Memoirous

These days with a numbskull obtuse racist president in the White House it’s hard to find a silver lining. Maybe this will help, or not. But the US has made a lot of mistakes—and somehow we’ve kept going. So I’ll let that sink in as good news. Our Supreme Court has made lousy decisions, Congress has passed some unjust laws that impinge on the rights of certain demographics, the citizens of these United States have collectively made unwise choices. It’s one reason to be afraid of but also believe in democracy. Or maybe it’s about having faith. Faith that the universe will somehow right itself. That people will at some point in history go, My bad! And turn the ship around. You might think I’m alluding to Dreamers and the end of DACA, to that stupid wall. But, no, I’m referring to the Dread Scott Decision. Sorry, Dred Scott. Also known as the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Summarily: this meant that a runaway slave who had resettled in the North, perhaps for as long as 30 years, ...

I took a break from the KKK the past couple of weeks. Actually a break from blogging about recent events in Charlottesville. A break from the politics, the statements, retractions, mis-statements, arguments over statues, etc, etc, etc. It’s exhausting. On many sides. I’m from Dayton, Ohio, Centerville to be exact. A well-heeled community, triple A high school, definitely upper-middle class. But as a kid I rode my bike everywhere, anywhere two wheels might take me. I also met some friends at camp and often drove to Cadiz and locales close to it in southeastern Ohio, formerly coal country. Then later I went to OU in Athens to finish my Bachelors degree where I rode my bike and ran in the foothills surrounding the university. The Ohio I remember was this: colored leaves in autumn, small towns, Main Streets, hills, small liberal arts colleges, ravines, waterfalls, hiking in Yellow Springs, car wrecks on Friday nights. Conkles's Hollow State Nature Preserve Rim Trail ...

Underground Railroad Colson Whitehead I didn’t know much about this book—except the title and the author. And, let me tell you, right now, read it. I’ve been telling people about this book, and the affect is reflective of the culture prevalent after this election. Bi-polar. People either love the book or don’t. You either get it or don’t. You either voted for Trump or you didn’t. The scary part is walking around in a world where you just aren’t sure. “The weirdness of being black in a white space” cartoon Atlanta artist Cory Thomas illustrates the strange new reality of everyday life after Trump’s victory. There is an underground railroad depicted in the book that is both highly representative historically but also figuratively. By following the main character Cora we are invited along the way to visit several dark (and I mean DARK) periods of African-American history in America. It doesn’t get better. If you are looking for an uplifting read, this migh...