“To me, Thanksgiving is a reminder of our resistance as Indigenous People navigating this settler society, which continuously tries to erase and destroy us, Yet we are still here” -Allen Salway, I saw this quote reposted from @theslowfactory on @translawcenter’s IG post this weekend. For some, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and celebrate being with loved ones (thank you vaccines + boosters) but we can’t forget that Thanksgiving is a day of mourning for many Native communities in the US. If you haven’t already Check out The Lily's post as wellllll, about the Thanksgiving protest started by Kisha James’s grandfather to honor this day of mourning.
On a semi related note, someone told me that they moved back to NY to be closer to their chosen family and I dig it. He said that people move for their partners, they move to be closer to family, closer to work, and it’s not as normalized to move for your friends. To be clear, I'm not saying revolve your life around any one person or thing but it’s nice to see that your chosen family is on that level too and that families look/feel different for everyone. It’s comforting seeing all of the practical---let’s call them best practices guides for the dinner table ahead of Thanksgiving as well. I spent a lot of the day with my cousin and that was lovely. We have around a month left in 2021, we got this folks. XOXO
Books I wish I read in high school, Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom by Derecka Purnell, realistically there’s not fucking way my high school would have approved this book to be in their curriculum but I would’ve LOVED to see it. Ya know? Abolish the police. Some think this is “extreme” but it’s not ya’ll. It’s not only about getting rid of a historically racist & systematically problematic & intentionally designed system but also the necessary investment in community resources/committed mindset to reform society.
Read if: you understand the necessity of abolish and/or want to learn more.
Books where you save yourself, A Woman's Place Is in the Brewhouse: A Forgotten History of Alewives, Brewsters, Witches, and Ceos By: Tara Nurin, Teri Fahrendorf, the brewing industry has made headlines recently with more women coming forward with stories of sexaul harassment and assault at work, disgusting. Terrible. Absolutely not. Inn this book, Nurin talks about the history of women in the brewing industry and the continued fight for equal treatment -_- You can also check out Nurin’s work as a beer/spirits contributor in Forbes.
Read if: you wanna cheers to gender equality
Not your typical eat pray love, On Girlhood: 15 Stories from the Well-Read Black Girl Library edited by: Glory Edim, I loved this quote about the book “This book feels like going home—a loving family of writers who came before me saying, ‘You got this and we got you.’ It is truly the Bible every reader and every writer needs.” —Jacqueline Woodson, author of Red at the Bone. This is the start of one of the fifteen stories, “A trip to FAO Schwarz turns into an uncomfortable encounter with economic inequality for Sylvia”.
Read if: you love a good anthology and coming of age storiessss
On trend, New Native Kitchen BY FREDDIE BITSOIE AND JAMES O. FRAIOLI, I think for the last Booksh3lf email I also recommended a good ole cookbook. In NY, there’s an entire bookstore dedicated to cookbooks but we connect and tell stories through our stomachs. SO chefs and educators Bitsoie and Fraioli walk us through some delicious indigineous dishes of HUNDREDS of years old recipes like chocolate bison chili and prickly pear sweet pork chops. History, folks! Freddie Bitsoie was the Executive Chef at Mitsitam Native Foods Café in the Smithsonian! (I checked that out once, amaze)
Read if: you’re ready to get cookin’, i’m salivating to be clear. Bluetooth me some food if you make it plz!
Decolonize your mind, Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice by: Raj Patel and Rupa Marya, You may recognize Rupa Marya as the co-founder of Do No Harm Coalition and Raj Patel as the author of The Value of Nothing, we know that the body is sacred and it’s also highly affected by external factors, i.e. the effects of generational trauma in the body. In this book they take an anatomical look at how our internal systems are connected to climate change, racism, and more.
Read if: you too know that the body knows what’s up and as some people say, the gut knows more than your brain sometimes---it’s all connected.
Local bookshop spotlight: This week we’re featuring Birchbark Books, an indigenous owned bookstore in Minneapolis and as they describe it they are, “We are also a cozy little destination—a neighborhood bookstore. Next door to the Kenwood restaurant. Just down the block from Bockey Gallery and ARTrageous Adventures. Around the corner from Framestyles and Kenwood Pet Clinic. Across the street from Kenwood Elementary. A stone's throw from Lake of the Isles.” Did you know that Minneapolis and St. Paul have one of the largest Native populations in the US?