For twenty-five years I have been thinking about, discharging on, and leading on being from the United States. I recently discovered a new-to-my-awareness but old pattern of imperialism and dominance. In recent reports from Africa on the RC lists a writer spoke about how a person visiting her country from Italy had brought the virus there, infecting many people. I realized something for the first time—that in my years of travel outside of the United States, especially to Asia, I was careful to get shots and medicines to prevent me from getting sick but never once thought about what disease I might have been bringing to those places and people.


I have also noticed that it has been challenging to convince many USers to stay home [during the coronavirus crisis]—not just so they will not get sick but also so they will not infect others. Even though I have followed that instruction, it was initially hard for me to understand that my action of staying home would not only help me stay healthy, it would also help me not to spread the virus to others.


I will keep discharging on never having thought—until now—about the possibility of infecting people who live outside of the United States when I travel.


I’m also aware that many Indigenous people died from diseases brought by Europeans to what is now the United States. Some of my European ancestors came to this continent in 1734.