Hi. I would have loved to have taken your Family History with Imagination course but I missed it. Also U.K. times don’t match. I appreciate part of the course would be discussion and support but wonder if there is enough material to publish a stand-alone course? Or by email? It would be great for international folk and perhaps widen your scope.
Hi Kate, thanks so much for your interest! The things that can come up for people around this work, as I teach it at least, wouldn't lend themselves too well to a self-paced course and are tricky even in a larger setting such as the Family History with Imagination class, which I enjoyed a lot but may not teach again in that way. I do have some other offerings coming up, and I'm still considering ways that I might build a larger community of people who are working with complex family histories. I'm also mindful of the emotional commitment involved in doing that in a way that provides a safe container and not just a triggering one. I'll definitely mention any future public offerings in my newsletter. Again, thanks for reaching out!
Thank you for taking the time to give such a detailed response. It is clear why a self-paced course would be hard. I appreciate that you are mindful of possible triggers in family history - my daughter is adopted so I totally understand.
I am keen for people to start documenting their own history, so their descendants don’t have the same difficulties tracing and understanding their ancestors- which we will all one day become!
That’s going to be an amazing class! I’m happy for everyone who’ll be taking it!
The Guerrero piece spoke to me in so many ways — you could replace the words “Puerto Rico” with “Ecuador” in almost every instance and have my own story. I,too, have a mother who can’t explain to me the mysterious lack of photos of my grandfather and great-aunt. And a mysterious relative who is stubbornly referred to as “the maid,” because she looked Black. And I also grew up exhorted to “improve the race,” a phrase that mystified me for decades of my life, and unaware of my own substantial genetic Black heritage, revealed by a DNA test.
I encourage anyone bewildered by Latin American issues around race to read this article because it really explains the complexity of it with very well deployed historical and personal references. I wish I’d read a piece like this when I was a child.
Mar 28, 2023·edited Mar 28, 2023Liked by Maud Newton
Thank you for remembering my stories! :)
I think it's important that all descendants of Spanish-colonized regions share our similar stories. For the longest time I thought it was particular to my family, and then later, began thinking it was particular to only Ecuador, before finally understanding that it was a post-colonial thing. I was 56 when I found the word "blanqueamiento," but I was only in kindergarten when my mother began saying, "you must improve the race," and only in my early 50s when I met someone else whose mother said the same thing. It was only then that I began to ask around and found more.
"If Maud is this busy and accomplishing so many wonderful things, what in the heck are you doing with your days, Kris?" said no one to herself, probably. A great newsletter read that made me excited for you!
Hi. I would have loved to have taken your Family History with Imagination course but I missed it. Also U.K. times don’t match. I appreciate part of the course would be discussion and support but wonder if there is enough material to publish a stand-alone course? Or by email? It would be great for international folk and perhaps widen your scope.
Hi Kate, thanks so much for your interest! The things that can come up for people around this work, as I teach it at least, wouldn't lend themselves too well to a self-paced course and are tricky even in a larger setting such as the Family History with Imagination class, which I enjoyed a lot but may not teach again in that way. I do have some other offerings coming up, and I'm still considering ways that I might build a larger community of people who are working with complex family histories. I'm also mindful of the emotional commitment involved in doing that in a way that provides a safe container and not just a triggering one. I'll definitely mention any future public offerings in my newsletter. Again, thanks for reaching out!
Thank you for taking the time to give such a detailed response. It is clear why a self-paced course would be hard. I appreciate that you are mindful of possible triggers in family history - my daughter is adopted so I totally understand.
I am keen for people to start documenting their own history, so their descendants don’t have the same difficulties tracing and understanding their ancestors- which we will all one day become!
That’s going to be an amazing class! I’m happy for everyone who’ll be taking it!
The Guerrero piece spoke to me in so many ways — you could replace the words “Puerto Rico” with “Ecuador” in almost every instance and have my own story. I,too, have a mother who can’t explain to me the mysterious lack of photos of my grandfather and great-aunt. And a mysterious relative who is stubbornly referred to as “the maid,” because she looked Black. And I also grew up exhorted to “improve the race,” a phrase that mystified me for decades of my life, and unaware of my own substantial genetic Black heritage, revealed by a DNA test.
I encourage anyone bewildered by Latin American issues around race to read this article because it really explains the complexity of it with very well deployed historical and personal references. I wish I’d read a piece like this when I was a child.
I thought of you so much when I was reading that piece!!
Thank you for remembering my stories! :)
I think it's important that all descendants of Spanish-colonized regions share our similar stories. For the longest time I thought it was particular to my family, and then later, began thinking it was particular to only Ecuador, before finally understanding that it was a post-colonial thing. I was 56 when I found the word "blanqueamiento," but I was only in kindergarten when my mother began saying, "you must improve the race," and only in my early 50s when I met someone else whose mother said the same thing. It was only then that I began to ask around and found more.
"If Maud is this busy and accomplishing so many wonderful things, what in the heck are you doing with your days, Kris?" said no one to herself, probably. A great newsletter read that made me excited for you!
Kris, you are such a peach! You are busy doing Kris things, which are important. I really do miss seeing you on Twitter. <3
It's not a usage I can imagine for myself either!