In "honor" of Columbus Day...

So posting has been a little light in the last week or so -- between prenatal appointments and trips to Seattle to see Margaret Atwood (MARGARET ATWOOD! Who signed my book!) and trips to the pumpkin patch and grades being due soon, I've been caught in that place between having a lot to write about and not giving myself the space in which to do it.

But I've been meaning to post this link for awhile, and I really encourage you to check it out. My friend Nikki is one of three contributors at Irene's Daughters, and it's one of the most worthy reads I can recommend. I keep trying to come up with something even remotely adequate to say about it, and I keep failing miserably. They write about exploring race relations, systemic racism, and prejudice, and they encourage open and honest discussion, which is something we really need. It's really, really difficult to discuss race in this country. It's hard and uncomfortable and really easy to get defensive, because let's face it -- we've all got some baggage, and that can be pretty tough to confront. (Write the word really a few more times, Shari!) I feel like I'm just about ready to stick my little toe in the water, and this is perhaps a pretty good place to start.

I would say you should take some time to read through all the entries they've posted, but let's face it, we exist in the era of Facebook-style "blogging" and no one seems to have the attention span for much more than single-sentence updates these days. I do, however, want to at least point you in the direction of one of the earliest entries: A Beginner's Guide to Anti-Racism for White People. Start with that, and go from there.