Reflections from Libertroph Magazine’s Virtual Launch Party
Have you ever seen a group of 30-40 people gathered on Zoom, most of whom are white, sharing stories about racial healing and repair? And not stories about people of color healing from the harm we and our ancestors have caused, but our own healing. Stories of white people taking tangible steps to repair our spirits, families, and cultures from what has happened to us over generations of assimilating to white culture and enacting racial violence.
For a full hour on July 11, Libertroph’s budding community laughed, expressed affirmation, dreamed of new possibilities for our families and communities, and even cried tears of hope.
Our in-person print debut party will be a bit different – less structure, more food. But with just as many laughs and stories shared in community.
You are invited to join us in NYC on the afternoon of September 13 to celebrate the launch of Libertroph Issue 01 print edition! Learn more and RSVP here!
Our July 11 digital gathering happened to take place the day after a full moon, so we decided to start the readings with Elizabeth Woodson’s poem, Moon Day. It starts with the poet innocently expressing her lifelong love for the moon, and then takes us on a journey through ritual and ancestral memory that feels full of wonder and magic.
By the way, the next full moon is on Sept 7 and you can recreate Elizabeth’s full moon rise watching party! See instructions in the poem.
In the chat, other folks shared how they are remembering their ancestral ways:
After the poem, one of our co-founders interviewed Margery Freeman and David Billings, whose 2012 interviews with Sandy Bernabei are featured in Libertroph Issue 01. They reflected on what it has taken them to be embedded in the anti-racist movement over generations, raising children in a principled, anti-racist way, and inspiring countless people to organize from a place of joy and community. Inspired by their shares, others called their loved ones and inspiring ancestors into the space via the chat. Some names that came up:
By this time in the gathering, our Zoom room was full of spirit, love, and connection. The perfect setting for Elizabeth Woodson to wow us into tears with a reading of her incredibly powerful essay on how she is stewarding healing in her family 12 generations after they arrived on this land and began enslaving people from Africa while violently taking over indigenous land. In her essay, Elizabeth reminds us:
“Our most powerful options for changemaking are the choices that we make every day within ourselves and with the “white” people and institutions we’re in relationship with.”
Inspired by that charge, we rounded out our chat shares with a question on how we each hope to approach our daily choices.
What an honor it is to hold space for such a warm, compassionate community. We can’t wait to see you all in person on September 13, and to continue co-creating a new world for years to come.
Onward,
Alyssa + Julienne