So, I’m still 36 and relishing the anniversary of my birth. Here’s a check-in around my three goals: to quit smoking, to practice gratitude, and to support the kickass work of Smart Meme, a grassroots story-based strategy center.
1. Hours since my last inhale of carcinogens: 44
2. Decolonize Oakland
I am grateful to live in my adopted city of Oakland. Right now, as I type, the General Assembly of Occupy Oakland is considering whether to change its name to Decolonize Oakland. It’s a recognition that the word occupy is problematic, because it’s a reference to how white settlers from Western Europe landed in this continent, colonizing the land and peoples they encountered. One of which were the Ohlone peoples, who lived in Northern California, along the coast from San Francisco on down to the Big Sur. To create an equitable world, for the 99%, we must first acknowledge the history of colonialism and racism that has disfigured the landscape and extinguished our peoples. Only then can we move forward, to build the world anew.
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Yvonne Yen Liu is a nerd for the racial justice movement. She lives in Oakland, California. You can write to her at 
