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
Racism
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
Truth and reconciliation
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
What if only birds tweeted?
Dear President Trump, I bet you are at it again as far as saying outrageous things in the hopes we will be pulled to the over-the-top obnoxious, shiny bits you've tossed out and won't notice that you are doing something sleazy and sly somewhere else. I hope whatever it is you are up to isn't … Continue reading What if only birds tweeted?
A more perfect union is in the works
Dear President Trump, We've already established that American history is not my strong suit. I could never keep dates and places and people straight when reading about grand happenings in the remote past that seemed to have little to nothing to do with me. But I did read lots of biographies. People's stories and the … Continue reading A more perfect union is in the works
Juneteenth revisited with begrudging humility
Dear President Trump, I want to apologize for my misguided rant yesterday about Juneteenth. I was earnest and believed I'd figured something important out, but I was wrong on some key details. Laura set me straight about how none of the Confederate states acknowledged the Emancipation Proclamation until after they had lost the war in … Continue reading Juneteenth revisited with begrudging humility
Juneteenth
Dear President Trump, Yesterday morning the fact that it was Juneteenth slipped past me until I was cutting and pasting my letter to you into my running "Letters to Trump" document. I'd read an article late last week about foods associated with Juneteenth but the day almost got by me. Did it get by you? … Continue reading Juneteenth
How do we navigate the tensions between history, present, and future?
Dear President Trump, The UCC church I attend is in downtown Seattle and we use an underground parking garage on Sunday mornings. To get to the main part of the church from the garage there is a long passageway that steadily slopes up to the stairwell and elevator. Along the left hand wall is a … Continue reading How do we navigate the tensions between history, present, and future?
How convenient for the status quo
Dear President Trump, This morning walking the dogs I saw two parent crows with 11 baby crows scattered across the lawn of the reservoir across the street. I think the crow couple must have been babysitting for their friends because crows only lay 3 to 6 eggs at a time so all those babies couldn't … Continue reading How convenient for the status quo
We need to remember “the son” is really his son
Dear President Trump, I am kind of late to it but last night I finished reading Ta-Nehisi Coates's book "Between Me and The World." You may know the book is a letter to his then 15 year-old son recounting his experience of living in race-obsessed America as a Black man. We picked the book up … Continue reading We need to remember “the son” is really his son
Daily Trump Letters 