To be useful in the fight against racial capitalism, white people, and white Jews, must wrestle with our own motivations in that battle. To understand my own stake, I looked to my ancestors.
Reading about your experiences investigating your family's history and examining your own motivations in the fight against white supremacy and capitalism is helping me make sense of my own experiences. Last summer, I dug into my own family history in search of something more than whiteness. What I've found so far is so much wonderful humanity as well as so much assimilation and eventual embodiment of white supremacy. I haven't really known what to do with those two things. "...empathy for their decisions without repeating them." seems like a good place to start. Thank you for writing something that pushes me to re-examine my narrative, history, and motivations.
Zach, thanks so much for sharing this. It has particular resonance for me after reading Isabel Wilkerson's Caste, which discusses how a caste hierarchy adapts to include other ethnic groups. Your ruminations also make me want to ponder more deeply about my motivations for the work I do. Keep sharing your wonderful essays!
Zach, wow. Amazing piece. Your article perfectly captures why understanding our own family histories is essential to locating ourselves within the broader brush strokes of history that shape our current political perspectives and actions. I have a lot of reflection to do about my own intergenerational story of self that undoubtedly informs my strengths and biases as a radical feminist socialist today.
Reading about your experiences investigating your family's history and examining your own motivations in the fight against white supremacy and capitalism is helping me make sense of my own experiences. Last summer, I dug into my own family history in search of something more than whiteness. What I've found so far is so much wonderful humanity as well as so much assimilation and eventual embodiment of white supremacy. I haven't really known what to do with those two things. "...empathy for their decisions without repeating them." seems like a good place to start. Thank you for writing something that pushes me to re-examine my narrative, history, and motivations.
Thanks so much for reading Ryan, and for the thoughtful comment! Hope you are well
Zach, thanks so much for sharing this. It has particular resonance for me after reading Isabel Wilkerson's Caste, which discusses how a caste hierarchy adapts to include other ethnic groups. Your ruminations also make me want to ponder more deeply about my motivations for the work I do. Keep sharing your wonderful essays!
Zach, wow. Amazing piece. Your article perfectly captures why understanding our own family histories is essential to locating ourselves within the broader brush strokes of history that shape our current political perspectives and actions. I have a lot of reflection to do about my own intergenerational story of self that undoubtedly informs my strengths and biases as a radical feminist socialist today.