An exciting and inspiring reading/gathering/discussion was hosted here at HardScrabble Solutions on Sunday, July 15th by Xan Joi, a Berkeley, California-based author and self-proclaimed radical Jewish and white lesbian anti-racist womonist/feminist.  Roughly one dozen Aroostook County residents and their children attended and partook in stimulating conversation with true regard for enacting positive change for our communities.

Joi shared stories and wisdom found in her new book But What Can I Do? gained from her experiences driving around the country over 400,000 miles since 9/11 in her veggie-oil powered box truck.  Self-published, But What Can I Do?, presents alternative narratives for official histories and contemporary issues of significance to disenfranchised and marginalized peoples.

All four sides of Joi’s “radical ride” are mobile billboards emblazoned with large, pointed anti-war, anti-violence, pro-peace, pro-empowerment missives, making it easy to interact with folks!  

Presque Isle residents and tourists were engrossed in the messages of Xan’s truck, stopping to read and photograph all sides.  She provided peeks inside where her living space is situated complete with a kitchen.  

Xan shared her stories of these interactions and understandings with both the ‘choir’ and the ‘other’. Her wisdom and expertise have grown out of over 60 plus years of experience and activism.

“Today, as we collectively face the threat of impending annihilation – this time of our entire planet and not ‘just’ a race, land or a country – and as we reel from the results of the last presidential electoral college appointment, many people are feeling the intense pain of ‘waking up’ and the critical need to engage in some kind of action.”

“But What Can I Do?” offers some and inspires other answers to that very question.

Follow Xan Joi and her musings by reading her blog: Code Pink Journals.  There, you will read of the multitudes of encounters Joi experiences across America with people of all walks both friendly and hostile to her presence.  

Categories: NewsWomen

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