I want to talk about a book I am reading and how it has me spiraling...

But before I do, I need to draw your attention back to an article I wrote about Octavia Butler a few months ago. In that article, I talked about the way that Black elders have cleverly passed down our histories through stories. For instance, the reason that so many people look at Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower as prophetic is because that story is such a thorough exploration of the past, that it was able to give us an accurate and haunting look at the trajectory of our country. And that is something you will see often in Black literature. Especially dystopian and historical horror.

Which brings me to today's book.

I started reading The Reformatory by Tananarive Due for my bookclub, Left Unread Bookclub, and it is incredible. I am only 56 pages in and I am already shaking in my boots (not metaphorical. I am currently wearing boots). Let me tell you a bit about it!

The Reformatory is a Jim-crow era horror story following a young Black boy who has been sentenced to six months at a school for boys after striking the son of a local well-to-do white man. And to make matters worse, Robbie finds out he has the ability to see haints (ghosts). Which means that he is locked away in an institution that only exists to punish and kill Black children with the ability to see the dead...

As I said before, I am less than 60 pages into this monster of a book (pun intended), so this is not going to be a review of the book itself, but rather my thoughts as I read. Though, I will say that this is an example of truly masterful writing. Tananarive Due is a brilliant wordsmith and the way that she strings sentences together is honestly mind-blowing. Within two chapters, I was already sitting with my back against my bedroom wall to make sure that I had a full view of every possible direction someone could approach me from. When I tell you I am terrified, I need you to take me seriously. But in addition to being an incredible storyteller, I am also finding that Tananarive's writing reminds me strongly of Ms. Octavia's work. Not just in its brilliance, but in its ability to transport us directly into the past.

Over the last few days, I have found myself spiraling more often than not. Our country was already heading into the bad place, but now, in addition to all of the horrors that have already started unfolding, our president and the head of our Department of Health and Human Services has promised to begin a war on disability.

I know that feels unrelated but stay with me. Our government is looking at disabled children--and their disabled parents--and asking, "how can we make them less disabled?" I don't know about you, but I hear eugenics in that line of questioning. And then add to that the fact that they are:

• Making a connection between developmental disabilities and violence

• Acknowledging the way these disabilities disproportionally impact Black youth (because they have less access to resources)

• Calling the increase in diagnosed cases of Autism and ADHD a grave threat to our nation

What I hear is an effort to present disability as a threat to our country and...well...a symptom of "wokeness".

When you and I see more people being diagnosed with disabilities, we see an increase in access to proper healthcare. We recognize that the disabilities always existed and now more people have access to the education and healthcare necessary to recognize them. But the picture being painted by others is that these disabilities are being handed out as a way to weaponize children against the "system". That they do not, in fact, exist and are just being abusively assigned to people to spread lies about systemic inequality. And if we take an honest look at history, I think we know where that line of thinking is heading.

Which brings me back to The Reformatory. As I read this story, I am haunted not only by the horrors that my ancestors (and by ancestors, I mean like...my grandparents) faced. But I am also haunted by the fact that our oppressors never let go of the weapons they used against them.

Colonizing forces have always attempted to prevent future resistance by separating their next generation of victims from the histories and spirit of their last victims.

In my nightmares, I look at their proposed "wellness farms" as the newest iteration of reformatories, residential schools and--more recently--detention centers and prisons. But it could just as easily look like criminalizing mental health care and/or wokeness as child abuse. It could just as easily look like privatized education and inescapable religious indoctrination. Or even segregated schooling to address the violence being assigned to Black and brown children. I don't know the tools that will be used, but as I look back, and listen to the agendas being talked about by our government representatives, I can't help but be afraid that under the surface, there is a brewing effort to "dewokefy" our children. Which, if history is to be believed, usually looks like policies meant to villainize our identities and separate our children from our influence.

Before you accuse me of fearmongering, I want to make it clear that my goal in this article isn't to make you afraid. It is to point out the importance of paying attention and objecting loudly from the start. Because we don't HAVE to head this direction. We could do something about it.

When I read books like The Reformatory, I am reminded that nearly all suffering is the direct result of the world not standing in the way of the very first effort to dehumanize others for power. Which means that perhaps we can mitigate some of tomorrow's suffering by refusing to tolerate those efforts today.

We know that if we do not learn from the past, it is destined to repeat itself. But what I want us to really sit with is the fact that we can avoid more than just history's worst moments. We can avoid it all. We can put our foot down right here at the beginning and refuse to comply with any of it.

Anyway, that is what has me spiraling this week. What about you? How are you holding up as we head toward the bad place? Let me know in the comments something you did this week to keep yourself healthy and capable of having joy!

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