Dear Friends,
There is a cavern in my chest. One week ago today, we lost a giant in the labor for racial justice. Congressman John Lewis' indefatigable commitment to civil rights spans close to six decades. He became our nation's moral conscience. He was arrested, beaten bloody, skull fractured. And still he showed up to the labor, over and over, urging us to never to fear getting into good and necessary trouble. What does it mean for us to be as brave as the ancestors we cherish?
Practice. Together. So that we may become good ancestors one day. There is still time to join our revolutionary book clubs to be in the company of other good troublemakers. Click here join us!
As the death toll from the pandemic surpasses 140,000, disproportionately black and brown people, as more arrests have been made for protesting the murder of Breonna Taylor than there have been for the actual murder of Breonna Taylor, as we stare down an election season rife with obstacles, we are called to be as brave as Congressman Lewis. He anchored his life in the ethic of love -- and showed us that revolutionary love can only be practiced in community.
This is why I am so grateful to be building this community with you. A few weeks ago, my book See No Stranger was released and we created more than forty virtual events and live conversations! Now hundreds of you are gathering in book clubs across the globe to read and practice together. Last week, we held our first webinar with poet Brynn Saito, my dear friend who appears in the book and teaches me about ancestral solidarity.
And soon -- we will release an online learning hub for revolutionary love! The learning hub will feature practices, tools, and reader's guides for you to bring the practices of revolutionary love into your life and activism. It is almost ready for release. We are making the final tweaks now. My team and I cannot wait to share this with you. Stay tuned.
May we be brave in our grief. May we be brave with our lives. May we be good ancestors one day.
- Valarie and the Revolutionary Love Team[/vc_column_text]
ANYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD:
[/vc_column][/vc_row]
ANYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s
BAM | Indiebound | Apple Books
- Celebrate! The NO BAN ACT passes in the House!
- Another Victory! Jefferson County DA’s Office added hate crime charges to the attacks against Lakhwant Singh.
- Washington R*dsk*ns changes its name! Celebrating the long-hard fight led by our Indigenous siblings.
- Read this stunning review by Ms. Magazine for SEE NO STRANGER.
- Listen to this beautiful story of shared grieving between Valarie Kaur and Kerri Kelly of CTZNWell, plus an embodied ritual and vibrant conversation about this time in history.
- #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor. Sign the petition and demand police officers be arrested and held accountable.
- Rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge the JOHN LEWIS BRIDGE.
- Become a community co-sponsor to the #BREATHEACT, a modern-day Civil Rights Act.
- Donate now! Join the Black Organizing Project and the Sikh youth of Tabla for BLM by raising funds to support the Oakland Black community in strengthening educational services for Black youth.
Header illustration of Congressman John Lewis by @jonathanbrunsfineart on Instagram