Red Cedar

As a social justice and enviro actvist, community-building has been core to my work for more than two decades. Community in the sense of “like-minded people” mostly, community in the sense of that which sustains those of us outsiders to the mainstream when the going gets tough. A community built in tandem with temporary spaces of resistance, alongside meals cooked group-fashion, in opposition to that who we did not want to be. That is – everyone else.

But almost five years ago now, a fairly cataclysmic event took place amongst a segment of my community, when a number of close friends went to jail in the United States for breaking the law in service to that resistance. The fall0ut from that continues to impact my life in ways I could not have imagined when I read the first newswire report of two activists arrested in Eugene, Oregon – but most clear to me is how much my sense of community has changed as a result. Part of that change involves some reflection on the importance of physical community – that is neighbours and co-workers – both in creating supportive space, but also in solidifying the foundations for social change.

In the last year, Brian and I were lucky to be invited to join a nascent neighbours group in our new neighbourhood. We call ourselves Sunrise Commons – in deference to Hastings-Sunrise, and to the fact that we are seeking ways to create more shared space and ideas amongst those of us who live in our nine square blocks. We are a funny little group – a few households comprised of teachers, small business owners, counselors, labourers, drug policy researchers, bureaucrats, film industry workers, trade unionists and the like. None of sharing exactly the same set of ideas, but all of us wanting to make space for a little more friendliness, safer space, and more ecological awareness in our corner of East Vancouver.

Together, we have managed to wrangle some money for boulevard gardening and an awesome block party that took place in August – but mostly the benefit of the group has been in getting to know more people in the neighbourhood, and giving each other a place to come with a grievance or an issue we want to work on. It’s all very in its formation stages at the moment – so who knows where it will go as a group…. But for me it has really helped to deepen my connection to the households around ours, and when it comes to municipal issues (and grants), it is these physical neighbourhood “communities” that matter at city hall.

In the next year I would like to keep working on my neighbourhood ties, and find ways of increasing community through food growing – whether in a community garden setting, or just in our own backyards. I really understand community best as a function of sharing work (and the resultant leisure), and finding ways to work and dream together is the stuff that makes us whole as a society.

Over at Among the Weeds I have been posting pretty regularly about the various things I have been making. Jams, table napkins, heart mobiles, curtains… it’s been an autumn of sewing, cooking and canning in between union meetings…. and I’m feeling downright happy about making the time for such craftiness. Productivity makes me feel so damn secure 🙂

The last thing I made was last night, and I haven’t had time to post it (nor was I really planning to do so) because it was such a straight forward and quick project. While we were decorating for the holidays over the weekend, I once again noticed the absence of a festive tablecloth since the red jacquard given to me and my ex-husband (thirteen years ago) has seen so many uses that it is now faded and stained. The few times I have pulled it out in the last year, I have had to strategically place napkins over the grease stains in order to make do – but even so, it’s gotten a little sorry looking with time.

Fortunately, I had an excuse to go to Fabricland yesterday because I was taking my mom out to the ferry (by way of Ikea) and decided to stop into the Marine Drive location on the way back. With all fabric and notions 50% off, I very fortunately snagged three metres of red holiday jacquard for a mere $19.50 – almost like the picture you see here, but a little more “scrolly”. Anyhow – I took that home, measured and hemmed it up, and in under 45 minutes I had a new tablecloth for our home! Plus I’ve got enough fabric left over for the coffee table (or napkins if I was so inclined).

Besides a million little householdy sewing projects, I’ve got a yen to do some minor woodworking and have assembled materials for a top-bar beehive, a bed table made from antique fir flooring, and a cutting board with antiqued metal handles. Problem is, I’m not confident with woodworking and have no real idea what I am doing. It’s something I’m going to putter around with this winter, however, since we have most of what we need tools-wise and I’m not afraid to use the chopsaw.

(I’m almost caught up on my Reverb posts! And I have to say – really enjoying the prompts more than I thought I would.)

This year I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that letting go and giving up are not the same thing if you are stronger for the absence of the thing let go. For a long time I have confused the two, hanging onto non-supportive relationships and organizations because I “don’t want to be a quitter” or because I am afraid of being perceived as failing or “losing” an argument.

This year I gave up two very significant political relationships on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Back in the summer, I gave up my intention to run for higher leadership in my union, and as of October I gave up my membership in the Resist! Collective which I helped found thirteen years ago. These have both been difficult and painful decisions to make, given the constancy of both organizations in my life for a long time, but when it came right down to it the frustration of staying in was worse than that of leaving.

Really, both decisions came down to a strengthening in myself – that I really *do* have something to offer, that I really am a hard-working and decent person, and that I don’t want to waste that playing silly games or justifying and re-justifying my existence. Rather, I’d like to be focused on the positive offerings of the world and to operate from where I am truly welcome rather than having to live in continual apology and fending off the negativity of attack politics.

I haven’t let go of my political beliefs, my shop stewarding, my community involvements or my affinity for anarchist media providers… But I have decided to let go of things that aren’t serving me or my activism so well anymore in order that I can be better energized to face what is sure to be a challenging future for our planet (and our class).