As we are gathering to collect the lost recipes in our culture, Ri and I agree community is a recipe that's been lost for quite some time now. It's time we preserve this together, as a community.
Our community muscles have been in atrophy for some time. Community often approached with selfish interests, that invoke phrases like “doesn’t it take a village?” when things don’t go our way; without recognizing that building community IS the sacred work. It comes with its ups & downs. That damn euro-individualism has been a major player in our move away from what it means to be in community. Even with all that we still ain’t off the hook, the question still remains…“whether we are ready to wake the hell up, to gather again, and do the work.”
Thank you both for this piece. It served as a much needed mirror, showing me that I have not been as involved in building or maintaining community lately. And reminded me the many different ways being in community can look.
We can also be better for you right now too. This is the time we would be bringing you and the baby meals, diapers. We didn’t even have a baby shower. So ease up, we all can be in community better with each other. I think this was the perfect reminder that it takes intentional effort. In my experience, you’ve BEEN in community for over a year now. We are locked in, but maybe new members don’t know who you are yet. 🫶🏾
🥹🥹 thank you Jacquie for this comment. You have no idea how you just made my day with it 😩 I can’t wait until our paths can finally cross irl. You are the dopest. ♥️🖤
I needed to read this today. When I walked away from an abusive marriage and Christianity, it’s felt like just me and my kids. I have longed for community and am grateful to be in this one.
So many good points about how many choose convenience over commitment. But with all this shit happening, we need to be committed.
As far as my role… seeing as this is a community of Black writers using their words to heal, protest, educate and more, it only makes sense to serve by way of teaching and editing to get those words published and in print. Preferably in physical form and not always digital since they out here altering digital books 😒
All love to you for leaving. I also left an abusive relationship and found myself having to rethink what community meant for me and my role in it. It took a few stumbles, but I do believe I’ve found it.
And this space is definitely part of that. I can’t wait to see more of the physical print. It’s more than necessary with what we’re dealing with.
Community means you have to be willing to be an inconvenience (and inconvenienced). Community lives in late night phone calls, showing up when you’re tired, opening your home when it’s not clean and perfect, or doing favors without the expectation of immediate reciprocity. This feels like it’s been lost upon us. But ire slowly re-emerging: in quiet back yard kickbacks, black owned yoga studios, and community teach ins at our local coffee shops. i love it and i crave more of it. this was a really great read!
Didn’t it? I read Ri’s essay and I thought of the poem. And at that point I knew I would need to sit this one out, because the message was delivered. If you have Assata’s book it’s one of the last poems.
The PDF is in the Blackstack Salon September replay but I realized it didn’t have the full ending. But I’ll try to get an updated version soon. I was blessed to be able to purchase my personal copy from the Black Panther Party Museum here in Oakland. It’s titled, “Assata: An Autobiography” if you want to check some of the bookstores. Everyone is selling it I believe.
I highly recommend keeping an eye out for her book at Friends of the Library stores, thrift shops, and other places where books are often donated and sold. Support a Black-owned bookstore by buying a copy from them. Act now, because this book is about to become scarce and very hard to find.
I have a full .pdf copy that I can offer for "fair use." I would provide it here, but I want to respect the advice of the other posters. I'm not trying to cut into the profits of any black owned businesses. However, I am happy to offer it upon request.
This was so eloquently put. love the notion of children being at the center of community because it’s absolutely true. Without childhood and without childish optimism, we don’t have a reason to hope for anything. That kind of optimism is required in order to imagine a better world. Thank you for this reminder.
Thank you both for this for putting this out. Reading this made me think back to a convo I was having with my hg's...and one of them posed the question- what's the cost of community? And it led us deeper into discussing EXACTLY what's mentioned in this- labor, a willingness, and convenience. And if that hasn't gripped me, I don't know what has. It made me wrestle with this desire for intimacy, but then doing the opposite of what it takes to really get and be in it.
Can gladly say "leaning in" is a cost/price I'm willing to pay. because it feels good (GREAT actually... even when it's uncomfortable).
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I’ve noticed that modern designs often discourage community. Many newly built homes lack porches. As a child in rural America, we would sit on the porch and wave at every passerby. A simple wave 👋🏾 could spark community connections.
I love this because you’re right! I loved sitting on a porch & still love a good porch. It was how a lot of convos started or even having people from the neighborhood just walk up to your house and ask to sit with you.
Oh wow, that’s such a great observation! I grew up in NYC, where most of the buildings on my block were apartments & our stoops definitely served as porches lol. I have so many memories of the grown ups hanging out on the stoops, watching over the neighborhood kids until it was time to go inside for dinner. I miss those days. Everyone looked out for each other and made sure everyone stayed safe. We need more of that now… especially nowadays.
I’ve been saying for a while now that getting back to community is the only way we as Black people are going to feel whole again. This piece spoke to everything I’ve been feeling lately. Community is protection. Community is legacy, and it’s how we’ve always kept our knowledge. I’m glad to see others are trying to get back to the same things.
Community is something I have always been missing, not having much as a child, not knowing what it was like to have close family or real communion.
Learning how to engage with it now, with it being something we so deeply need — yes we have to show up. If we want it, we need to build it, connect, feel… together.
This piece reflects all I have been thinking, at the same time it opened my sight to things I could do better at building a village. At some point we've all lost it at individualism, figuring things out ourselves, not considering the wisdom in unity and fellowship especially with the right people. Starting today, I'll take conscious actions to create space for us.
Thank you for this kind of piece of work! I’ve been speaking a lot about how community is the main ingredient for us, period. For our mental health, physical health, careers, etc.
As someone who grew up around community and have struggled tremendously building community as an adult this was very insightful to read. I wish we all as the new adults had this take to come together more it’s so well needed especially more now than ever.
I live abroad & even if I didn’t in-person is really difficult cuz of my chronic illness, but this is such an important mssg - I try my best to do what I can online, but seems like most ppl been embracin their toxic era for a min now!
I love this OMG! I recently had to write a lyrical analysis essay for my eng class, and I chose the song "No More Old Men" by Chance the Rapper and it explores this same idea. I think this was eloquently wrote and it is like what are the odds I see this today, and I just turned in my paper discussing the same theme in song format just a few days ago.
Our community muscles have been in atrophy for some time. Community often approached with selfish interests, that invoke phrases like “doesn’t it take a village?” when things don’t go our way; without recognizing that building community IS the sacred work. It comes with its ups & downs. That damn euro-individualism has been a major player in our move away from what it means to be in community. Even with all that we still ain’t off the hook, the question still remains…“whether we are ready to wake the hell up, to gather again, and do the work.”
All of this! I’m not sure where an individualized movement was ever agreed upon, but it just doesn’t work like that and never have.
As I read this I just nodded my head smiling, because YES! You hit all the nails on the head with this one!
Thank you both for this piece. It served as a much needed mirror, showing me that I have not been as involved in building or maintaining community lately. And reminded me the many different ways being in community can look.
We can also be better for you right now too. This is the time we would be bringing you and the baby meals, diapers. We didn’t even have a baby shower. So ease up, we all can be in community better with each other. I think this was the perfect reminder that it takes intentional effort. In my experience, you’ve BEEN in community for over a year now. We are locked in, but maybe new members don’t know who you are yet. 🫶🏾
🥹🥹 thank you Jacquie for this comment. You have no idea how you just made my day with it 😩 I can’t wait until our paths can finally cross irl. You are the dopest. ♥️🖤
I needed to read this today. When I walked away from an abusive marriage and Christianity, it’s felt like just me and my kids. I have longed for community and am grateful to be in this one.
So many good points about how many choose convenience over commitment. But with all this shit happening, we need to be committed.
As far as my role… seeing as this is a community of Black writers using their words to heal, protest, educate and more, it only makes sense to serve by way of teaching and editing to get those words published and in print. Preferably in physical form and not always digital since they out here altering digital books 😒
All love to you for leaving. I also left an abusive relationship and found myself having to rethink what community meant for me and my role in it. It took a few stumbles, but I do believe I’ve found it.
And this space is definitely part of that. I can’t wait to see more of the physical print. It’s more than necessary with what we’re dealing with.
Community means you have to be willing to be an inconvenience (and inconvenienced). Community lives in late night phone calls, showing up when you’re tired, opening your home when it’s not clean and perfect, or doing favors without the expectation of immediate reciprocity. This feels like it’s been lost upon us. But ire slowly re-emerging: in quiet back yard kickbacks, black owned yoga studios, and community teach ins at our local coffee shops. i love it and i crave more of it. this was a really great read!
Oh that poem preached! 🥺🤎
Didn’t it? I read Ri’s essay and I thought of the poem. And at that point I knew I would need to sit this one out, because the message was delivered. If you have Assata’s book it’s one of the last poems.
Where can I find her book?
The PDF is in the Blackstack Salon September replay but I realized it didn’t have the full ending. But I’ll try to get an updated version soon. I was blessed to be able to purchase my personal copy from the Black Panther Party Museum here in Oakland. It’s titled, “Assata: An Autobiography” if you want to check some of the bookstores. Everyone is selling it I believe.
I highly recommend keeping an eye out for her book at Friends of the Library stores, thrift shops, and other places where books are often donated and sold. Support a Black-owned bookstore by buying a copy from them. Act now, because this book is about to become scarce and very hard to find.
Thank you for adding sources, Teneele!
I have a full .pdf copy that I can offer for "fair use." I would provide it here, but I want to respect the advice of the other posters. I'm not trying to cut into the profits of any black owned businesses. However, I am happy to offer it upon request.
This was so eloquently put. love the notion of children being at the center of community because it’s absolutely true. Without childhood and without childish optimism, we don’t have a reason to hope for anything. That kind of optimism is required in order to imagine a better world. Thank you for this reminder.
Thank you both for this for putting this out. Reading this made me think back to a convo I was having with my hg's...and one of them posed the question- what's the cost of community? And it led us deeper into discussing EXACTLY what's mentioned in this- labor, a willingness, and convenience. And if that hasn't gripped me, I don't know what has. It made me wrestle with this desire for intimacy, but then doing the opposite of what it takes to really get and be in it.
Can gladly say "leaning in" is a cost/price I'm willing to pay. because it feels good (GREAT actually... even when it's uncomfortable).
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I’ve noticed that modern designs often discourage community. Many newly built homes lack porches. As a child in rural America, we would sit on the porch and wave at every passerby. A simple wave 👋🏾 could spark community connections.
So from my virtual porch, I say, "hello!" 👋🏾
I love this because you’re right! I loved sitting on a porch & still love a good porch. It was how a lot of convos started or even having people from the neighborhood just walk up to your house and ask to sit with you.
Oh wow, that’s such a great observation! I grew up in NYC, where most of the buildings on my block were apartments & our stoops definitely served as porches lol. I have so many memories of the grown ups hanging out on the stoops, watching over the neighborhood kids until it was time to go inside for dinner. I miss those days. Everyone looked out for each other and made sure everyone stayed safe. We need more of that now… especially nowadays.
I’ve been saying for a while now that getting back to community is the only way we as Black people are going to feel whole again. This piece spoke to everything I’ve been feeling lately. Community is protection. Community is legacy, and it’s how we’ve always kept our knowledge. I’m glad to see others are trying to get back to the same things.
This hits deep.
Community is something I have always been missing, not having much as a child, not knowing what it was like to have close family or real communion.
Learning how to engage with it now, with it being something we so deeply need — yes we have to show up. If we want it, we need to build it, connect, feel… together.
Wonderful piece, very well written ✨
This piece reflects all I have been thinking, at the same time it opened my sight to things I could do better at building a village. At some point we've all lost it at individualism, figuring things out ourselves, not considering the wisdom in unity and fellowship especially with the right people. Starting today, I'll take conscious actions to create space for us.
Thank you for this kind of piece of work! I’ve been speaking a lot about how community is the main ingredient for us, period. For our mental health, physical health, careers, etc.
As someone who grew up around community and have struggled tremendously building community as an adult this was very insightful to read. I wish we all as the new adults had this take to come together more it’s so well needed especially more now than ever.
I live abroad & even if I didn’t in-person is really difficult cuz of my chronic illness, but this is such an important mssg - I try my best to do what I can online, but seems like most ppl been embracin their toxic era for a min now!
I love this OMG! I recently had to write a lyrical analysis essay for my eng class, and I chose the song "No More Old Men" by Chance the Rapper and it explores this same idea. I think this was eloquently wrote and it is like what are the odds I see this today, and I just turned in my paper discussing the same theme in song format just a few days ago.
I would love to hear more about that paper! It sounds amazing!