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January 8, 2025

Dear ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder Community & Supporters of the CHA,

Nourishment. I think about nourishment a lot—in terms of meals to eat (anyone who knows me knows that I think about food A LOT) and what gives me sustenance for my mind and spirit. Music, art, theater, novels, poetry, films, history—these are all things I consume for nourishment. I finished Isabel Wilkerson’s over Winter Break in preparation for my grad class as well as Wilkerson’s visit for the , Thursday, January 16. It was a hard read—because reading about the worst things humans have done to other humans is disturbing and unsettling. But it’s also necessary – we can’t look away from the things that make us uncomfortable, and I think once we know about the horrible things humans have done to other humans, it’s our responsibility to try to make the world a little bit better.��

How do we make the world better? Maybe by simply not being horrible and doing small things that can bring ourselves and others a little bit of peace, perhaps even joy. Hosting a pot luck. Writing a card to tell someone you appreciated something they did or said. Sharing this poem from Joseph Fasano, “,” with your class and colleagues. I don’t do new year’s resolutions, but I am resolved in 2025 to find small moments of joy and to share small acts of kindness with others, especially to help create community.

The CHA book club on Ta-Nehisi Coates’ is one way that the CHA intends to create community in 2025. We distributed over 120 books, and to date over 100 people have signed up to talk about the book—you can sign up for a discussion of both Part I (Chapters 1-2) and Part II (Chapter 3) . And we have 15 books to give away for people who want to stop by our offices during our Spring Office Hours, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10-4pm and get a free copy—which seems like a small act of kindness we can share with all of you.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Ho
Director, Center for Humanities & the Arts

P.S. January 29, 2025 begins the year of the according to the lunar calendar. These are —1965 was the last wood snake year. In keeping with the Chinese superstition I grew up with, I’ll be trying to avoid using scissors or washing my hair on the first day of the new year in order not to cut my luck short or wash away luck (it’s all about luck), and I’ll be making dumplings because it connects me to my family traditions and nourishes me in so many ways.
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