U.S. paramilitary campaign to overthrow the left-wing Nicaraguan government. The social democratic Sandinistas had begun to redistribute the country's wealth and improve education.
1972 - Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney found Atari, Inc.
The pioneering video game and home computer company produced arcade classics like the two-dimensional tennis simulator Pong. Especially in the 1970s and 1980s, its products had a large impact on the electronic entertainment industry.
1956 - The film Moby Dick is premiered
John Huston's adaptation of Herman Melville's homonymous novel, while not having been a great box office success, is today considered an outstanding work, especially for its use of light and color.
1954 - The world's first nuclear power plant is activated
The reactor at Obninsk in present-day Russia remained in operation for 48 years. Today, there are some 400 atomic power plants worldwide. The technology remains controversial, especially due to the unsolved long-term storage of the highly dangerous nuclear waste.
Happy Birthday to You!🎶
The attack, which marked the beginning of the Ten-Day War, followed Slovenia's declaration of independence. It was the first of the Yugoslav Wars, a number of ethnic conflicts leading to the break-up of Yugoslavia and resulting in at least 140,000 deaths.
1986 - The 1980s U.S. intervention in Nicaragua is declared illegal
The International Court of Justice condemned the U.S. paramilitary campaign to overthrow the left-wing Nicaraguan government. The social democratic Sandinistas had begun to redistribute the country's wealth and improve education.
1972 - Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney found Atari, Inc.
The pioneering video game and home computer company produced arcade classics like the two-dimensional tennis simulator Pong. Especially in the 1970s and 1980s, its products had a large impact on the electronic entertainment industry.
1956 - The film Moby Dick is premiered
John Huston's adaptation of Herman Melville's homonymous novel, while not having been a great box office success, is today considered an outstanding work, especially for its use of light and color.
1954 - The world's first nuclear power plant is activated
The reactor at Obninsk in present-day Russia remained in operation for 48 years. Today, there are some 400 atomic power plants worldwide. The technology remains controversial, especially due to the unsolved long-term storage of the highly dangerous nuclear waste.
Happy Birthday to You!🎶
1985 - Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russian tennis player
1969 - Viktor Petrenko, Ukrainian figure skater
1886 - Charlie Macartney, Australian cricketer
1869 - Emma Goldman, Lithuanian/American activist, writer
1846 - Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish politician, founder of the Irish Parliamentary Party
1969 - Viktor Petrenko, Ukrainian figure skater
1886 - Charlie Macartney, Australian cricketer
1869 - Emma Goldman, Lithuanian/American activist, writer
1846 - Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish politician, founder of the Irish Parliamentary Party
Remembering You
2001 - Jack Lemmon, American actor, singer, director
1999 - Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel, politician, 169th Prime Minister of Greece
1844 - Joseph Smith, American religious leader, founder, leader of the Latter Day Saint movement
1839 - Ranjit Singh, Indian founder of the Sikh Empire
1831 - Sophie Germain, French mathematician, physicist, philosopher
1999 - Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel, politician, 169th Prime Minister of Greece
1844 - Joseph Smith, American religious leader, founder, leader of the Latter Day Saint movement
1839 - Ranjit Singh, Indian founder of the Sikh Empire
1831 - Sophie Germain, French mathematician, physicist, philosopher
Get outdoors, have great adventures, and make it a great Saturday!
Kim
Now you've gone and done it.
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