I talked in another post about social contracts, but I feel like it’s necessary to circle back to them. A social contract is the agreement individuals make by choosing to be a part of a society, and this necessarily includes being governed. It gets more complicated with corrupt, dictatorial governments, but generally speaking, an America,…
Identity Politics
I want to talk about American symbolism. I think these symbols say a lot about who we would like to be—what we aspire to as a nation. But they’re also pretty telling in terms of who we actually are.
War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges
I read this book my freshman year of college in my first class with the teacher who would become one of my favorites and the reason I went to grad school. I revisited it in grad school for a class on social justice and novels with that same teacher. And I’ve returned to it this…
“The Journey of a Thousand Miles…”
The truth is, I don’t know what to say. That’s why this blog is a day late; I spent all of Wednesday evening typing and erasing, unable to marshall my thoughts. With the inauguration Friday, the Women’s March(es) on Saturday, the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy which will limit access to family planning services…
Civil Disobedience
Eight years ago tomorrow, two amazing things happened. My nephew was born, making “Auntie” the most important piece of my identity, and a black man became President of the United States. With the inauguration looming like a dark specter, my first impulse with this entry was to start there. With the bad news. But the…
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
There is a quote from Toni Morrison on the cover: “This is required reading.” As I sit to write this, trying to corral my thoughts and find a somewhat linear path through everything I want to say, this is the thought that rises to the top. This book is phenomenal. This book is beautiful, it’s…
Radical Empathy
In my first blog post, I spoke about empathy. This, for me, is not something that is separate from my political beliefs, or even just an inspiration for my political beliefs. Rather, I think radical empathy is a liberal position to take, and it is as essential to my understanding of the world as basic…
“In Times of Dread…”
Donald Trump will be our next president. It hurts to say that, to acknowledge it as truth. I spent the days following the election going through the stages of grief, as I think much of the country did. Tuesday evening, as the world began to slowly crash down around me, I denied it. I did…
Love Like China 