Currently Reading

This month I’m reading Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, an auto-biographical story that follows the life of political figure Ayaan Hirsi Ali as a young Somali girl growing up during times of war

This month I’m reading Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, an auto-biographical story that follows the life of political figure Ayaan Hirsi Ali as a young Somali girl growing up during times of war between Somali and Ethiopia. This book is intense and at times hard to read but it’s also real. I think that while ICE is out here snatching people from their homes, there’s something grounding about imagining Black little girls in Somali, Ethiopia, and Kenya surviving violence. As a person born into this country, it’s my duty to expand my worldview and recognize the way the U.S. has exploited the Global South as well as contributed to prolonged destabilization of many countries around the world (as they continue to do with Palestine today). I haven’t said it here but want my values to be known: I believe in the liberation of all Black and Indigenous people. I believe in a free Palestine. I believe that we will win.

Here’s some writings from the other morning, Jan 28th 6:16 am

I wake up this morning from my dream of my fears of allowing my emotions to be seen in public and on display. I wake up to my fears realized, that this country is as violent as it’s always been but now it is publicized. Now everyone knows and it’s out in the open.

Currently I’m reading Infidel by Ayaan Hirisi Ali, where she describes her childhood and life growing up in the 1970’s in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Little Black girls playing war games in Somalia, not realizing the violence that they are replaying. What little Black girls are playing out war crimes today? What little Black girls are playing out their families being detained?

I sit in here in the privilege that all of us Americans have, shielded by empire and the “American dream”, more so the American illusion. The illusion that we are distinguished, better, calm, regulated, - that we are not suffering from Empire the way that other countries suffer. We must be more rigorous during this time. We must recognize that this is the way it’s always been but that all the violence is actually just unveiled now. This unveiling is scary. Not because it was not happening in the first place, but now we must wrestle with ourselves and our reality. What are the ways that we are escaping? Who is not able to escape the gaze of Empire? We must be more rigorous for them. We must care for our neighbor. We must care for our children. We must care for our future. We must NOT abandon ourselves and each other.

I awake from a dream that scares me- the dream is about my own jealousy and my true feelings being known and out in the open, unhidden. I wonder-because my feelings and faults are now out in the open, does that make it worse? Is concealment better than visibility?

We must not run to the easiest thing, which is to cling to the lies which we have been fed.

To be honest, we have everything we need which is each other. Which is, your creativity. Your rigor. Your voice. Your action. And guess what?- you’re not alone. The easiest way that Empire will react to uprising, is to continue to feed us the lies that we are powerless against it. Do you know how powerful you are? You are not weak (only in the ways that Empire has taught you to think). You are not powerless. You are here at this time for a reason. Show up. Get active. FREE THEM ALL.

Thank you for supporting. Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts. Also please continue to support the work of Juntos Philly and No Ice Philly!