Rage is a mentor.

Dear Ragers, 

Rage serves as a complex, multifaceted teacher. Whether through endurance, grief, injustice, crisis, or transitions, rage is a magnet. How we harness it and its lessons depends on the framework. 

What is rage to you?

How do you acknowledge rage?

What are examples of how you express and process rage?

What has rage taught you? 

How has rage healed you?

In this space, I will be talking about navigating pressure, discomfort, uncertainty, insecurity, imposter syndrome, sexism, patriarchy, and White (and Whyte) Supremacy from multiple perspectives and lenses. 

Politics

Femininity 

Parenting 

LGBTQIA+ 

Anti-racism 

Leadership

Coalition building

Healing

Before we go too much further I want to level set. Know that this is an unapologetically safe and celebrated space for trans, nonbinary, and gender queer folx. Trans people are sacred. Full stop.

There is a lot of advice online on how to build a successful platform for writers. Finding a niche is one of the top pieces of advice given. The harder I try to narrow a focus the more I see the overlap, intersections, layers, and nuanced complexities there are in lived experiences. Because of that, I am willing to do an experiment. I have a hunch that there are folx out there who are interested in dialogue and storytelling about the mashup of a multifaceted life and the lives of others. I have a sense that there is a longing to dig into and connect with others who are also living nuanced and complex lives. 

As a white cisgender, bisexual woman, I will center my own experiences, my whiteness, and continued learning. I have not arrived anywhere to be clear. I have humbly learned from many who were open about their learning, mistakes, and growth to unlearn white supremacy, internalized misogyny, the gender binary, and detangling from the patriarchy. Rage has fueled much of this process. 

In honor of my 50th birthday a couple years ago, I gifted myself with a beautiful tattoo with the phrase, “Rage is a mentor.” Females are not supposed to talk about being angry, let alone rage. Black women face this more punitively than any other group. Rage is an emotion that the patriarchy has assigned to men and even boys. I don’t know about you Dear Rager, but I have been suppressing my internal rage since I was a girl and spent a lifetime working to deconstruct myself from societal, family, teachers, coaches, bosses, and intimate partners’ expectations. 

Warning, I swear unapologetically and often. I raise my voice when I am passionate about a subject or situation. I have practiced getting over my discomfort of openly sharing my opinions, especially when it’s in disagreement or opposition to someone else. I frequently say to people, “Be angry. Be angry at the right thing.” Channel that anger to understand the source of what you are fighting. Who is able to address it and make changes? 

As a storyteller, I believe deeply that our stories ignite change. They can create an awakening individually and collectively. Use your story. If you don’t tell your story, who will? 

Our stories are the most powerful tool we have to create change. It’s a secret sauce to connecting our humanity to others. We need more connections to humanity. Storytelling is an ancient practice, very often a sacred one. There is so much designed to keep us distracted and isolated from one another. Our stories disrupt those distractions. They instigate imagination, curiosity, and empathy. Welcome to this space. If you are seeking connection, curiosity, and authenticity please join me to see where this goes. 

Thank you for giving me a little of your time. I hope you come back. My door will be open.