This place is an overwhelming, alienating, cesspool of negativity these days. I pick and choose what I engage with and leave. And there is a lot going on, so much trauma, isolation, and collective grief, that the cracks are showing. And yet, there is a lot to appreciate still.
My engagement here has been focused on collective trauma and community for it has been a harrowing year on top of the pandemic. If you have been following along, reset and reckoning have been at odds. I have been disappointed, vulnerable, and sick of complacency and indifference.
As I said earlier, there is more to me than this which is a sad thing to say and lacks self-compassion. We are more than our trauma and grief and there are layers of it and life keeps hitting with more and more to deal with.
There is silence, lack of allies in my circles, and complacency. I have not been shy to address it for it hurts, but when people remain silent, pain and trauma become performance art. It is jarring, that. But there is community and sisterhood in these cracks and what joy!
Tonight I want to talk about Armenian women: their friendship, resilience, their capacity for hope and renewal, their initiative and community building. Some are friends, others I know through their work and I admire and champion as they guide us and help us make sense of it all.
@GoldenTent: a stalwart champion of human rights and democracy. Ani has been a long target of Azeri trolls and lobbyists, and her pinned tweet says it all. An inspiration.
@_adrineh_: A dear friend. Many of our interests intersect! My first Toronto pal whom I met in person. Adrineh has spoiled me as an uber city guide. She just rocks it! An astute observer, kind, and a fellow art geek.
@kavakian9: Kohar is full of grace and wisdom. An anthropologist’s dream. She embodies her trifecta of identities - Black, Indigenous, and Armenian - with joy and wonder amidst such trauma, racism, disenfranchisement. I cherish her insights and learn from her daily. Our queen.🤍
@LianaAgh: Liana tells stories that are just below the surface but often unheard. She weaves together portraits of communities and traditions that remind me how vital storytelling is in this age of alienation. Her Dining in Diaspora food ethnography project reconciles home to me.
You can follow @lifeindiaspora.
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