1619: “Dispossession,” by Tiya Miles
The intersections and conflicts between Black Americans and Native Americans
Hi Book Clubbers! Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts on last Sunday’s discussion. One idea was to shorten the reflection at the end to allow more time for small group discussion. Another was to lengthen the session to two hours (again: more time for discussion). If you’d like to suggest ways to improve our experience, there’s still time to fill out this quick survey or email me directly.
Before launching into this week’s essay: If you’d like to facilitate a future small group, here’s the sign-up sheet. I’ll follow up with tips and resources.
Welcome to Week 8. Here’s our schedule.
This week, let’s read “Dispossession,” by Tiya Miles. The essay explores the intersections and conflicts between Black American and Indigenous American experiences. Specifically, Prof. Miles explains how the U.S. Government, in its effort to “civilize” Native Americans and take their land, encouraged citizens of the Cherokee Nation to enslave Black Americans.
Native and Black people were “the first and the forced” Americans. These populations share a distinctive history, but at the same time they have faced each other across what has often been a deep divide.
For me, this is the most complex chapter of the book so far. I certainly learned a lot (and was frustrated that much of this history was news to me). My hope is that, if you’re moved, you’ll share some of your thoughts down below in the comments.
This week
Read “Dispossession,” by Tiya Miles.
Recommended: After reading this essay, what are you left thinking about? Please share your contribution in the comments. And say hi to your fellow group members, too, while you’re at it!
Also, please feel free to reach out. All you need to do is hit reply. Let’s build momentum and make this book club a deep and transformative one. Thank you and have a great week!
I live in Cleveland, OH, where only this year, for the first time, are we FINALLY renaming our heinously-known professional baseball team to be known hereafter as the Cleveland GUARDIANS.
This chapter reminds me of the long-sought name change and efforts from so many people here across decades to change the team name. A member of the family that owns of the team is running as a Republican candidate for a US Senator position, and has referenced, in a recent debate, that the name change runs against his personal inclinations and is a matter of a "culture war." (He's the *least* offensive candidate in the GOP field, btw.)
The institutionalized white supremacy that set into systemic policy and practice the pitting of Black people and Indigenous people against each other is barely beginning to be acknowledged in our own era, at last, and the effects are literally as evident and relevant as the merch stands across the street from my office.