Happy New Year!

(Are people still allowed to say that 10 days in?)

Dear Troublemakers,

10 days into the New Year, are people still talking about resolutions? Nevermind talking about them, are we still doing them? Are we still getting up early to work out, or to actually wash our faces before bed, or to eat out less? Are we reading more + scrolling less?

I recently learned about something called habit-stacking - where you take an existing habit and add whatever new one you want to that. Maybe every morning you always make yourself a cup of coffee; is there a new habit you could add to that so it doesn’t get forgotten? So now while you wait for your coffee you read the book you left out on your counter for exactly this moment, or you use your counter to keep you balanced for a few stretches. I don’t drink coffee so these don’t apply to me :) but you get the point.

I would love to invite you to add habit stacking to your justice work as well. Maybe you are like my friend who looks at zillow daily. Could that remind you to look into housing policies in your community, or to read an article or book on red-lining? Or maybe every time you get groceries you spend the time waiting in line to find a local food bank to donate to - either financially or through your time.

Whatever you do, I hope it is part of your resolve to commit to the work of justice and antiracism no matter what the date on the calendar says.

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A FEW MORE THINGS FOR YOU THIS WEEK…

Am I sad that Hallmark Christmas watching season is over? You know it! Did the series finale of Insecure make me feel a lot better? Absolutely! (Have you watched the finale? The hour long doc after the finale? Sooooo good, y’all.)

The past few weeks have been filled with so much grief. In December we lost the beloved gift of a human that was bell hooks and then on the very last day of 2021, Betty White left us. And then this week, the legend that is Sidney Poitier. May we all be comforted in what has been a season filled with loss and grief, both publicly and privately.

Thank you, Karamo!

WEEKLY WISDOM

“Without justice there can be no love.” - bell hooks

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Stay wild and holy and free.

- Austin