As we in this hemisphere move through the fall and into the beginnings of winter, I reflect on those I’ve loved and lost. I reflect on what is composting and hibernating and also coming alive. Witnessing the cruelty of ICE raids and SNAP freezes as the National Guard and the Supreme Court continue to implement white Christian nationalism, I also am holding hope. The November 4th elections in the U.S. proved historical in terms of representation and grassroots campaigns. I am allowing myself to feel celebratory for a moment while also continuing the struggle.
My reflections include digesting my recent and first trip to Ireland. Initially, I’m reflecting on what a privilege it is to travel in the first place, especially as a trans person. I’m also reflecting on what I saw and what I learned. Something palpable across my time in Ireland was significant visible solidarity with Palestine. This came through murals, banners, demonstrations, stickers on electrical poles. Solidarity with Palestinians is rooted in Irish history of occupation by the English. Many Irish people understand settler colonialism not only from their ancestors, but where current day occupation still exists in the North of Ireland.
I learned that saying “the North of Ireland” is preferred to “Northern Ireland.” I learned that Irish Catholic civilians have been targeted by militarized law enforcement, shot in the back, shot with their hands up, eerily echoing centuries of anti-Black state violence in the United States. I was lucky enough to learn directly from a survivor of Derry’s Bloody Sunday as well as a tour guide who was incarcerated for a decade for political crimes.
In addition to political learning, I also learned about human history. Ireland has some of the most notable megalithic art in the world. Ancient Irish made burial mound structures, so expertly crafted that they remain waterproof to this day, approximately five thousand years later. I learned about Pagan history, visiting the first place where Samhain (a Gaelic festival that in part inspired Halloween) was celebrated thousands of years ago.
This trip reminded me that there are vast histories of colonialism, but also vast histories of culture and community. It inspires my continued work to divest from whiteness, a created category, and instead to look to the history within my own lineages that predates white Christian nationalism.
As the days get darker, I am welcoming it. For there is much to be learned in darkness, both literally and metaphorically.
[image description: The historic Free Derry mural in the North of Ireland, updated recently with the colors of the Palestinian flag. It reads: “You are now entering Free Derry. Ireland. Palestine. One world one struggle.”]
