for reading, listening and learning with us.

We learned so much from YOU over the last couple of weeks, as you wrote in to share favorite quotes from BIPOC. We look forward to working with artists and illustrators to create new Words of Wisdom that all of us can continue to share. If you are a BIPOC artist or illustrator, or know someone who is, please reach out and share your portfolio or contact information.

Although the Braiding Sweetgrass giveaway is officially closed (for now), there is endless learning that comes from Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer's work. Her book itself exemplifies the circular nature of knowledge and inspiration, a reminder that none of us exist without what came before. 

In her On Being interview with Krista Tippett, Dr. Kimmerer asks (and answers) a vital question: "What does it mean to be an educated person? It means that you know what your gift is, and how to give it."

Many of us live within a family or a society where knowledge of your gift has been suppressed or attempts have been made to erase it. The emphasis on narrow definitions of success, so common in the academic world, and through the foundations - and the continued reinforcement - of White supremacy, can be harmful in the most subtle but dehumanizing ways. If you are still working on acknowledging and getting back to your gift, we hope you will remember that education can be defined in myriad ways. 

In the context of renaming a federal holiday that once celebrated the 'discovery' of the Americas by the Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus, to Indigenous Peoples' Day (first proposed by Indigenous people in a 1977 United Nations Conference, then adopted by the state of South Dakota in 1989, and by the city of Berkeley, California in 1992, before it was voted as an official but temporary national replacement by the DC Council in 2019) it seems like a good time to think about the importance of history, as well as the true impacts of erasure. 

Last week, inspired by Dr. Kimmerer's work, we wrote about the word 'reciprocity', which is defined by mutual benefit. This relates to the need for community, accountability, and balance that benefit our daily lives and reinforce the greater good. But what about the current situation in America, where a tremendous imbalance of taking has been going on for hundreds of years? In that case, reciprocity feels like the bare minimum, and reparation is necessary to mitigate harm.

One book giveaway will not repair the impact of genocide on Indigenous people in what we now call America. As White business owners, we continue to recognize and acknowledge the ways in which we benefit from sharing these words of wisdom - many of the ideas and sentiments rooted in cultures of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. 

As Rachel Cargle, of The Great Unlearn and The Loveland Foundation, reminds us, we must 'choose to agitate' - always ask 'who is benefitting?'; always ask 'who is profiting?'

These questions prompt us to take our work a step further - beyond the 'low hanging fruit' of feel-good words or book giveaways - and look critically at the perpetuation of narrow definitions of education and success. To rebuild a culture that truly values the diversity of the natural world, we must break down how the narrow definitions of education and success play out in the hiring process, down to the deceivingly simple writing and placement of a job post. 

Stay tuned next week for a look into how the language and 'norms' of job posts often eliminate the very diversity we all collectively claim to champion. 

Until then, we'll leave you with one more question to ponder:

"Why is the world so beautiful, is a question that we all ought to be embracing." - Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer

In food, justice, and food justice, 

Dor + Tay


photo by Mary Rosch