“European Mythology as a Remedy for the Amnesia of Whiteness”

with Hilary Giovale

Thursday,  January 23, 2025 at 3 PM Eastern Time  

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In this interactive storytelling session, I will share about the journey that led me to discover that my ancestors were early colonizers and enslavers in what would become the United States.  Overnight, I became aware of my identity as a ninth-generation settler of European descent, whose ancestors have been complicit in colonial violence.  My relationships with Indigenous Peoples and cultures helped me to unpack my own whiteness, including the reality of systemic white supremacy and the ongoing harm of settler colonialism.

I will offer my process of healing that has entailed building respectful relationships with the land and water where I live, practicing ancestral reverence and communication, solidarity with Indigenous-led movements, a commitment to making personal reparations, and co-facilitating this work with white settlers communities.

At the request of my mentors, this journey ultimately led me to the archetypes, songs, and folk practices of my ancient European ancestors.  This session will include discussion about the reclamation of European mythologies, languages, women’s history, and plant lore as a source of strength and resilience for white-identifying settlers who wish to become better relatives to Indigenous, Black, and Immigrant communities on Turtle Island.

*Please bring a candle, a small bowl of water, and some dried mugwort (if possible) to this session.

“This is a profoundly brave book. In sharing her journey, in all its pain, revelation, and imperfectness, Hilary has woven both a reckoning and a calling-home. May her offering embolden many more of us with white settler lineages to do the work of becoming good relatives–work that is essential for a shared future of well-being and liberation.” —Joanna Levitt Cea, co-author, Beloved Economies: Transforming How We Work”

“Hilary Giovale unpacks the legacies of historical harm that continue to afflict American society and shows us a way forward toward healing. Her lens is informed by indigenous concepts that encourage harmony between one another and the planet we call home. This book is for people who want to be better and do better for the sake of generations to come.” —Sharon Leslie Morgan, Founder, Our Black Ancestry and co-author, Gather at the Table: The Healing Journey of a Daughter of Slavery and a Son of the Slave Trade

Hilary Giovale is a mother, writer, and community organizer who lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.  A ninth-generation American settler, she is descended from Celtic, Germanic, Nordic, and Indigenous peoples of Ancient Europe.  Hilary seeks to follow Indigenous and Black leadership in support of human rights, environmental justice, and equitable futures.  As an active reparationist, her work is guided by intuition, love, and relationships.  She divests from whiteness and bridges divides with truth, healing, apology, and forgiveness.  She is the author of Becoming a Good Relative: Calling White Settlers toward Truth, Healing, and Repair.  Learn more about her work here.

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Our next Salon:

Scholar Salon #82, February 6 2025 at 12:00 NOON Eastern Time  

Belonging as Radical Revolution: Navigating the Care Crisis with Ubuntu

with Andrea Fleckinger and Simone Plaza-Finis

This Salon recording will also be available to members when processed after the event.