I remain so encouraged and grateful for the folks who read these little posts and send along their thoughts, cheer, questions, and own personal updates! The goal of this blog was to enter in to a more thoughtful, deliberate digital community. The early spring blossoms of this harvest are already manifest, and I have no doubt that nourishing fruit will bear out in the long haul. Love y’all.
Recent Reading
Recently, I read (finally) Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, An American Slave. The book was striking, a few quick thoughts I wanted to share with you all:
Douglass repeatedly writes about how slavery impacts the character of white people in his life. One example: he discusses a time when he is taken captive by a new family who had never owned anyone before: “here I saw what I had never seen before; it was a white face beaming with the most kindly emotions; it was the face of my new mistress […] a woman of the kindest heart and finest feelings. She had never had a slave under her control previously […]” However, in brief time the abomination of slave-ownership corrupted her virtue and turned her towards cruelty. Douglass writes, “The fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon.” We are just now beginning to understand the ways in which the trauma of slavery lives on in the descendants of those enslaved, and Douglass makes me wonder about the other side of this coin: in what ways does the horror of owning humans echo even now among the descendants of slave-owners? How might this violence and sin leave a chemical mark that persists into current capitalist appetites for control, cruelty, and consumption?
Towards the end of Douglass’ narrative he explains why he won’t describe the route he took to obtain freedom stating that he worries that by providing this information he might “run the hazard of closing the slightest avenue by which a brother slave might clear himself of the chains and fetters of slavery.” He explicitly takes issue with the underground railroad which he refers to as the “upperground railroad” claiming “they do nothing towards enlightening the slave, whilst they do much towards enlightening the master. They stimulate him to greater watchfulness, and enhance his power to capture his slave.” I found this candid critique encouraging in a strange way — among the American left, there are no shortage of differences of strategies, tactics, and much like Douglass notes — security cultures. I’ve seen these sparring matches dissolve fertile ground for unity. It is reassuring to me to see these troubles have always existed for those seeking freedom, and that there are models in history for how to be critical and yet continue the work.
Douglass attached an appendix to his work to explain his religious views. The Narrative is fiercely condemning of folks who called themselves Christians and yet participated in slavery. Apparently, this criticism caused many to accuse Douglass of disrespecting the faith. Douglass’ rebuttal, explanation of his faith, and fierce confession of Christ is an absolute must read for any Christians who are looking for saints who resisted Christo-Fascism and sought the kingdom of Heaven with their whole hearts. Here, Douglass reads like the prophets.
“We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries, and cradle-plunderers for church members. The man who wields the blood-clotted cowskin during the week fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus. The man who robs me of my earnings at the end of each week meets me as a class-leader on Sunday morning, to show me the way of life, and the path of salvation. He who sells my sister, for purposes of prostitution, stands forth as the pious advocate of purity. He who proclaims it a religious duty to read the Bible denies me the right of learning to read the name of the God who made me. He who is the religious advocate of marriage robs whole millions of its sacred influence, and leaves them to the ravages of wholesale pollution. The warm defender of the sacredness of the family relation is the same that scatters whole families, — sundering husbands and wives, parents and children, sisters and brothers, — leaving the hut vacant, and the hearth desolate.”
Heading to FL
We took our van out for her first big trip: Alpharetta, GA to Nokomis, FL. As I’m certain most of you know, Florida politics are a fascist laboratory by which policies that enshrine state violence can be tested and reworked until ‘fitting’ for the national stage. DeSantis’ little workshop of horrors prefigures the worst to come of America. DeSantis’ agenda marches forward: lobotomize public education, strip queer people of their self-determination, and lick the boots of every cop til the leather develops a hypnotizing shine — so why go here? A few reasons:
People we love live here; comrades are doing good work here; and our neighbors everywhere deserve freedom. Occasionally, you’ll hear and see disgusting takes regarding who deserves hell when bad things happen to conservative communities (ex: “well, if Ohio would vote BLUE they wouldn’t have trains explode with chemical warfare”). Those views fail to identify those truly responsible for the conditions we face. Wrongly, they lay the blame at aggrieved workers rather than their oppressors. The CEO of Norfolk Southern loves to hear us blame republican voters while he evades our rage and any accountability. Sometimes I wonder — are tourism boycotts effective? Or do they end up functioning more like sanctions: harming the working people on the ground, and only marginally impacting the ruling class?
Queer people have a longstanding tradition of making themselves large, vibrant, and powerful in a world that would will them into nonexistence. I plan to live the rest of my life, by God’s grace, in this mighty tradition. If there is a state that would stone me to death, I should host a party in their center square. If there is a government that might make my love illegal, I should kiss my partner in public every second my mouth is free. When you come out of the closet, you gotta come out swinging. Harvey Milk told his last partner, “Never take an elevator in city hall.” Climb the stairs, be seen, make others bear witness to our lives and our joys. DeSantis may say Florida is “where woke goes to die,” but there we were — alive and awake — drinking and laughing and reading and playing cards and spying birds through our binoculars.
Florida is beautiful. From jungles and swamps and clear waters, there’s so much to explore and so much more to restore. One of our campgrounds was full of trash from less-than-caring boondockers. Stevie filled bags of litter to carry out with us. This land is absolutely gorgeous, and it is the horrific reality that it has been stolen from it’s good stewards, trashed and exploited, warmed and flooded and hollowed out. Until that day when Turtle Island is returned to her first people, we must do all we can to continue to protect and love her and always, always leave her better than we found her.
Travels
Alapaha River Wildlife Management Area (Tifton, GA)
Vast floodplains and pine forests. Primitive campsites used by hunters in season. We tucked ourselves into a little nook and with the final hour of sunlight we walked our pups through grounds dotted with armadillo burrows, indulged in black bean quesadillas, and secured our van for a bit of an unnerving stay. We were the only folks around except for the 4 pick up trucks we saw exit the grounds around dusk. For a first stay in the van, it was a good introduction to how overnights can feel a bit scary — especially in rural, cotton communities. In the morning, we boiled water for a quick breakfast of coffee and oatmeal. On our drive out of the WMA, we passed a stunning cypress wetland.
Chassahowitzka River Campground (Homosassa, FL)
This was the only campground we paid to stay at, and the $25 for a primitive site was well worth the beauty, proximity to spring-fed channels, and hot shower. The drive from Homosassa from Tifton crossed through rural western Florida — the Chevy hummed happily on two-lane highways under a tunnel of Spanish moss. Our campsite at The Chaz was surrounded by a diverse mix of oak, pine, palm, and wild citrus trees. The Chassahowitzka River is outstanding — the inland portion is crystal clear springwater, leading out to the coast, turning into brackish tidal creeks. With our pups and limited time, we weren’t able to rent a vessel to explore the waterway, but you ever get the chance: take it!
Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve (Thonotosassa, FL)
Our last campsite was just outside of Tampa. Free with a reservation, once you’ve secured your stay you get the code to a gate to pass through a common public parking lot. A short ride on a dirt road led us to a pine clearing with roughly 5 dispersed campsites. The area was spacious and we had few neighbors, our pups had plenty of room to roam and we were able to create a homey basecamp (complete with a box of wine and cocktail hour with tinned fish, crackers, lemon, and hummus). This wilderness preserve contains a network of over 16 miles of trails. The next morning, we took the dogs on a hike to explore. In just a few miles we saw coastal prairie, sawgrass marshes, thick palm jungle, and forested bogs. We spied Sandhill Crane & even an owl! We could have stayed here forever. Even Stevie, who is driven by altitude and peaks, was content to explore this lowland gem.
In Nokomis we spent time with our dear friends Rachel, Conor, and Cece. A red tide was present, so we didn’t spend time in the ocean this go around. Conor and I made a feast of fesenjān and tahdig. Buckley and Billie Goat enjoyed snacking on Cece’s crumbs. Stevie and I visited the Celery Fields where we saw so many new-to-us birds! Roseate spoonbills, moorhens, purple gallinules, more cranes, ibises, egrets than you can fathom. Turtles and alligators and rabbits and all sorts of teeming fish.
Love your insights