Before moving to DC a dozen years ago, politics felt completely inaccessible to me. I didn't understand them and besides an anti-war protest or two, I wasn't engaged. DC changed that for me. It was in the process of trying to translate housing policy for people living without homes that the direct link between policy and people's livelihood was crystallized.
The policy changes coming out of DC right now are sweeping and terrifying. But I may be even more scares of how normal my life can feel while so many other people's lives are being threatened. I’ve only been on the road for three weeks, yet it has made me very aware of my own safety and ability to retreat. As a white, financially secure family, current sweeping policy changes are not targeting me, in fact many are in the name of protecting white-American families.
My children travel from place to place, adjusting to new settings daily with relative ease. Sometimes I am in awe of their resilience and other times I am keenly aware of the protections built in for them. They have me everywhere they go. Noone is threatening to take them away from me. And we have been fully embraced everywhere we have gone. People, friends and strangers, have greeted us with their arms wide open, sharing their home and delighting in the joy children bring. I can't help but wonder, how much of this experience and sense of security is because we are white?
Early on in this trip I began reflecting on how place is the backdrop to everything. Politics and policy offer a similar framing for all our experiences and interactions. Framing that is woven so tightly into our daily lives that it is hard to see.
In Oregon, I was in a conversation with friends about changing what is considered normal. How we understand what is normal impacts the messages, intentional or not, that we are passing onto our children about who they can and should be. This is particularly poignant for my white friends who are raising a biracial child in a majority white town. How do we undo the normalization of whiteness in majority white settings, which leaves people of color feeling, different, other and left out? How do we expand the understanding of family structures so foster kids, kids with any configuration of moms and dads and caregivers feel their family is valued?
The thoughts above had me up in the middle of the night when we passed through Boise. We spent Saturday night there and had been welcomed in by my sister-in-law’s cousin whom we’d never met. The kids had a great time playing with a huge box full of dress-up clothes and collecting eggs from the chickens in their yard. In the morning Liz made us a delicious fresh egg omelet and we learned more about Boise. She told us that there is a large refugee population in Boise, whom mostly live in apartment buildings clustered together. Later we learned of the awful attack that occurred that same day in one of those apartments buildings. A knife attack that targeted children and hurt or killed 9 people whose families already fled danger and came to the US seeking sanctuary and reprieve from violence.
We then went to Salt Lake City for a quick overnight. Although short, it was another place that brought me hope. We stayed with our friend Maria who is someone I've always appreciated and really enjoyed getting to know better. Soon after we got there she brought us to the local neighborhood park and splash pad where Annabelle and Ryan played hard and we enjoyed the amazing dinner she had packed. The park was an unexpected treat, filled with people representing many different races and cultures, all playing, exercising and enjoying the beautiful evening together. On this trip we have spent a lot of time in majority white, segregated neighborhoods, towns and counties, so this setting was especially refreshing.
Maria loves her community in Salt Lake City and recently got more deeply engaged in politics, supporting her good friend’s campaign. If elected Shireen Ghorbani would be the first Iranian woman in the US Congress. It made me think of Pramila Jayapal, who is the first Indian American woman in Congress and has been a good family friend for decades. Also Sara Burlingame, who we stayed with in Cheyane, WY and I delighted in getting to know then, is also running for office. Our political system was not originally designed to include people of color, queer people or women. It is heartening to be connected to people stepping in and changing that. Knowing real people in politics also helps demystify it all and opens paths for entry.