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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
This piece was also published in slightly modified form in the Oak Park newspaper Wednesday Journal. In this election, Illinoisans are being asked to make at least two consequential decisions. One is to choose between Joe Biden and Donald Trump for President. The other is to decide whether Illinois, like 32 other states, should implement…
Afternoon, 2017-2019 2 weeks until Election Day If you haven't yet, please start from the first part of this piece. After the abrupt awakening of the 2016 election, I lurched around for a bit, as you do in the morning. I now knew that I needed to do more than I had been, but I…
Morning, 2016 3 weeks until Election Day If you haven't yet, please check out the previous part of this piece. It was a painful morning, the kind when you wake up and remember a truth that you wish could have stayed buried. The kind when your first optimistic view of the day is suddenly bulldozed…
Darkness, until 2016 4 weeks until Election Day What is the purpose of rest? Is it to reenergize ourselves for the struggles ahead? Neuroscience suggests that during sleep, our brains reorganize our neural pathways and remove toxins. We process our emotions through dreams and file away memories and learning. Our bodies heal and our muscles…
This piece also appeared in a slightly different form in the Oak Park newspaper Wednesday Journal on Wednesday, October 7, 2020. In August, a resolution came before the Oak Park Village Board that would have reduced funding for the police department. The “Freedom to Thrive” resolution did not specify how that reduction would take place,…
Entwining 