Activist Xan Joi holds book reading at Westminster College

Activist Xan Joi's vegetable oil powered box truck has traveled 400,000 miles across the country since 9/11. Though Joi started off with messages of anti-war and peace, her truck now promotes ending racism, sexism, poverty, violence against women and children, greed, and torture.
Activist Xan Joi's vegetable oil powered box truck has traveled 400,000 miles across the country since 9/11. Though Joi started off with messages of anti-war and peace, her truck now promotes ending racism, sexism, poverty, violence against women and children, greed, and torture.

Activist Xan Joi brought her vegetable oil-powered box truck to Westminster College on Thursday to discuss her new book.

The self described "radical, anti-racist, feminist, lesbian, activist" author read sections from her book "But What Can I do? A handbook for change: My Self, My Community, My Country" in the Reeves Library. The library's public service and circulation specialist, Olivia Bailey, wanted Joi to speak as a continuation of the college's "banned books week" that took place during the last week of September.

"I wanted to highlight how important it is in a healthy civil society to have a free exchange of ideas," Bailey said. "Maybe you don't agree with everything you just heard, it's just the fact that we can have these discussions and learn about each other."

Since 9/11, Joi has traveled more than 400,000 miles across the country spreading the messages inscribed on the sides of her box truck. Though she started with a focus on anti-war and pro-peace messages, her truck now promotes ending racism, sexism, poverty, violence against women and children, greed, and torture.

"I knew that (President George) Bush was going to take us to war, and I originally just wanted to spread the message of 'Thou shalt not kill,'" Joi said.

During her book reading, she emphasized ending racism, promoting feminism and effectively utilizing privilege. She referred to the quote "grab your privilege like a bat and swing it at injustice, racism and misogyny" many times throughout the discussion.

She touched on sections of the book that urged Americans to make sure to be aware of the county's "real history" and how to identify propaganda. She went into specifics to begin identifying the differences between things that are "American" and "un-American."

"When we know our history, we can stand up and say, 'This is American' and 'This doesn't have to be American,'" Joi said.

Joi, originally from Iowa, now resides in Berkeley, California, when she is not traveling in her box truck. She finished her discussion by encouraging those in attendance to take one action each day to help end various types of discrimination.

"I think this is the most exciting time to be alive and be human on the planet because, right now, we have the opportunity to save life on our planet," Joi said.