TOP 5: ENCOURAGED & ENRAGED
As the Panini continues on— I’m half vaxed and the calling for me to organize and put my priv to werk is deafening. But also this time feels much like the stride I’ve hit with my art/work. It feels natural. I feel armed & ready with the tools and lessons I’ve learned. It feels radical. It’s not the struggles to mobilize of my past, at least & fingees crossed not yet. I feel like real local change is truly attainable and possible. It’ll be engaging, fun, cute, queer, local and above all INTERSECTIONAL. So slide on into Brie Kole’s (moi) TOP 5 : ENCOURAGED & ENRAGED!
1. CULTURE CLUB
If you know me, you know that I’m always tryin’ to hang out, but most of all I’m a natural organizer. It’s always been this way, I want all my friends to be friends and I want to be the conduit! I’m also a total homebody crabby Cancer, carrying my shell errywhere. Being able to connect virtually is my love language it turns out. I want all the camaraderie, karaoke, hot goss and games but I also have this innate insatiable need to incite change!
--Culture Club has entered the chat--
After the Atlanta Spa shootings, a virtual space to let some AAPPI pals & acquaintances just brain drain, chat, and unpack the trauma felt imperative. The 2 hour convo between the 3 AAPI attendees was incredible. I think about the stories and experiences shared in this space so often now. It reignited my passion to organize and throw my white priv around like never before. The next session Enrique Maestas came to blow our minds…
2. PROF. ENRIQUE MAESTAS
Me: What was your first concert?
Enrique: Prince, before 1999 & Purple Rain albums, penis guitar, I was in 5th grade.
Us: ::stunned & speechless::
That should set you up for the level of regard to have of this human. This all based on my first virtual meeting of course, but again the mindblowing-ness of this interaction keeps resonating around my head and it just feels like another piece to the puzzle the universe is calling me to put together…
Right off the bat, Enrique hit my musical taste buds, throwing on Boy George, Culture Club’s Karma Chameleon. #ISTANNNNN. Throughout another 2 hour enthralling convo Enrique took us through a natural, complex, mind expanding roller coaster of Native American experiences. Are you kidding me?! How fucking lucky to be able to have a candid, frank and funny, in depth chat about being a Native on this white ass stolen unwelcoming land that has become the Yampa Valley. Nuche/Ute & Apache ancestral land.
Things like the fact that those descendants do not come visit. Do not privately gather together on this land. Because of warranted fear, threat, distrust and trauma that they have from what happened here in the past. WOOOOOF! That feels so fucking gross to me. I can’t un-know that now, and ha! Neither can yah!
He also said that the Nuche sustainably held this valley for 10,000 years and in a mere 40 years the white man decimated buffaloes, wolves and natural agriculture here. By 1930. Cool, cool, COOL. Again WOOOF. Can’t un-know and we need to move forward differently. Period. We have the resources, we have the history to learn from, this is everyone's fight. It’s intersectional. But us white folks need to amplify BIPOC voices, organize, unify, and get tactical. This fight can also include joy, humor and levity. We get to make the rules, we get to hold governing bodies of power accountable. Let’s start by listening to the wealth of diversity this valley (and all communities) truly has.
3. INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Normalize and implement Indigenous Land Acknowledgments for openings of meetings, events, races etc. NOWWWWWWWW. Jeeez, it’s like Native Governance Center says
“Land acknowledgments shouldn’t be grim. They should function as living celebrations of Indigenous communities. Ask yourself, “How am I leaving Indigenous people in a stronger, more empowered place because of this land acknowledgment?”
Enrique Maestas orchestrated my local governing bod, City of Steamboat Springs to enact a Land Acknowledgement Proclamation. To date it is rather impossible to find on their website and seems another performative way the white governing bodies of most places “shows up.” I finally was able to find it by directly searching Maestas. That left me enraged, so I fired off a strongly worded email to City Council. Fire LIT!
I keep thinking “oooo these people may be sorry Enrique and I met!” & That feels pretty rad. I can be someone to contend with, while dancing that needle forward. Also consider starting the practice of opening your events, meetings, etc. with something so simple as “We are on __________ Indigenous stolen and colonized land and we acknowledge and honor our inextricably linked pasts.” Or ya know whatever, but know whose land you're on, this should just be something we always know and share. It’s truly the very least we can do. For all those white people wringing their hands and asking “but what can I do tho?” Here, start with this and get the boards you sit on, the events you attend, those around you to get into the practice of doing it too.
4. WHITE PERFORMATIVE BULLSHIT (& your local government)
I’ll be v.transparent off the bat, I’m pals with Lisel Petis (City Council) and Beth Melton (County Commish). But you best believe I’m not afraid to ask them to be accountable. “Not afraid” isn’t really it either, they are both reasonable, capable and compassionate humans that care about ethics. Ya know just the basic operating systems you want/hope people in places of power have. They are also people I understand to be life long learners, so they might not always get it right (being humans & all), but are accountable to understanding and digging deeper so they can learn and do differently the next time.
So writing a strongly worded email about how City Council should be shouting, honoring and regularly & publicly doing Indigenous Land Acknowledgements felt like MY civic duty. White governing bods are COMFY with how things are, so it is our civic duty & responsibility to call in for accountability. Rally our white sympathetic peeps in places of power, appeal to them and hold them accountable. Get them thinking & talking about HR.40 & Reparations while we're at it too! THINK GLOBALLY! EMPOWER LOCALLY!
HAYDEN COUNTY COMMISH, TIM REDMOND
5. TIM FUCKING REDMOND!!!!
Tim Redmond, the first person of color to ever hold a governing position in the Yampa Valley (Nuche/Ute (pronounced “Nooch” and meaning “the people”) land)! WUTTTTTT it’s 2021 YA’LLLLLLLL!?
“It is an honor. I hate to say that I have had the opportunity to be the first Black in a lot of situations in my life,” Redmond said. “I look at someone like my son, who I think is smarter and more talented than me, and I look forward to the day when he walks into a situation and the fact that he is there as a person of color doesn’t really even matter.”
2,000 votes over incumbent, good ole white dude Doug Monger was SO SATISFYING! Still is in fact! Made even better by this eloquent & rousing AF article in the local pape. I’ve been pretty bummed out about being in this very white 1% place where people have been so entitled and shitty through this PANINI in the face of continuous Trans & BIPOC MURDER that’s fucking RAMPANT. Ughhhh it’s so GROSSS! Tim Redmond, to that opposite, has made me feel hopeful that this community can evolve into a more sustainable, diverse, equitable, ethical place to live. I lost it (IRL teared up) at this:
“Your voice is important, and I want to hear your thoughts and concerns about the future of our county. Let’s appreciate this opportunity to choose our direction. We need open minds and hearts as we tackle the challenges in front of us. The future of the county and our quality of life is at stake.”
Then this LIT ME ON FIRE:
“Please take on the responsibility to engage in the process. Being informed and letting us know your thoughts and concerns is what makes democracy work. I believe respect and understanding for each other will provide the way forward.”
Needless to say I immediately signed up for Master Plan Updates and finally stepped up for this irrefutable call to action. Yo, Y.V you have your hooks in me and I will do right by the ancestors of this land and the activist spirit that was born in me from this land. I hear ya. I’m making moves!
Wellllll la-ti-da ya’ll thanks for your eyeholes and attention for a bit.
If you wanna join Culture Club or day dream with me about the future living we want to see for ourselves and those around us. Don’t hesitate, just holler.
