Dear President Trump, I have another thought experiment for us to try. Although I'd like to set it up so Black people were never enslaved, we need a different starting place to get us really thinking since the legacy of slavery's poison has so fundamentally and insidiously shaped who we are as a nation. To … Continue reading Truth and reconciliation
Month: July 2017
We all have bodies
Dear President Trump, I do have at least one more thought experiment for us to run through sometime but tonight I want to talk about something else. I was sitting chilling out in the car waiting for Laura to finish up in the grocery store and I got to thinking how fortunate I am to … Continue reading We all have bodies
America is still not America
Dear President Trump, The other day I signed up for a "poem-a-day" newsletter. I was looking for Langston Hughes's poem "Let America Be America Again," which should be required reading for US citizens on the 4th of July. In looking for the poem I stumbled on the option of having a poem show up in … Continue reading America is still not America
Super American
Dear President Trump, You probably know something about the quest to find easy ways to look better; it seems to be one of the things that binds us Americans together. Well, the other week we got a toothpaste kit promising whiter teeth. Our toothpaste kit came with two tubes of product; a "deep cleanser" you … Continue reading Super American
Dual citizenship
Dear President Trump, How was your 4th of July? Mine was pretty mixed. We have a tradition of having people over on the 4th for a potluck and then most of us walk to the park across the street where we can see fireworks off in the distance. We had our party, as usual, and … Continue reading Dual citizenship
We can’t wait for white men to be nice
Dear President Trump, A couple of weeks ago I told you I would stop reacting to the mean, destructive things you say and do on a near daily basis because I think getting hooked by you is playing into a sick game that keeps us distracted. I am standing by that decision but want to … Continue reading We can’t wait for white men to be nice
Nooses hanging in trees
Dear President Trump, I may have missed it, but I checked online yesterday to see whether you've made a statement condemning the nooses that keep showing up in public spaces and I didn't see anything. I googled "Trump noose" and the only things that came up were how there's been a dramatic increase in hate … Continue reading Nooses hanging in trees
White people may be the equivalent of kudzu
Dear President Trump, In our backyard every spring we have hundreds of volunteer blue bells and every summer we have dozens of rose campions. Both are pretty and both are noxious invasive species that serious gardeners do their best to eradicate. Invasive species, whether plant or animal, are huge problems in lots of ecosystems as … Continue reading White people may be the equivalent of kudzu
Not an anomaly
Dear President Trump, I read a piece yesterday in the NYT about the steady rise in young African American people moving to the South. The overarching message was that because there is racism everywhere, they are choosing to be where there are ample numbers of other Black people and where people take more pains not … Continue reading Not an anomaly
“Kindness is everything”
Dear President Trump, Have you seen the "In this house we believe...." signs? I don't think you all have any posted on the White House lawn and I bet you don't get out into real neighborhoods much so I'm guessing you haven't seen them. The rest of the sign reads: "Black lives matter. Women's rights … Continue reading “Kindness is everything”
Daily Trump Letters 