Several months ago, a local Maine publication broke the story of how members of the white supremacist group Proud Boys were meeting in a downtown Portland, Maine, pub since early 2021—and how the owners of the pub were more concerned about making money than whether or not hosting white supremacists would reflect poorly on them. In fact, after one of …
TODAY’S EPISODE: No, You Shouldn’t Say That Word. Ever. Just Don’t I can’t remember if I’ve talked about this before, but even if I have, it’s probably time to repeat myself: No, as a white person, you cannot use the N-word. I mean, you can. You could choose to do it. But you’re not allowed to. Just accept that, please. …
In the years since I started writing about racism in Maine (beginning in 2003 with my now-defunct Portland Phoenix column Diverse City), there has been a general shift in attitudes around race in our state and an acknowledgement that even in the palest state in America, racism is a problem. No shit! After all, here in Maine, we are living …
Physicians, nurses, medical researchers, and other healthcare and life-sciences professionals are not saints. As human as anyone else, they individually and the arenas in which they work can be riddled with biases that range from racial microaggressions to outright bigotry. Medical science itself is frequently skewed by racism, as well as other factors like sexism or greed. So, trusting blindly …
Out of all the anti-vax myths to stick around these 18 months, the one that bothers me the most is COVID isn’t really a problem if you’re “healthy.” Somehow this misconception persists despite the well-documented, ongoing and debilitating effects of long COVID amongst everyone, the young and healthy included. The problem, of course is that word “healthy” and the fact …
After 13 years of writing this blog, I find myself at a crossroads, where honestly I wonder does this space continue to have value? More importantly, what is the impact of my words? Are white readers feeling led to do more in their local communities and does my work bring a sense of community to BIPOC folks in predominantly white …
“I have Asian people in my family,” a white co-worker said as we were having a conversation about family and race. I winced a bit—why are you telling me you have Asian people in your family? Is it so I think you’re cool? Is it so you can try and relate what it means to be multicultural? Whatever it is—it’s …
Living on a barrier island off the coast of Maine serves as a great locale for watching human behavior in the midst of a pandemic. After watching day-trippers and tourists drive around the island in the midst of a steady rain, I have come to conclude that we, the collective, aren’t well at all. I am no public health official, …
If you haven’t seen Summer of Soul (… Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) yet, please get on it. Stop reading this right now and go spend 117 minutes getting your life better. It’ll be over before you know it and you’ll be fighting the impulse to watch it all over again—and you might even give in. If …
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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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When given a choice, they choose themselves and exploitation
Healthcare workers across the country have been protesting vaccine mandates and they almost couldn’t be more cliché. They claim they have no options, no choice. Now, I don’t care if it’s COVID deniers, homophobes, transphobes, racists or whichever brand new bigot is hot on the block, they all screech about the same damn thing: My rights! But, you know, they …
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