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There are no winners, only a collective pain

By Shay | October 15, 2023 | 1 Comment

Since the news of the horrific attack upon Israel broke, I have been at a loss for words. That loss has only been compounded by the global response and the unsettling realization that whatever happens next is going to be ugly. And that loss of life, devastation, and global collective toll upon all of us will be something that many …

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Building at the speed of trust

By Shay | October 9, 2023 | Comments Off on Building at the speed of trust

My former program director at Community Change Inc. (CCI) used to always say that “we build at the speed of trust.” It is a phrase that has stuck with me over the years and one that I have since brought into my own professional and personal life.  In many ways, it’s more than a phrase. It is an absolute truism …

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High normal blood pressure and racism

By Shay | October 3, 2023 | Comments Off on High normal blood pressure and racism

In my early 40s, not long after my now ex-husband and I split up—and a couple years into my tenure as executive director at Community Change Inc.—my blood pressure started to creep up to the very high end of normal. Hypertension runs in my family, and played a role in both of my parents’ early deaths. Granted, in my early …

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When things become unpopular or, The anti-racism death spiral

By Shay | September 25, 2023 | Comments Off on When things become unpopular or, The anti-racism death spiral

Fifteen years ago, when I started this blog, I secretly wanted to become one of the popular bloggers. The cool kids. The bloggers with name-brand recognition, book deals, and all the perks—including making consistent revenue. I started this space initially to talk about raising Black kids and living while Black in one of America’s whitest states, which frankly wasn’t exactly …

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Calling All White People, Part 63: A little intolerance might help

By Average White Guy | September 16, 2023 | Comments Off on Calling All White People, Part 63: A little intolerance might help

Calling All White People, Part 63 TODAY’S EPISODE: How about we try a little less compassion? I saw a post online recently asking: Would you break up with a potentially very promising partner if you found out they were racist? Hell, yes. I mean, I’d probably start with telling them how screwed-up their heinous beliefs were and how no right-thinking …

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Authenticity and cross-racial relations

By Shay | September 9, 2023 | 1 Comment

Several days ago, I shared a personal insight on a social media platform. It went like this: Uncomfortable revelation after 21 years in this very white space. I am not sure white women are capable of authentic friendship. I find too many of y’all only want connection on your terms. That’s not how friendship actually works, so I’m considering the …

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Racist mass shootings and anti-racist apathy

By Shay | August 28, 2023 | Comments Off on Racist mass shootings and anti-racist apathy

It wasn’t that long ago that news of a white man targeting Black people and killing them—because he hated “ni**ers”—would have been newsworthy beyond the carcass of Black Twitter and anti-racism Instagram. But, as we move further away from the great racial awakening of 2020, and people settle into our new dystopian norm of great pretense, well, there’s only so …

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When white allies cause harm

By Shay | August 22, 2023 | Comments Off on When white allies cause harm

A lack of humility almost cost me the person whom I love and the thing is, until it was brought to my attention, I had no idea that I was so deeply lacking in humility and that this state of mind was translating into questionable behaviors. In our case, I had entered into a relationship with a man who was …

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This is not a drill, anti-racists—it’s time!

By Shay | August 15, 2023 | 1 Comment

Black Lives Matter was created in 2013, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin. Initially created as a hashtag between organizer friends to speak to the humanity of Black people in a world happy to discard us, Black Lives Matter grew into a movement. A movement that shifted conversations, educated millions, and galvanized many to …

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About that Montgomery brawl…

By Samuel James | August 12, 2023 | Comments Off on About that Montgomery brawl…

A long time ago people got tricked into thinking ownership was a thing. Maybe it started with greed. One person wanted to take exclusive possession over something another person needed. In order to do that they needed violence and so the idea of ownership was created to justify that violence. Ownership as a concept is a tough sell because it’s a bit of a pyramid scheme. The more people you exploit, the more you get to have for yourself. You can …

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Change starts with connection: Unplug a little and find hope

By Shay | April 21, 2024

Back in 2019, I spoke at a conference at Illinois State University in Normal. Illinois is my home state, but Normal is not really a place Chicagoans flock to unless it is related to the university. The town is only two hours away from Chicago, but it bears no resemblance to Chicago. It is a …

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Change starts with connection: Unplug a little and find hope

By Shay | April 21, 2024

Back in 2019, I spoke at a conference at Illinois State University in Normal. Illinois is my home state, but Normal is not really a place Chicagoans flock to unless it is related to the university. The town is only two hours away from Chicago, but it bears no resemblance to Chicago. It is a …

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Round Up

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

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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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