won’t you celebrate with me
what i have shaped into
a kind of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay,
my one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed.
Lucille Clifton, “won’t you celebrate with me” from Book of Light. Copyright © 1993 by Lucille Clifton.
Beloved Fireweed Fam,
We know the world is in a terrible place and we are sad and disheartened with you. We also have not been OK. In the past few years, our role in the movement has been the holders of pain, and sorrow, and grief and we are honored to do that work. We have made a lot of changes internally so we can do our job better. We have been building our internal capacity so that starting November we are able to offer more webinars and we are launching support groups. We have been wanting to offer support groups for a while and we are very excited that they will materialize soon.
In order for us to do this work sustainably, and to approach this work more holistically, we feel the desire to not only meet you in pain and grief, but also in joy and celebration. Healing not only happens when we talk and process and make practical plans, but also when we have spaces of joy that welcomes all of who we are. We have a clarity that to build authentic and healing relationships we must bind to each other both in the hardship of lived experience, and in laughter.
We know that these are hard times, and they are likely to get harder. We also know that we come from abundant resilient communities, and that as much as we must continue resisting and fighting oppression, stigma and isolation we must also build spaces that allow for radical visioning of what the world can be. Where we center wholeness, healing and interconnected joy.
For these reasons we are going to be investing as much in safe spaces for reflection as in spaces of joy. We invite you to join us in our monthly Queer Dance Parties.
With Love,
Fireweed Collective