Two weeks ago in the Oak Park newspaper Wednesday Journal, District 200 school board member Matt Baron claimed that a member of this community who is a Muslim woman had engaged in "a form of terrorism" and referenced the 9-11 era slogan, “If you see something, say something”. Baron was writing in defense of Village…
White people must start by acknowledging our own mistakes.
This piece was also published in the Oak Park newspaper Wednesday Journal. District 200 school board member Matt Baron wrote a piece in the Oak Park newspaper Wednesday Journal one week ago wherein he claimed that an Oak Park community member had engaged in "a form of terrorism". What vile act had this community member…
A piece of work
Our national election just ended 3 weeks ago and the presidential transition is beginning in spite of the current occupant’s reluctance. We are closing out our calendar and moving into a period of holidays and rest. And still, there is much work to be done. In this moment, part of that work is to push…
Rest
As fall slips towards winter, as the trees here in the Midwest lose their leaves for the year, as the election cycle ends, this seems like the right time to contemplate rest. We rest to reenergize ourselves for the struggles ahead. Neuroscience suggests that during sleep, our brains reorganize our neural pathways and remove toxins.…
Our stories
After the terror of Election Night, the tension of the following days, and the jubilation of Saturday’s call for Biden and Harris, we now contemplate what this election means for our pursuit of justice. We have exiled Trump and his openly racist and xenophobic beliefs from the White House, but more than 70 million Americans…
Jubilation
Today is a day for jubilation! Joe Biden was elected President of the United States! I am ecstatic, overjoyed, almost in disbelief. I dreamed of the day we would defeat Donald Trump since the day he descended that cursed golden escalator over 5 years ago. It feels so good to repudiate him and all that…
Tension
I am tightly wrapped, bound together by anxiety, resolve, and reality. I am wound in upon myself, coiled with energy, ready to release. But what kind of release? Where will this election take us? We knew that the results would take time, and still the waiting feels unbearable. Last night, I didn’t know if I…
Terror
I am terrified. Every credible expert told us not to expect results tonight. They told us it could be days or weeks before all the votes were counted. But when I look at the results -- Trump's seeming lead in Florida, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere; the Democrats' failure to flip seats in Senate races thus far…
From darkness to darkness, part 5
Darkness Returns, 11/3/2020 Election Day If you haven't yet, please start from the first part of this piece. We have now arrived at the dark portal that is this Election Day. Four years ago, I woke to the shock of Trump’s election and started down a path of learning how deep injustice runs in this…
From darkness to darkness, part 4
Evening, 2020 1 week until Election Day If you haven't yet, please start from the first part of this piece. 2020 is a pivotal year in the state of our nation. We came into this year expecting a consequential presidential election, were hit with a global pandemic, endured repeated killings of unarmed Black people which…
