The past few years on 1 Jan, my family and I have partaken in what has apparently become a traditional dinner of Everything Left in the Freezer. This year, it was pierogies, fish sticks, chicken strips and roasted Brussel sprouts. I’m not sure what it says, metaphorically, about starting off a new year by eating a bunch of old stuff you’re trying to get rid of, but it was delicious. And this year, it was particularly helpful because I had spent all morning, and most of the “break,” organizing a campaign against a dangerous complaint filed by ACLU-DE against the Delaware Department of Education.

The complaint, filled with ableist rhetoric and inaccurate, eugenicist talking points, is backed by a special interest group; it stands to harm parents’ informed choices about deaf education in the state and set a dangerous nationwide precedent. If you want to learn more about the issues at hand, I have a lot of material saved in my Instagram highlights, and/or you can read (and sign!) the petition here.

As of this morning, the petition has nearly reached 20K, I’ve collected DE-specific feedback from over 50 families, and the ACLU-DE has pulled their complaint to “review community feedback.” We’re not out of the woods yet, but I’m hopeful the ACLU will weigh the feedback with the degree of seriousness warranted for a situation that can determine so many children’s futures.

All of which is to say, while I was slowly morphing into My Cousin Vinny, my plan to send you end-of-year book recommendations fell by the wayside. So instead I present to you: Everything Left in the Freezer, Brain Edition: