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Land Acknowledgment: We acknowledge that this beautiful land that we call our home was forcibly and violently vacated of its original and rightful caretakers, the Iswa (Catawba) and AniKituhwa (Cherokee) peoples who have lived as relatives to the land for millennia and, through resilience and persistence, despite generations of state-supported acts of removal and genocide, continue to do so. We also acknowledge that the systems we benefit from and participate in are built upon generations of stolen lives and labor of enslaved Afrikan peoples and their descendants. Our intent in this acknowledgment is to strive to be adequate guests and occupiers of this land for its return to Black and Indigenous hands, and liberation from so-called “real estate” and land “ownership”. The ideas of Doctrine of Discovery, Manifest Destiny, and seeing the earth and all inhabitants as merely capital to be exploited, have ravaged peoples, cultures, and ecosystems for far too long. Learn more about the Indian Removal Act that dispossessed entire peoples while continuing to benefit us, as the settler-colonizers who live here today. Learn about and support the Cherokee peoples in Oklahoma and North Carolina. Learn about engaging Beyond Land Acknowledgment.

Colin and Lou in conversation during August’s more intimate gathering.

September Outdoor COVID-Safe Gathering

Please join us this Wednesday, September 15th at our home at 34 Blue Ridge Avenue, Asheville from 6pm to 9pm. Unfortunately, nationally and locally, COVID 19 cases and the spread of the Delta Variant are not improving, with healthcare systems in some areas overwhelmed and scrambling for resources. While cases continue to mainly occur among people who are unvaccinated, breakthrough cases are occurring among a small percentage of fully vaccinated people. Please refer to the CDC and the NCDHHS for the latest information and data. Current guidance includes a recommended “booster” vaccination for immunocompromised individuals.

We cannot wait for official guidance to best take care of our community. While government response has been sluggish and continues with an “open for business” mindset, we choose to proceed in the spirit of an abundance of caution.

**As with last month, this gathering will be modified to minimize potential droplet exposure.**

1. We will continue to gather outside.
2. Instead of sharing dishes as with a traditional potluck, we ask that if you plan to have supper, to pack a personal picnic for your own pod.
3. We ask that individuals wear a mask when moving about in case distancing is not possible, until you can be stationary in seating/gathering areas.

We will provide an assortment of single serving beverages.

Our hope is to maintain the sense of community that these gatherings bring while also keeping vigilant for one another during this ongoing pandemic. If you’d like to call or video call in during this time, Gabriel will also make himself available for a chat. Please leave pets at home (service animals excepted). To keep a comfortable distance, and with consideration for very young and otherwise more vulnerable people, it will be still be capped at 40. Please RSVP by following this link if you plan to attend.

Masks will be available, along with plenty of space outdoors, and outdoor hand-washing station.

We welcome neighbors, friends, colleagues, and other people interested in or involved with concepts of sharing housing, end of life work, and how they could fit together. Come together to form and strengthen connections. Meet new people; expand and deepen your community.

The grounds include a paved driveway, and while navigable by wheelchair, the yard pathways are grass with some uneven areas. There is a ramp into the house for bathroom access. Continue to wear a mask if needing to use the bathroom inside.

(While there are a few parking spaces right next to the house, please reserve this for people needing to park close. Please do not park on the grass – there are fig trees planted there. There is a Baptist Church on the corner of the next street over, Mitchell Ave, and Haywood Road, that has a large parking lot 0.2mi from the house. There is also street sparking on Haywood Road. The house itself has a ramp that can be used by people who use a wheelchair to get into the main floor of the house if needed; all activity of the potluck will take place outdoors.)

Screenshot of Americorps NCCC deployment map, with a red dot indicating the current location of River 4, on the border of Kentucky and Indiana.

Holding Space to Welcome River 4, Americorps NCCC

Preparations abound for River 4’s arrival September 27th. We will host this Americorps NCCC team for 3 weeks as they complete accessibility projects in our spaces, as well as partnering to complete projects with other community organizations, such as the Carolina Memorial Sanctuary and US Forest Service. We look forward to working with these 10 young adults, aged 18-24, from across the country and share with them some of the concepts of living and dying and supporting community through end of life that Holding Space strives for. This time will be mutually beneficial for everyone involved!