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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 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.

October’s podluck had a wonderful group gathered into the night. We will try earlier hours this month to take advantage of daylight, and have a fire pit for those interested as it gets dark!

November “Pod”luck Earlier Hours: 4pm-7pm

Please join us this Wednesday, November 17th at our home at 34 Blue Ridge Avenue, Asheville from 4pm to 7pm, as always informal drop-in style. Please refer to the CDC and the NCDHHS for the latest information and data on the ongoing pandemic, and ways to protect yourselves and community.

We will continue to hold the podluck with these modifications:

1. We will continue to gather outside. Please come prepared/bundled up as necessary!
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 or pod groups, or easily sharable snacks.
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. Fire pit, tabletop patio warmers will be up and running.

If you’d like to call or video call in during this time, Gabriel will also make himself available for a chat at our Holding Space number (828) 414-8086. Please leave pets at home (service animals excepted). Please RSVP by following this link if you plan to attend.

Masks will be available, along with plenty of space outdoors, hand sanitizer.

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.

The grounds include a paved driveway, and while navigable by wheelchair, the yard pathways are grass with some uneven areas. There is a wooden ramp into the back of 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. All activity of the potluck will take place outdoors.)

Map from WLOS showing resettlement sites for Afghan evacuees in North Carolina.

40 Afghan Refugees to Resettle in Asheville

The effects of this summer’s events in Afghanistan have been felt locally, as Catholic Charities, one of the agencies taking responsibility for the resettlement process, has identified Asheville to receive 40 evacuees. Local news outlets have described the situation. There are immediate needs that have been identified by Catholic Charities to help welcome and build a foundation for new arrivals to be successful. The various needs in our local communities and society may seem overwhelming, but we are encouraged by the good we see in efforts at addressing those needs as we struggle to take care of and support one another, in sometimes new and creative ways. Please reach out to us as well if you’d like to learn about other direct ways to get involved.