Issue 15: President Obama just shared a video I wrote
#WorldRefugeeDay, a major win for Native communities, and (another!) chapbook update
Dear Strawberries,
Hello!
I’m taking a break this week from sharing new poems / poetry-related content to instead serve a double dose of impact work with my incredible clients. But before that…
Another(!!!) chapbook order update: The good news is, more and more folks are reporting that they’ve received the chapbook(s) they ordered – hooray! phew! For those who HAVEN’T: the publisher told me that all outstanding orders were to go out last Friday. (They promised!!) Please keep me posted on the status, and I’ll do the same if I learn anything new. Continued thanks for all your patience and support and general amazing-ness!
1. World Refugee Day (June 20): We Are Uniting in Welcome
I’ve been working with Soze on a major initiative for Welcome.US, which is part of the largest refugee resettlement effort in US history.
Today, on World Refugee Day, we honor the courage and resilience of more than 110 million people who’ve been forced to flee their homes. We also celebrate the everyday Americans who stepped forward this year to welcome and support newcomers as they rebuild their lives in communities across the United States. Through Welcome.US, you too can provide a lifeline for refugees seeking security and stability, and hoping for a better future.
Here’s our launch video…
…which President Obama(!!!!) just shared:
2. A Major Victory For Native Communities! The Supreme Court Upholds The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)
In previous newsletters, I’ve shared updates on my work with IllumiNative to protect ICWA, a longstanding federal law that is crucial for the health and well-being of Native children, families, and communities. After a challenge from right-wing groups with ties to Big Oil, the Supreme Court handed down a surprising, and extraordinary, decision: ICWA will be upheld in full!
Learn more about this monumental victory for Native communities across Turtle Island (also known as the United States).
3. Recommendation: Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood
I saw a woman on the train reading this, and realized it’s been years since I was recommending this to everyone I know! Big thanks to my younger sister, Mallory, for putting me into this incredible, and incredibly funny, memoir about a woman and her husband who are forced to move back in with her father (who is a Catholic priest) and her mother (who is maybe the funniest person ever depicted in print). Suuuper beautifully written and deeply, achingly hilarious.
That’s all!
With love and thanks and whatever you need to feel nourished this week,
Ben