Since Covid-19 forced a reshuffling of live for us all, the national conversation has changed yet again. Summerisle stands together with our Black community. We stand united against systemic racism, police brutality, and official/unofficial overreach and oppression in all forms.
Given recent events surrounding George Floyd’s murder and the accompanying worldwide protests, many of us have spoken at length about the appropriateness of holding an online burn right now. We’ve considered how wrong it might feel in light of what’s happening in our hearts and out on our streets.
If a burn were just a party, it would be grossly inappropriate right now. If a burn was all about hedonism, it would feel completely out of touch with where our energies need to be.
But we know that a burn is so much more than that.
We believe that the radically inclusive and civic-minded nature of Summerisle, Virtualisle, and Autumnisle is itself a testament against discrimination and oppression. We believe in welcoming the stranger and eliminating barriers to entry whenever and wherever we see them arise. We believe in lifting up our community and collaborating to make our artistic visions become reality. We believe in the power of transformative change through action to bring about a better world, from our hearts and minds at the burn back out into Camp Defaultia.
Virtualisle can be a vehicle for seeing that metamorphosis happen. Right now so many of us feel a sense of shared hurt and a need for the deepest change. We also have a need to regroup and recharge, to see familiar faces, and to share a smile together. Our community is a culmination of all these things, and more. We invite you to share your hearts and minds as part of this community to reflect, present, connect, and re-energize.
