Story & Lesson Highlights with Brianna Wheeler of Portland proper

Brianna Wheeler shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Brianna, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Who are you learning from right now?
Right now, I’m learning from journalists who have reported on the Palestinian genocide, Black anti-fascists, civil war historians, and the storytellers in my own community. We are seeing the logical outcome of unchecked capitalism and patriarchal subjugation. We are witnessing a conquering empire exhaust a planet’s resources and inevitably turn against itself. Now is the time to witness, to preserve our arts and culture, to gather in numbers and to speak truth to power; to reference the blueprints that were written for us, and continue those blueprints for the next generations.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Brianna Wheeler. I am a news, arts, and culture reporter and an award-nominated author in Portland, Oregon. My first book, Altogether Different, is a memoir about legacy, inheritance, and the raid that started the American Civil War. My journalistic MO is platforming marginalized voices and celebrating the vibrant creative landscape of Portland, Oregon.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis following the release of my memoir. In the years of work it took to complete, I could feel my brain battling against my body to finish not only my book, but also meet weekly news deadlines for multiple outlets, be a present parent to a special needs child, present partner to my husband, cook, clean and and maintain my home, and tend my relationships with my close friends and family. When rest was what my body needed, I ignored the need and kept working, because regardless of where I am or what I’m doing, work is intertwined fiercely with every facet of my existence. Eventually, my body demanded rest by developing an autoimmune disease that flares under stress. It could have ended my career, but instead, I took the lesson: it doesn’t matter how much I love my work or how critical I believe my work to be, if I don’t listen to my own body when it’s telling me that I am doing too much, my work will kill me. If work is life, life must also be work, and a balance must be found
I suppose that while I’ve gleaned amazing lessons beyond my wildest dreams from so many lauded authors, speakers and journalists, my neurologist taught me the most about my work and how it can affect me in the long run.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
if I could say one thing to my younger self, I would tell her I love her and that everything I do as an adult is in the service of making her proud.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
My foundational truths are pretty standard: trans rights are human rights, free Palestine, no one is illegal on stolen land, feminism is for everyone, gender is a social construct, housing is a human right, capitalism is a death cult that serves the few and subjects the masses, and community is the most valuable aspect of humanity. The stories we tell to preserve our culture and history are the only true and lasting currency.
But I live in Portland, where those views are basic enough that they don’t often require articulation.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I deeply understand that America is an idea, not a place. The United States is a hodgepodge of feelings, fears, and ideas in a nation-shaped trenchcoat. It’s tribal land that welcomed immigrants fleeing persecution, only for those same immigrants to enact the same persecution on those who welcomed them. America is nonsensical. It’s new and it’s ignorant in its youth. America is a work in progress, currently gatekept by miseducated editors, a group project that will take several more drafts to perfect. We, the people, are the architects of this nation, but not the shareholders. But we can change it. A utopian future is possible if we subvert the levers of power to serve the many, rather than the very few.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.briannawheeler.com
• Instagram: @briyonceflipy
• Linkedin: @briannawheeler
• Youtube: @beigesandstorm
• Soundcloud: @beigesandstorm

Image Credits
Craig Philippe
Heather Castrogiovanni Jones
Patricia Padilla