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On Biden and why you must do something

By Shay | July 14, 2024 | 0 Comments

In 2019, a dear friend was working as the Maine state director for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. I wasn’t initially sold on Bernie as the potential Democratic nominee, but over time, I decided to support the Sanders campaign and even ended up volunteering on the campaign. Then COVID hit and upended the primary season, and we ended up with …

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Don’t lose hope

By Shay | July 9, 2024 | 1 Comment

I just got off a phone call with a fellow writer friend and former teen mom, who is now in her 40s. It was one of those calls where you plan to hop on for a few minutes, but you look up and realize you have been talking for well over two hours. I love that kind of unexpected, spur-of-the-moment …

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When a hatemonger passes on (or, America’s most MAGA dad is no more)

By Shay | June 29, 2024 | Comments Off on When a hatemonger passes on (or, America’s most MAGA dad is no more)

I have been writing about racism for over two decades now. When I started back in 2003, I never could have imagined that my occasional submissions for local publications would end up altering the course of my professional trajectory and turn me into a low-level public figure. It had always been a dream to write and be paid for it. …

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Be the change: The non-profit world needs you

By Shay | June 22, 2024 | Comments Off on Be the change: The non-profit world needs you

I fear this will be one of the rare times where my age shows as I grapple with sounding very like a “get off the lawn type.” However, in recent weeks, I have found myself realizing that our world is really shifting and while some of the not-so-great shifts we are seeing are the result of lackluster leadership globally, denial …

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“Bad Boys” and the slap that still reverberates

By Shay | June 13, 2024 | Comments Off on “Bad Boys” and the slap that still reverberates

The echoes of The Slap still ring through the online halls and in people’s minds. You know what I mean by “The Slap” right? I’m sure most of you do, anyway. It’s probably gonna be many years before too many people forget what it was and who is attached to it. But, for those of you who have forgotten, or …

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From Black Lives Matter to Jim Crow 2.0

By Shay | June 6, 2024 | Comments Off on From Black Lives Matter to Jim Crow 2.0

The problem with progress is the assumption we make that it will always continue moving forward—but the truth is that progress requires diligence, attention, and not getting complacent. For over two years, I worked out several times a week with a personal trainer, specifically working on weight training. Late last summer, I decided that it was time to work out …

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The uncertainty of whiteness

By Shay | May 23, 2024 | Comments Off on The uncertainty of whiteness

Growing up, my parents only had a few hardcore rules that were ingrained in me early in life. Among them was: Don’t ever bring home a white boy. If you ever saw my TedX talk from years ago, you know that my father grew up in rural Arkansas as one of 16 children—and my grandparents were sharecroppers. My father grew …

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“Uncle Joe” needs to lay off the rap and the pandering

By Shay | May 20, 2024 | Comments Off on “Uncle Joe” needs to lay off the rap and the pandering

So, President Joe Biden is trying to ride the coattails of Kendrick Lamar to humiliate Donald Trump but—more importantly—to try to win over Black people. Sit with that for a moment while I fill you in on backstory. Even though it’s all over social media, and I find it hard to believe that many people are left who haven’t heard …

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The world is on fire: Is it okay to rest?

By Shay | May 10, 2024 | Comments Off on The world is on fire: Is it okay to rest?

Prior to 2020, it never occurred to me—as a near-lifetime career activist—that one could simply be too overwhelmed to stay active in the work. I mean sure, life happens, but we simply must go on. Right? After all, that had been my operating style for decades until 2020.  When my mother died in the spring of 2004, I immediately returned to …

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Anti-whiteness does not mean being “anti-white”

By Shay | May 10, 2024 | Comments Off on Anti-whiteness does not mean being “anti-white”

Too many people assume that my sentiments against “whiteness” mean that I don’t like white people. Far from it. I like and love all sorts of people, and I’ve had wonderful relationships both platonic and intimate with people who are white. My problem is that whiteness is a whole other thing from being white. Whiteness and “white culture” are tied …

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On Biden and why you must do something

By Shay | July 14, 2024

In 2019, a dear friend was working as the Maine state director for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. I wasn’t initially sold on Bernie as the potential Democratic nominee, but over time, I decided to support the Sanders campaign and even ended up volunteering on the campaign. Then COVID hit and upended the primary season, …

Read more

On Biden and why you must do something

By Shay | July 14, 2024

In 2019, a dear friend was working as the Maine state director for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. I wasn’t initially sold on Bernie as the potential Democratic nominee, but over time, I decided to support the Sanders campaign and even ended up volunteering on the campaign. Then COVID hit and upended the primary season, …

Read more

Round Up

A curated list of relevant articles & a peek into what Shay's reading

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Members only get a peek into what Shay's reading and wants to share.

Sample Round Up

By Shay | May 29, 2022

Happy Friday! It’s a gorgeous day up in my corner of the world and way too beautiful to be writing a blog post today. So I present you with the Friday Round-Up a list of blog posts this week from other bloggers that blew my mind. Perhaps if you need to kill some time or have a quiet moment you can check them out. http://ravingblacklunatic.blogspot.com/ Check out this cat, I have been a fan of his work forever. http://www.whataboutourdaughters.com/ Good stuff here as well http://sweetersalt.com/ A Maine blogger who talks fashion and food…the best of both worlds http://paganchild-starmommy.blogspot.com/2011/03/keeping-focused.html A new blog that offers words of wisdom for all of us. http://mscleaver.com/ Another Mainer who for Lent is giving up pants, she is also a crafty gal If you have any links to good blogs, feel free to leave em. It’s my hope to make the Friday Round Up a regular feature at my new home specifically I would live to shine some light and love on smaller bloggers. It’s hard out here in this blogosphere with so many good blogs to choose from and so little time so let’s help everyone get a slice of the pie. I will be back on Monday, at that time I will unveil some ideas I have around monetizing things but You May Also Like: No related posts.

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