post nationalism gives me room to see the u.s. through a lens of compassion…it’s doing the best it can as a flawed structure. it’s a sum of disparate parts that actually don’t have an organic cohesion, and never did. adriennemareebrown.net/2021/01/15/pos… post nationalism helps me remember that i was never a part of the dream of this place, and that those i have dreamt alongside of have mostly been killed here.

my dear friend @shonalisahamd reminded me of the concept of sleep debt. got me thinking about grief debt. everyone i know is grieving either direct or circumstantial loss, with no time to come apart and land beyond the loss. we need time to grieve, remember, dream, rest, land. i know we all grieve differently, some work, some weep. some numb. some fuck, some eat, some rage. some create, some deny, some wander. some all of the above. and there are patterns, cycles, stages. theories. it's the most common experience, and so studied.

if you are a white person, this is a time of intentionally relinquishing power, or having it pulled out from under you. i know it seems fast and everywhere, but it’s actually not a rapids, not a waterfall, not a tsunami. adriennemareebrown.net/2020/06/28/a-w… your ancestors did not fight fair, and they didn’t teach you to be in right relationship with anyone. they didn’t give our ancestors time to wonder, ask for help, course correct, negotiate. this is why some say you should be grateful we seek justice, equality, versus revenge.

sabbatical boundaries

beloveds – i have had a number of somewhat panicked messages since monday that made me think it might be helpful to articulate how to interact with me on my sabbatical.

first, a couple of FAQ type things: adriennemareebrown.net/2019/12/12/sab… what is a sabbatical?
“a period of paid leave granted to a university teacher or other worker for study or travel, traditionally one year for every seven years worked.”

being happy takes a lot of work for someone like me.

suffering makes sense to me, the world is hard and unfair and oppressive and dangerous. we make each other miserable, unnecessarily. many people, including me, can make meaning of our lives by how much we suffer, how extensive and heavy the baggage is that we bring forward. #attentionliberation

in january i was at a meeting and my bank card stopped working. i checked my accounts and all of my money had been withdrawn. by the irs. and they’d put a wage levy on me. adriennemareebrown.net/2018/08/08/if-… i asked for help, hired a company, and began to wait. and pray. and surrender. and change my relationship to money and value. and assess my financial landscape.

dear aliens-unseen-and/or-beyondhumans-and-spirits/gods/deities-and-other-benevolent-entities-aware-of-this-planet,

it’s probably selfish to ask for your help. you may only know my planet from its space garbage or psychic toxicity.

adriennemareebrown.net/2018/07/17/kin… nonetheless, today would be a good day for some advice or intervention.

this morning i witnessed a white man screaming at a black man in detroit. i was preparing to give a brief talk, so i finished it with Octavia’s words, “kindness eases change”…

conservatives responded to my tweet the other day by calling me fat, saying I had a booger in my nose, telling me that none of the things I mentioned are happening, and that not being civil equals screaming and/or hate, and that liberalism is the cause. when people say none of these things are happening, in spite of photos, footage & testimony from the border, it reminds me how important it is to find trustworthy sources of information. I have the New York Times and Washington Post, The Guardian, BBC and Al-Jazeera on my phone.

i am a full grown abolitionist. at this moment, abolition is a crucial, non-negotiable stance for those who want to see a different world. adriennemareebrown.net/2018/06/21/abo… abolition is the act of abolishing an oppressive system. when slavery was the law of the land, there was an abolitionist movement.

jedi is actually an accessible state of being – its not about lineage but about humbling self to the force and practicing. #WakandaRebelAlliance relationships matter, the collective matters, no matter how special you are
– rose and finn (from starstruck to accountability)
– basically all of rogue one…play your position, be part of a collective body learning #WakandaRebelAlliance