Today as I half-listened to the inaugural speech, I felt a sense of disequilibrium I associated with experiencing an alternate universe or a dystopian story. Since the 2024 US presidential election I have kept mostly disconnected from mainstream news—not to pretend this inauguration would not happen but to avoid feeling anxious.
So today here we are, at the dawn of a presidential administration that is certain to be unlike any other in US history.
Now what?
As I’ve been pondering the question of “now what,” I have begun to consider what feels right for me as we head into whatever’s on the horizon. These are my plans.
Continue to learn about who/what the USA is and where we come from. Here’s an Independence Day article I wrote a couple years ago. And following is a list of some of the books that have helped me along the way1:
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs
By the Fire We Carry by Rebecca Nagle (this book started as a podcast)
How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith
Seek in-person community. As an introvert with an intentionally small social circle, I have struggled to find a community outside of my family that feels right for me. I’m paying attention to opportunities for groups in which I can learn, grow, and contribute.
Consume and financially support media from marginalized perspectives. Some resources I value include:
Undistracted news podcast
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder and Sahan Journal (local news sources focused on communities of color and immigrant experiences)
ICT (Indigenous centered national news)
Capital B news (Black centered national news)
Continue to spend my money with intention. Yes, I still have Amazon Prime for movies and television (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel!); however, I have found that I can buy 99% of products I want from non-Amazon sources. Whenever possible, I purchase from local independent sources. Before I buy from any new vendor, I’m looking into who/where/why they are so I can do my best to support who I want to support and avoid supporting who I don’t want to support.
Practice assertive self-care. I have just one body and one life, and I’m responsible for taking care of myself using whatever resources might be available to me. Neither my health nor my physical ability are guaranteed to me (and in this political climate, neither are healthcare or medical insurance). Recommended reading2 related to this topic:
Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey
A Burst of Light by Audre Lorde
The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
Lastly, I’ll share that I have just started listening to the book The Fourth Turning is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End. So far I’m barely into chapter 2, and what I’ve learned so far has prompted me to subscribe to a podcast from the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy. (If another pandemic is in our future, I would like to be ready!)
Learn + Explore + Share tends to lean more toward personal reflection than politics. If you are joining L+E+S from Instagram: Welcome! Up next I plan to share a look back at the fiction and non-fiction I read in 2024. (Find my 2023 review here. Or if you enjoyed reading today’s piece, you might like this one too.) In the meantime, I’m happy to share this peek into my brain and heart. How are you feeling this Inauguration Day? What are your strategies for getting through the coming days and months and years?
Of the books in this list, I read all of them via audiobook except Robert Peace. I also recommend reading work by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Joy Harjo, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, bell hooks … I could continue making a very long list.
Black women wrote each of these self-care books and, while all of us can learn from them and benefit personally and individually from their wisdom, we must be dedicated to the liberation of the most marginalized and oppressed because none of us is truly free until everyone is free. This clip of an interview with Maya Angelou is worth listening to today especially and for inspiration in the future.
Heather, I hear you. ❤️