Page 1: Hello Tashina, I realize you might not know who I am. In fact, I’m certain as I just found out about you. I’m researching on behalf of my great grandmother, looking for a long time friend of hers and, through my research, found out that the woman I’m looking for, though long gone, kept her house in the family. And I believe it was then inherited by you. Her name was Josephine Addler and I believe she was best friends with a woman named Ruth Forrest. From the history books, the Year of Fire, the Construction of a New Nation story, that Ruth Forrest. Though mostly, I just knew her as Nana. I could’ve tried to find an email or a number to call, but I was sort of inspired by my great grandmother to write a letter. Letters are how I found out about Miss Josie and her connection to Nana Ruth. They would write to each other, after my grandma moved to Chicago. They wrote pretty sparsely but it was continuous, for years. And then the Year of Fire happened and I think, based on the letters I have that my grandma stopped hearing from your relative. I won’t lie, this letter is a bit selfish as I’m trying to figure out why. But in the interest of making this a fair exchange, I wanted to give you more insight into their relationship, especially since it certainly isn’t covered in any book. It’s always felt weird that people consider my great grandmother a hero or a saint. But the Year of Fire is something we all learn about, especially in my hometown, and it’s not a secret that as most of America burned, my grandmother was there taking action and making change for us. My dad has framed pictures of the newspapers she was in all those years ago. “Ruth Forrest becomes first woman to lead a Black rights group.” “Ruth Forrest leads Presidential Anti Racism task force.” “Ruth Forrest, and Kimunmoto. Construction of a New Nation.” But she never seemed happy to look at them, and I always wondered why as a child. She died, a couple of months ago, and my husband and I were looking through the things she left us. She knew I loved history and left a whole trunk of it to me in her will. There were Hundred and One buttons and flyers. There was a cracked bottle and a brick from the riots. There was a picture of her and Fred Hampton. Not shaking hands. Arguing. And there were about a hundred unsent letters to your relative Miss Josie.