I'm so happy to tell you that Kristie and I have bought our first house! We'll be spending the first few weeks of 2021 moving into our new home, and I can't wait. (Miles is excited too!)
We've spent about a year looking for a house to buy in our area, and let me tell you, searching during a pandemic proved especially challenging. I'm so grateful to our realtor Becky for (sometimes literally) holding our hands throughout this process.
I want to acknowledge the history and current practices of wealth disparity in this country. As a white person, I've benefited from the discriminatory implementation of the GI Bill and intergenerational wealth that made this home purchase possible. If you want to know more about wealth gaps due to the implementation of the GI Bill, redlining, and "40 acres and a mule" –– and info about reparations –– explore these links:
I want to acknowledge the history and current practices of colonialism, treaty violations, and government-sanctioned land theft in this country and other colonized countries. As a white person, I've benefited from settler colonialism that made this home purchase possible. Our new home is on Pocumtuc land. If you want to know more about activism efforts and the indigenous landback movement –– like Land Defenders' ongoing and important work to close Mount Rushmore –– explore the resources below:
Searchable Map of Indigenous Lands
A Call For Reparations: How America Might Narrow The Racial Wealth Gap
A Call For Reparations: How America Might Narrow The Racial Wealth Gap
I want to acknowledge my deep gratitude to my dear friend Katy for rising to my request for help navigating the writing of this post with her emotional energy and thoughtfulness, and by providing the resources I'm sharing now. Her support as we worked on this together as two white women is helping me hold myself accountable in decolonizing how we as white people approach and understand home ownership.
I'll be back soon with pictures and projects from our new space.
