"From Cotton to Cold Suburbs" by Aaliyah Henrie In Support of Stand with Minnesota
Getting to know someone through the things they make is one of life's greatest gifts. It is both immediate and intimate; a sort of secret shortcut to their interior world. You get to see how their brain works, and feel what makes their heart ache. Their imagination made real- A connection to that invisible, pure-consciousness energy that flows around and through all of us. It is the antidote to the superficial, skin-deep, narrow minded judgements that plague our ability to evolve.
So it is with great pleasure I introduce you to Aaliyah Henrie- a writer, mother, wife and advocate who lives in Minneapolis. The following piece is from her self-published book Color Theory: Surviving shades of racism, silence, and self. We'll be featuring a lot more of Aaliyah's work this year- Her combination of unflinching truth and generosity of spirit feels very essential right now.
From Cotton to Cold Suburbs
Aaliyah Henrie
I am the living thread between what was picked and what was passed down
My ancestors stood in cotton fields
so I could stand cul-de-sacs.
They prayed under open skies
so I could live under vaulted ceilings
and wave at neighbors
who smile but look their doors.
I am half white-
raised in the in-between,
in a world where I belong to both sides
and yet neither fully claimed me.
My husband is white.
Our son, a kaleidoscope of lineage-
a mix of history and hope,
carrying roots that once warred with each other
and now sit at the same table.
But love doesn't erase legacy.
And marriage doesn't melt memory.
Because even when I am wrapped in love,
I still feel the weight of what came before.
My grandmother's mother
picked cotton with hands that cracked.
My grandfather fought in wars
for a country that wouldn't seat him at the table.
Now I attend baby showers
with cucumber sandwiches
and quiet, clean lawns
and people think racism is a past tense word.
The world calls this "progress."
But progress doesn't forget.
It remembers.
I've walked the hallways lined with privilege
while hearing echoes of the past in my chest.
I've eaten from both kitchens-
white casseroles and Black cornbread.
I've been the bridge between sides that rarely meet.
I've had to explain myself
in rooms that want me to choose one half of me
and politely bury the other.
But I am the proof
that we are made of more than one story.
That bloodlines don't cancel each other out-
they complicate,
they converge,
they create.
From cotton fields
to cold suburbs,
from whispered prayers
to loud resilience,
from broken roots
to building something new-
I carry it all.
And I plant better wherever I go.
Across Minnesota, ICE continues to stop, harass, and detain people regardless of their citizenship status. Normal life in Minnesota has been interrupted, as schools have been forced to close or go virtual, as people live in fear of leaving their homes or going to work. Minnesotans are organized and activated to respond to this violence. But they need our help.
This directory of places to donate to all comes from activists on the ground, plugged into the situation. Everything is vetted, with the exception of individual GoFundMes (not everyone is in our networks, and we don’t want to pick and choose who is worthy of help.)
... And if I may be so bold, I'll gladly weigh in on who is worthy of support: It's "Stand With Minnesota." The site is so incredibly comprehensive, with real opportunities to support real people who are under attack. I urge you to not let your only news of the ongoing crisis come from the cyber-ghouls on social media. It's a disservice to the victims, and a missed opportunity to support those fighting for them. -M.A.
"Paint a perfect picture, Bring to life a vision in one's mind" - P.R.N.
A call to action, commonly known by the initialism CTA, is a strategic marketing tool designed to spur an immediate response from an audience, guiding them toward a specific action.
NNH began with the (perhaps naive) hope that it could be of service to folks who needed it. I wasn't exactly sure who that meant- Was it the potential readership? The Mutual Aid groups that would be featured in each post? Or other creative types (equally fed up with the constant "me at the center" paradigm required by our Tech Overlords) looking for a place to get weird and do some good.
SO, if you're out there- whomever you may be- Let me know. Leave a comment. Click a link. Tell a friend. Pitch an idea. Do anything to feel less alone in the world.
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