Kyle Rittenhouse. Not guilty on all charges. I am shocked, but not surprised. I draw a line between the two. Surprise often leads to shock, but I have often been shocked without the slightest surprise. Something needs to be unexpected to surprise me, but I can see something coming a mile away and still be shocked by its arrival. Like …
Last week’s election was surprising. Maybe surprising isn’t the right word because a lot of democratic talking heads seem to be shocked out of their minds right now. They can’t believe how hard the republicans whooped their asses all around the country. They got all kinds of reasons and theories and excuses. They’ll tell you all about how that’s just …
Five years ago this week, I gave a TEDx talk, titled “Inequity, Injustice…Infection,” and last night I rewatched it. I wanted to see how it had aged—kind of hoping that it would feel outdated. Sadly, it hasn’t aged. If anything, I wish I could give another talk, a part two that would be called “The Reckoning.” Last year, while locked …
TODAY’S EPISODE: Taking it personally…racism, that is Personal racism is not the problem. To be clear: It is a problem. A big one. Also, it is a huge contributing factor to the bigger problem, which is systemic racism, institutional bias, and the other big-picture items that adversely affect Black people, Indigenous people, and other non-white people. But personal racism, as …
Last year 9/11-related illness was the fourth-leading cause of death for police in the line of duty nationwide. It killed 14 police officers. The third-leading cause of death for on-duty police was automobile crashes, killing 19. The second leading cause of death for on-duty officers was gunfire, with 45 dead. There’s a pretty wide chasm between 19 deaths and 45 …
It’s not the job of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color to teach white people how to undo racism. When a person of color is forced to endure racism directed at them personally, too often they are expected not only to not defend themselves but to also help the perpetrator learn and do better. I’ve written about the unreasonable …
I hate the “education” argument. You know, the one that says people would act right if they only knew better. I hate that shit. It’s just so arrogant. And ignorant. You wanna know why? Because what is “better” anyway? “Better” than what? Than whom? Our culture is based on identity not facts, and so is our education. This is true …
When I made the decision at the beginning of the year to run for a seat on the Portland, Maine, Charter Commission, I knew that my work as the director of an anti-racism organization—along with being the creator of this site—might be an issue for some. It was the reason why, during the campaign, I didn’t talk about racial issues …
These days it seems like every time I turn around someone is saying something diametrically opposed to reality. Voices yelling revisionist history and anti-science are suddenly louder than ever. It feels like that, anyway. Of course, it’s not actually like that at all. From history to science and everything in between, Americans have never acknowledged reality. In fact, the country’s …
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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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Betwixt and between: The delusion of normal
Here in the United States, the season of holiday madness is upon us as our leaders and corporate overlords steadily push us to resume “normal,” even as we globally enter our second year of the pandemic. At first glance, to casually walk down the street, it’s easy to momentarily forget that we are even living in the midst of a …
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