Adding Our Small Stones to the Pile

Thoughts on the US Election and how we move forward together.

Surely no one asked for a book list to get them out of the pit of political despair and yet here we are.

The truth is: we don’t know how to continue The Cairn without addressing the political state of this country. Everything, including the books you read, the authors who get published, the fact that you can read, is political. “Leave politics out of it” is in and of itself a political position.

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We cannot miss taking this moment to say: the years ahead are going to be really really hard but we are committed to doing what we can to be part of the solution.

Since the election results came in, we have been having conversations with friends and folks in our community about what it might look like to protect the people hit hardest by a Trump presidency: our trans family, our friends of color, our disabled family, our immigrant family, our children in the public school system and all their friends and peers, the list goes on. These conversations are on-going and necessary, and yet we are already feeling the creeping dread of nothing we do feels like enough.

We live in a time where everything bad that is happening in the world is accessible to us through our phones. Whether it’s policy decisions that destroy the fabric of our democracy or on-the-ground reporting of ethnic cleansing that mainstream media doesn’t cover, that access can simultaneously feel important to bear witness to while also being completely overwhelming to the point of burnout. This is by design and we are not immune.

But in our commitment to ourselves, each other and our community, we are turning to incredible activists, organizers, and writers whose work keeps us tethered to our political resolve. In the spirit of this, we wanted to share two particular quotes from the incomperable Mariame Kaba, an abolitionist based out of New York.

Questions I regularly ask myself when I’m outraged about injustice:

• What resources exist so I can better educate myself?

• Who’s already doing work around this injustice?

• Do I have the capacity to offer concrete support and help to them?

• How can I be constructive?

and:

I’m always going to do my part without worrying if it’s “enough” because I don’t know what “enough” is. I’m committed to adding my small stones to the pile and seeing what happens. Better to be on the side of the builders. Always.

We reject the goal of feeling satisfied by our contribution and instead embrace clarity, authenticity, and momentum. To do something is better than to do nothing, and everything worth doing is done with other people.

If you feel alone, we are with you. If you feel overwhelmed, we are with you. If you feel angry, we are with you. Let us find joy and each other on the long hard road ahead. We are, after all, more powerful with each other than we are alone.

In solidarity,

Meghan & Courtney

A Cairn For Imagining A Better World

📚 The Cairn’s booklist for imagining a better world

🎧 Abolitionist, author, facilitator and activist adrienne maree brown discusses imagination as a revolutionary practice with Krista Tippett on the podcast On Being.

🎧 Mariame Kaba discusses her daily gratitude practice of hope on the Finding Our Way podcast with Prentiss Hemphill.

🎧 Two smart cookies talking about feminist topics ranging from tradwives to abortion and beyond on The Diabolical Lies podcast (and newsletter) by Katie Gatti Tassin and Caro Claire Burke.

📖 Author Rebecca Solnit discusses hope in Hope Is An Embrace of the Unknown

📖 Menominee author, organizer and movement educator Kelly Hayes writes about Fighting For Each Other in the Face of Fascism

📖 Researcher, author, and activist Dr. Devon Price explores Moving from “Who Is Going To Save Me?” to “What Can I Do?”

🎥 Carmen at Tomesandtextiles, a must-follow advocate for Latinx voices in literature, lays out how books and reading will be and have always been political.

@tomesandtextilesBooktok always has been and will continue to be a political space whether you want it to be or not #booktokispolitical #booktalk #tomesandtextiles

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🎥 Meg, the queen of cozy fiction, creates a brief sweet moment of comfort and care as we brace for an uncertain future:

@megstearoomTake a deep breath, my friend. You are not alone. 🌿 #booktok #booktokfyp #megstearoom #fyp

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