The Unlearning journal

This is my journal of unlearning the racist history I was taught, my own racist attitudes, and the racist habits that a lifetime of living in the “smog” of systemic racism. This is meant, mostly, to be a space to hold myself accountable to “the work” and for white folx who are also on this journey.

I encourage anyone who finds use in this to also seek out the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) voices who are graciously sharing their lived experiences and invest in their work.

My son, Finch, at a Black Lives Matter protest in NE Portland in June 2020. He was born with a great deal of unearned privilege and the goal is to raise him with antiracism in his heart and soul. Hopefully alongside a generation of other kiddos rais…

My son, Finch, at a Black Lives Matter protest in NE Portland in June 2020. He was born with a great deal of unearned privilege and the goal is to raise him with antiracism in his heart and soul. Hopefully alongside a generation of other kiddos raised the same way have all the tools to tear down white supremacy culture.

Elizabeth Doerr Elizabeth Doerr

Thanksgiving Reflections on Settler Colonialism

This year where we’ve paused all the routines that we know has opened up space for larger reflection. This is especially true for reimagining what Thanksgiving is and means to us. For me, I’ve been going through a deep dive into unlearning my settler-colonizer habits and learning about real U.S. history that involved the systemic genocide and erasure of Indigenous people, and reflections about how I can be a better ally.

Here I share what I’ve learned, what I’m doing, and what I intend to do. Perhaps this can be helpful for other settler-colonizers working to become better allies to Indigenous people.

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Elizabeth Doerr Elizabeth Doerr

Settler-Colonialism and the Apocalypse

For the last week, we've existed in a kind of constant dusk. We haven't left the house (except Cory to go to work) and the moments we have to grab something from outside, we dash out for mere seconds. And even then, the toxic nearly-500 AQI air wafts into the house leaving a stinky cloud of smoke lingering.

It's hard not to think that with all of this—gestures wildly—that we're on the cusp of The Apocalypse.

But...and this is a big but, we F-ing did this to ourselves. And, more importantly, we did this to indigenous communities not that long ago by systematically perpetrating genocide just so that we could live on land that we wanted. And by "we" I mean settler-colonizers.

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