I've been thinking a lot lately about joy, specifically about Black joy. I previously wrote that "It's OK to Feel Good", that if we lose hope then we've lost everything
BLM
I am “The Enemy from Within”
Donald Trump has promised to deploy the military to round up and imprison what he is calling "the enemy from within". He has included Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff on his list. He's pretty much made clear that every Democrat is on this list. So is anyone who opposes him. This clearly fits into the … Continue reading I am “The Enemy from Within”
Bill Russell
He was more than a basketball player, more than a champion, he was a hero in every sense. This excerpt is from Racism Is Not a Historical Footnote which he published on September 15, 2020. America is not the land of the free when Black people have to worry that they will be murdered in … Continue reading Bill Russell
“Weirdo”
There is a man who regularly harasses me when I'm out holding signs, making statements to say that Black Lives Matter. One of his favorite things is to yell, to call me "weirdo". I was just thinking that it's time to accept and embrace the term. “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the … Continue reading “Weirdo”
Restorative Justice
We need a better way, especially in our criminal justice system. That's clear. In September 2018 Rachael Rollins was elected District Attorney of Suffolk County. Suffolk County encompasses Boston, MA as well as a handful of neighboring communities. One of her campaign promises was, that as District Attorney, she would no longer prosecute certain offenses … Continue reading Restorative Justice
Antiracist
Do you want to be antiracist? Then consider this: you need to listen to Black people. And you need to talk to white people. What needs to be done is hard. Where to start is not. Be the Pebble Act
The Past?
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. – George Santayana Buffalo makes clear that too many of us can't seem to remember anything. Be the Pebble Act
Identity Politics / Intersectionalism
We often hear the term "identity politics", often from right wing critics on places like Fox News. Their definition, for purposes of their complaints, is that we on the left, and in the Democratic Party, have different and individual platforms for various groups. They pretty much mean a sliced and diced set of ideas rather … Continue reading Identity Politics / Intersectionalism
Safety
“The safest communities are not the ones with the most police, prisons, or electronic monitors, but the ones with quality schools, health care, housing, plentiful jobs, and strong social networks that allow families not merely to survive, but to thrive.” - Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness … Continue reading Safety
Malcolm X
“The first thing I tell them is that at least where my own particular Black Nationalist organization, the Organization of Afro-American Unity, is concerned, they can’t join us. I have these very deep feelings that white people who want to join black organizations are really just taking the escapist way to salve their consciences. By … Continue reading Malcolm X