I wanted to break the tradition of me writing December’s blog. My dear friend and poet, Michael Conner, gave me permission to post what, I think, is a brilliant poem. It is from his book Canto Sun (published by Invisible College Publishing).
James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker: What do they all have in common? They are all African-American writers who have published books considered American classics. And they are also authors whose novels are banned (or will be) by school boards and libraries across the United States.
A new day clouded in dirty words.
Virginia Beach School Board Member wants books about race by Toni Morrison and Other Black Authors Banned from the School District and Public Libraries. Continue reading
Violence against women in the United States is in the use of domestic abuse, murder, sex trafficking, rape, and assault (Wikipedia). Culture leads toward trivializing violence towards women and the media possibly contributing to making women-directed violence appear less important, particularly to women in this category: There were 543,018 people reported missing in 2020, nearly 40% of them people of color. Black Americans account for 35% of missing person cases (National Crime Information Center’s Missing Person and Unidentified Person Files). Law enforcement historically assumes children are runaways, and adults are involved in some sort of criminal activity.
Indigenous women’s communities have also expressed outrage that they have a disproportionate amount of media attention or legal assistance. This is tied to Tribal Reservation Law. Non-tribal perpetrators found on the Reservation for sexual assault, child abuse, or rape can’t be prosecuted. However, domestic violence by non-tribal members is investigated by tribal nations, but the women do not fare well. Continue reading
One of my favorite authors, James Baldwin said, “The world is before you, and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in.”
We want, I feel, a sense of empowerment that with all we face each day: An intentional life is achievable if we charge forward and be willing to make mistakes. Continue reading
Finding a reason to be different is a personal decision. The recipe’s ingredients are: why, how, and when. I took time off because the same ol’ same ol’ brought too much predictability.
Inner perspective examines fears, ideas, and choices. The real prize is accepting what’s revealed and discarding the parts that are roadblocks to moving forward. A huge life-changer is stepping forward beyond familiarity. Continue reading
Life has a way of challenging the way we see the next day.
I dedicate this month’s writing to my friend, Rodney, who recently died from COVID -19. Rodney’s smile always lit up his face. His generosity and eagerness to help others made him an endearing friend.
Battling COVID is not like a school sick day. Your vital signs (breathing and oxygen to the brain) battle for survival in a ventilator. Rodney did wear a mask, not as regularly as needed, and even flew to large family gatherings. With underlying conditions, such as diabetes, Rodney’s life mirrored a time bomb. Continue reading
It’s been a year and a few months since the outbreak of COVID transformed our lives. At first, I didn’t understand this virus’s serious ramifications because it was only a faint whisper in our country. Much has changed since the first months of 2020. By the end of last year, the shadow of coping dogged the new normalcy. What we wanted or thought we wanted needed re-examination. For most, craving socialization, to the simplest gesture like a hug, became an agonizing wait and sour pill to continually digest. Continue reading
Finding the endgame or objective when there are many choices is not an easy feat. If one were to write down five things they’d want to be remembered for, what would they be? Thinking of death is ways off for many of us, yet with COVID-19, there is an urgency to as Spock (Star Trek) said, “Live long and prosper.” These times also hold labels, judgment, and radical thinking. So, again, what will your ashes lay to rest for? Continue reading
It’s almost the end of January 2021, and barely stepping into another year comes an urgency to accomplish and resolve. This always ponders the questions: how, why, when, and where.
No matter the terms of Covid-19, winter slows us down. The days are short, the nights are long, and the cold colors dreams out of reach. Continue reading
Taking a look at the year 2020, many things come to mind:
what has happened and what hasn’t happened