[Coal Barge, Ohio River, Louisville, Kentucky, 2015]
Along the same lines as thinking that fussing over a Confederate flag will truly address the deep, deep brokenness of this country, last week I tried to remove the visible label from a Coal purple, acrylic beanie my grand-daughter wears. (She loves the color and looks adorable in it.) Really?
The label wouldn’t come off. (Let’s hear it for Chinese workmanship!) So I was forced to, you know, accept, embrace, move on, maybe even consider that by naming their clothing company after a hated fossil fuel, the Seattle hipsters who started Coal were trying to tell us something about moving on, about transformation; rebranding, so to speak.
(Or not. Got into a conversation with a hipster recently about the coffee beans sold at a neighborhood cafe. He’d just bought a bag but had abandoned it on the counter—where I picked it up. I was reading the coffee beans’ label when he showed up to claim his purchase. “Is it fair trade?” I asked, handing it over. “I don’t know,” he answered impatiently. “I just know it tastes good!” )
Here’s where I am: I accept that my attempted label-removal was ridiculous, nutzo. But given that NStar, purveyors of another fossil fuel, just rebranded itself Eversource, thereby discarding that pesky N for natural gas—slick move, NStar, but I say fossil fuel and fracking and the hell with it—I shall remain vigilant!
[I will be on vacation next week. Check this space in 2 weeks.]
Dear Patricia,
Hello, there, Patricia, my so, so very dearly special and dearest, precious white sisterfriend who you are For Always so, so very much! I so love this grandly stupendous blog post article of yours, sister! Sisterfriend, I know what you mean about how just removing Confederate flags without attacking the underlying problems of racism, prejudice, bigotry, discrimination, and racist inequities will not really completely solve the problems. It would be just like putting a band-aid on the problem, Patricia! I so love you so much dearly my sisterfriend Christian, and how you as a good woman of God and as a spiritual and greatly blessed Christian bear witness as you are a spectacular and steadfast, wondrously wonderful white anti-racist woman in your undaunted, courageous, and steadfast allyship and activism in solidarity, sister!!!!!!!! You, Patricia, and your For Always heartfelt bearing witness and being the God with skin just mean so, so very much to me and the world to me, and just do this black woman’s very heart, and very heart, soul, and spirit such greatly eternal, immense, and immeasurable blessings and such great good, my friend!!!!!!!! Thank-you so For Always!!!!!!!!
Being a disabled indigent woman who receives a low, fixed income in my disability benefits with my multiple disabilities it is very difficult to use money in a fair trade way. Sometimes fair trade products are too expensive for my budget but I’ll For Always keep trying and I won’t give up on trying to buy more fair trade products. I feel badly shopping at Wal-mart with their egregious practices but with their inexpensive prices it’s more feasible for me to shop there since I have very little money. My marvelously splendid church where I am a rejoicing and proud member of here where I live in Iowa City, Iowa called Faith United Church of Christ boycotts Wal-mart. I wish that I could as well and participate in this endeavor with my so, so very precious, special, and beloved church friendsfamily at Faith but my dire money situation doesn’t allow me to do so. I even did an experiment twice and bought my groceries somewhere other than Wal-mart. Both times I paid $50.00 more for the same groceries than if I would have gotten my groceries at Wal-mart. I go to Dollar Tree often and get their $1.00 entrees and other stuff I need. Sister, I won’t give up, though, and I will For Always keep trying to buy fair trade products more often and to avoid Wal-mart as much as I possibly can, Patricia. I promise, sister, that I’ll do my very best and that I won’t give up, sisterfriend (SMILE!!!!!)
Patricia, please have a very fun-filled, FUN, FUN, FUN and MORE FUN vacation, a wondrously wonderful Wednesday, and may all of your days be so, so very especially blessed, my friend!!!!!!!
Very Warmly and Sincerely For Always, my dearly special and dearest, precious white sister, Patricia, with Peace and Love To You For Always, my white sisterfriend Christian, with Blessings and Even More Blessings To You For Always,
Your Christian lesbian black sisterfriend For Always in solidarity, Sherry Gordon