The Fault that Lies Within Us
It’s been said that the first revolution in consciousness came in 1543, when Copernicus argued that the Earth is not the center of the universe. Our paradigm of our place in the cosmos was upended. The second came in 1859, when Darwin revealed that humans are not distinct from nature or our close cousins, the…
Dedicating My Vote to Kindergarten Teachers Everywhere
In college, I double majored in political science and economics because I love delving into the in’s and out’s of legislative proposals, supreme court decisions, and economic policy. I trend liberal in my ideology and make no bones about that. But none of that is how I’m voting this year. This year, I’m voting for…
A Return to Moderation
I have a confession. For a long time, the notion of a political “moderate” would make me uncomfortable. Worthy of an eye-roll or two. Moderation struck me as the path of the undecided — or the fainthearted who would take the middling road over the high road. In a world full of injustice and existential…
Choosing Our Role Models for Change
Ruth Bader Ginsburg wasn’t a legislator, but did more to write the law than anyone in recent memory. Her arsenal was the 14th Amendment, in which all people are entitled to equal protection under the law. It was a simple message that was hard fought one court case at time, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg was…
The Triumph of the American Left (Redux)
The following is a historical* and cautionary warning sent from April 2082 to the present. Please read to the end for the historical context on which this creative thought experiment is based. Click here for an alternate timeline when the American Right triumphed instead. I believe both hold valuable lessons for social justice and anti-racism…
The Triumph of the American Right (Redux)
The following is a historical* and cautionary warning sent from November 2114 to the present. Please read to the end for the historical context on which this creative thought experiment is based. Click here for an alternate timeline when the American Left triumphed instead. I believe both hold valuable lessons for social justice and anti-racism…
A Latinx Perspective on Racism
Hispanic. Criollo. Peninsular. Castizo. Mestizo. Ladino. Raizales. Palenqueros. Pueblos Indigenas. Quechua. Aymara. Zapotec. Pardo. Zambo. Afro-Latinx. Afro-Carribean. Negro. Moreno. Mulato. Cultural Mulato, Latinx… Is your head spinning yet? That’s just a taste of the intersectional world of racism in Latin America, where skin color is also deeply and inextricably marinated in colour, culture, class and…
Your Complaint Will Have to Wait
I am here to tell you that your feelings matter. But that your complaint may have to wait. Feeling upset at that time when an angry person lashed out at you for white privilege or fragility, even though you were just expressing an opinion?… It hurts. Maybe it was even uncalled for. Your complaint will…
Pursuing Social Justice with Kindness and Courage
Fighting for social justice is hard. It’s emotionally exhausting and fraught with pitfalls — uncomfortable dialogues and conflicts, frequently not getting it quite right despite best intentions, encountering emotional fragility in ourselves and others, and running into compassion fatigue. It is the work of sitting with trauma, ours and others’, personal and intergenerational, long and…
Owning Your Own Voice Against Racism
Seattle’s role in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, and specifically the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP/CHAZ) zone has featured heavily in national news lately. They are raising important issues and pushing for real change, which you can read more about here. But I’ve noticed something else which sits uncomfortably. Capitol Hill, the neighborhood at the…
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