The idea of people returning to the communities they grew up in brings up questions about why they might do that. Are there unrealistic hopes that we can return to a place where we felt valued and safe? The catastrophic damages from environmental chaos, increasingly severe storms and deadly heat, dominate the news. Feeding fears in the face of the increasing uncertainty and collapse of the systems we have depended on.

This is a letter published in Western Friend Feb 2, 2024, supporting returning land the John Woolman school sat on to the Nisenan tribe.