Gratitude when it's dark ⭐

"Let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars."

Hi everyone,

In about an hour the

illoguild

is meeting for our monthly live (sign up here).

I hope to see you there, because we’re talking about gratitude. Every month we write about a specific topic, but I didn’t submit a post earlier this month. I wasn’t feeling very grateful about the outcome of the US election. I tried writing a few times, but nothing useful was coming out.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have kept a list of things that I am grateful for, so I’d like to share those with you before today’s live. It’s more political than my usual posts, but it is important to me that my community here knows where I stand.

So here are some things I’m grateful for (through the lens of post-election blues):

• The 73 million Americans who voted for Kamala Harris (48.3% of all votes)¹

• The right to vote.

  • In the US, although white women gained the right to vote in 1920, all women did not gain this right until 1965.²

• Freedom of speech.

  • I am grateful that I can post this Substack and freely express that I voted for Kamala Harris. I can freely say that I am angry about the result, and that I am worried for my country under a second Trump presidency. Sure, some of us might get into arguments over our conflicting beliefs, but I am safe to express my opinions so others know where I stand. And because I can do this, and because others can do this, we can stand up for our beliefs together, which leads me to the next item on my gratitude list…

• Those in the kid lit community who speak up and act

  • I am grateful for the libraries, schools, and stores who continue to promote banned books.

    • “In 2023 alone, the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 1,247 efforts to censor books and other resources in libraries—an increase of 65% from the year before. In total, 4,240 unique book titles were targeted, many of them representing LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC voices and experiences.”³

  • I am grateful for agents and publishing houses who look to create books from a diverse community so that all children can see themselves represented in a variety of ways.

  • I am grateful for artists who use their platforms to empower others.

• My community

  • I am grateful for my community. I expected unfollows on instagram after posting political content, and I expect some unfollows here. But shockingly, my followers on instagram did not change, so I feel grateful to be in a community of people—creatives, writers, artists— who share my values. I’m grateful for all of you. Together we’ll use our art and voices to make this world a better place.

It can feel challenging to be grateful when angry or disappointed or confused. I still feel all of those emotions, but I also feel hopeful after listing some people and things I am grateful for, so if you’re feeling down, I invite you to write one thing you’re grateful for in the comments. I imagine it will create hope and strength for all of us. 💪

Here are the closing remarks from Harris’ concession speech:

“And I'll close with this. There's an adage a historian once called a law of history, true of every society across the ages. The adage is, only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.

I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here's the thing, America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a billion brilliant of stars.”

- Kamala Harris⁴

kamalaharris

A post shared by @kamalaharris

See some of you in about an hour for illoguild live, and to everyone else, let’s keep the hope alive and be those shining, brilliant stars,

Katie

1. The Associated Press Election Map

2. Between Two Worlds: Black Women and the Fight for Voting Rights

3. Banned Books Week

4. Read Vice President Kamala Harris’ Full Concession Speech