If you have never read The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr., fix that today, please. I particularly recommend the audiobook edition. Karen Chilton knocks the narration performance all the way out of the park. Plus, there's this one little detail white folks (like me) don't like to admit: The book is written beyond our literacy … Continue reading “Why you gotta make it about being white?”
CW: child abuse & CSA // Every link here is a song. Enjoy. My parents ran against one another for President in 2016. I could see as soon as my mother became the Democratic nominee that the whole country was bound to lose, no matter who won. As a child I was told, "If anyone … Continue reading Truth No. 2: On the 2016 Election
I believe that transparency is fundamental to Democracy, and fundamental to healthy community building. I hope the organizations who've inspired this post will share this belief, as it forms the basis upon which I write the following in a spirit of goodwill and community healing: Last night I attended my first-ever local Democrats meeting. I'd … Continue reading “We’ve Invited the People of Color. Where Are They?”
For the first time, I've gotten involved in a political campaign. Two of them. I'm learning things about the way our "democracy" is systematically structured against democracy though. Can we talk about what I'm seeing? Observation #1: Non-profits are not allowed to support any political candidate. Observation #2: Many cities and towns prohibit political candidates … Continue reading On Democracy and Our Humanity
Father's Day has been weird for me since I was 4 years old. That it falls on Juneteenth this year gives the weirdness a uniquely ironic twist. I don't have to worry about what I say in a Facebook post because my father already blocked me -- or did I block him, this time? We've … Continue reading On Father’s Day and Juneteenth
Both Indigenous Peoples' Day and National Coming Out Day are dear to my heart. At 14, I first "came out" in Arkansas where my self-extraction from the closet of Evanglical authoritarianism was not welcome. I called myself a lesbian, because I knew I wasn't straight. Then I kept dating boys in high school who usually … Continue reading Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day, National Coming Out Day, and Shiny New Certificate Day.
1999: I was 11 years old, and the Dixie Chicks' opening act was Ricky Skaggs. I already owned his album 'Soldier of the Cross', but apparently the rest of my generation didn't know him so well. The Chicks came out on stage while everyone was bustling about for t-shirts and snacks, and commanded our attention. … Continue reading Redneck Solidarity
The Front Porch 