Down with Damage

    When I read Eve Tuck’s “Suspending Damage: A Letter to Communities,” it really made me stop and think about the stories I tell about myself, the people around me, and the communities I’m part of. Tuck talks about how a lot of what gets written or talked about when it comes to marginalized groups focuses on what’s wrong: the pain, the trauma, the loss. She calls this damage-centered thinking.

    I realized how easy it is to fall into that mindset, even with good intentions. When we focus only on what’s broken, we start to see people, and maybe even ourselves, as broken too. It’s like the struggles become the whole story, and all the beauty, creativity, and strength get pushed to the side.

    Tuck offers another way to look at things, what she calls a desire-based approach. Instead of asking, “What’s the problem?” we can ask, “What are people dreaming of? What are they building? How are they showing love and resilience every day?” It’s not about pretending pain doesn’t exist, but about making space for what’s possible too.

    As I think about it, I realize I’ve been defining myself by what’s gone wrong, not by what I hope for. I often measure my progress by what I’ve survived instead of what I’m working toward. Reading Tuck’s letter makes me want to tell different kinds of stories about myself and others, ones that still acknowledge the hard parts but focus more on growth, care, and imagination.