Habari gani, folks? (By the way, this is a "traditional" Kwanzaa greeting meaning "What's the news?" in Swahili!) Today we celebrate Ujima, a Swahili word for "collective work and responsibility." This speaks to the multi-faceted, intersectional nature of our shared struggle. Inequality (and white supremacy) is a hydra that targets groups with different tactics, but … Continue reading Kwanzaa: Ujima / Collective Work and Responsibility
Category: Better Living Through Stories
Kwanzaa: Kujichagulia / Self-Determination
Habari gani, everyone? Today's principle is kujichagulia, or self-determination if Swahili isn't your thing. Right after ensuring we're united with our kin in common struggle, the ability to "define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves" is the most essential principle. For most of us living in subcultures, we intrinsically know the … Continue reading Kwanzaa: Kujichagulia / Self-Determination
Kwanzaa 2021: Kuumba (Creativity)
Facing the challenges of the next 20 years is going to require some ingenious creativity on our part. The government’s response to climate change, pandemics, wealth inequality, crippling debt, institutional racism, and revitalizing urban blight has sent a clear message we should embrace going into 2022: we’re on our own, and it’s up to us … Continue reading Kwanzaa 2021: Kuumba (Creativity)
Kwanzaa 2021: Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
The Fantastic Mr. Fox opens with the titular hero plucking an apple fresh from the tree beneath a clear golden sky, listening to a song about the King of the Wild Frontier. It ends with Mr. Fox admiring the artificial stars on the genetically-modified apple glinting in the fluorescent light of the supermarket that has … Continue reading Kwanzaa 2021: Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
Kwanzaa 2020: Umoja
Hot take: achieving unity is an active effort that requires us to see the virtues in others and the flaws in ourselves.
A Worker’s Prayer
After a couple of months out of work, it feels really good to be gainfully employed again. To respect the privacy of this secret burrow location, I won't say exactly where I'm working. But I can say that what I'm doing now adheres to the practice of "Right Livelihood," which means I'm not making my … Continue reading A Worker’s Prayer
Iceman, Vol. 1: Thawing Out (Review)
If you're one of the original five X-Men and your name isn't Jean Grey or Scott Summers, chances are you've got a bum deal. Angel is mostly known for having his wings torn off and replaced by cybernetic ones as one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen. Beast was arguably most popular during his stint with the … Continue reading Iceman, Vol. 1: Thawing Out (Review)
We Need To Talk
The season five finale of Steven Universe felt like a perfect encapsulation of what makes the show so great -- it made a case for its themes and worldview while acknowledging just how difficult it can be holding to those views. Steven, and the family of Crystal Gems he's built, have often struggled to navigate … Continue reading We Need To Talk
I Resolve to Suck This Year
Being a writer with an anxiety disorder is a hell of a thing. Writing is already a really difficult endeavor; those of us who can't imagine doing anything else with our lives likely have a pantheon of influences and beloved authors that have shown us just how powerful the written word can be. But our … Continue reading I Resolve to Suck This Year
A Letter Of Intent
2018 was a challenging year for a whole lot of different reasons. The biggest, of course, is the challenge of watching our society continue to fracture and become more acidic under the "guiding hand" of the Trump Administration. The frequent attacks -- from all quarters -- against people of color, QUILTBAG individuals and allies, religious … Continue reading A Letter Of Intent
From the Desk of Jakebe T. Rabbit 