50: Where Have You Been?
A lot of the directions my life has taken have been because of my political views and ethics. I studied journalism because I wanted to report the truth (lol). I've been an activist in many ways since I was a kid. Ever since I got a peace sign sticker at a bike rally that said "Ban The Bomb" across the bottom, and I didn't know what it meant, and my dad made fun of the "hippies" I thought were cool who gave it to me. I chose then that I'd rather have worn the sticker and associated with them than with the person who couldn't tell me why not banning bombs was cooler or better. I stuck the sticker on the wooden headboard of my bunk bed, and I thought about how big the world was, and how there was so much I didn't know.
I haven't been a vocal activist about anything for a long time. I've been barely-active in the most minimal ways -- signing petitions, writing to my MP from time to time, RTing things I stand for. Calling myself anti-fascist. Sending money to charities. But I've been deeply afraid of confrontation. Something, I don't really know what, probably a combination of complicated things, totally knocked the bravery out of me for years. And through that I dug myself into a huge guilty hole. I should be doing more. I could be doing more. On it went.
So, if you're seeing a lot of noise from me this week and wondering where it's come from, it's because I'm back. I don't know where I've been, but I'm here; for Black and Minority Ethnic people, for my LGBTQIA+ family, for feminism, for the working class, for the underprivileged, for the marginalised. A fire has been lit and I'm ready to show up for you and for the future. I'm sorry to have waited this long. And I'm hoping it's not too little too late.
Getting to this point was not something I did alone. Hundreds of activists, some of them might even read this, who actually show up and do the work have shown me that speaking up against injustice is not inappropriate or somehow diluting or diverting the message. Getting it wrong is nothing to be afraid of -- I just need to use my voices and my privilege for good, and educate myself so that I can learn from those mistakes.
Other Stuff
When Black bird watcher Christian Cooper was threatened by a white woman in Central Park, it raised again that Black people are subjected to discrimination and profiling even while enjoying the great outdoors. #BlackBirdersWeek (a haven of positivity in this moment) was set up to “to counter the narrative that the outdoors are not the place Black people should be... to educate the birding and broader outdoor-loving community about the challenges Black birders specifically face." It's also "to encourage increased diversity in birding and conservation." Read the full article here.
Looking for an independent radical bookshop to buy your books from? Here's a great list.
"We need to support the hospitality industry with cash, not likes" says Charlie Harding, and she's right.
I started listening to NPR in the mornings a couple of weeks ago because I'm insufferable, but it's been super valuable this week to learn about the Black Lives Matter protests from a US perspective. I found this short (6 min or so) report really informative, but also heartbreaking.
Something different I found on NPR: A deep dive into the Taylor Ham/Pork Roll war of New Jersey. What is it? Why does it have different names? Why do people care? It's a great listen and sets you up for something in a similar tone I'm working on for Pellicle at the moment.
Help diversity-led indie publishers tell more stories by helping fund this Inclusive Indies crowdfunder.
It's well worth reading this by Alicia Kennedy to see how food is much more complicated than "eating local" or going "plant based". We are all complicit in exploitation in the food industry. What are we going to do about it?
Where was the outrage for Breonna Taylor? An important and upsetting question. In honour of Breonna's birthday tomorrow, (Friday 5 June) the #BirthdayForBreonna campaign has been set up to make it easy for all of us to commemorate her life by fighting for justice. Follow this link to find a list of concrete actions you can do now.
In the 1980s, Jamaican beef patties were BANNED in Toronto by beaurocrats! And it caused an uproar! Why? Because they didn't match a technical description for a meat patty -- aka. a burger.
I dunno about you, but I know next to nothing about Chinese wet markets. I didn't even know they were called "wet markets" until people started talking about them in conjunction with COVID-19. "Absolutely Disgusting: Wet Markets, Stigma Theory and Xenophobia" is super interesting, and really delves into some complex and uncomfortable topics in an accessible way.
Chris Lambert's "Letter To My White Friends" is powerful, clear and important. Please read and share it.
(I read and bookmarked a lot more features than this this week but I'm going to roll them over to next week because this newsletter is already overlong. Sorry to anybody who wrote something amazing about food and drink this week that I've not included.)
My Stuff
It was brilliant to chat to Jaega Wise, brewer, broadcaster and one of the busiest women in beer for Ferment magazine. I love it when interviews with beer folk move into topics of inclusion, gentrification, diversity and accessibility. Read it here.
