Dear President Trump, Yesterday I told you about the conversation we had with the tiny girl running around like a jackrabbit in rain boots and how her “it’s only girls” comment about her new soccer team left me feeling deflated after the US team’s World Cup win. I see the exchange as a bit of … Continue reading Hungry for inspiration
Equity
Proud postures
Dear President Trump, Well, I think it’s a safe bet that you didn’t give over any of your golf time this morning to watch the World Cup. Surely you’ve seen by now, though, that the US won 2-0 and that Megan Rapinoe won the tournament Golden Boot and the Golden Ball trophies. And maybe you … Continue reading Proud postures
“Kindness is Magic”
Dear President Trump, You know by now that I’m a walker (or rather your threat-checker team knows this about me). I especially like to walk in cities that I’m visiting and over my three days in Minneapolis I probably logged about 8 miles of walking, not counting the regular to-ing and fro-ing around the conference. … Continue reading “Kindness is Magic”
Prejudice and Pride
Dear President Trump, The other day Laura texted our daughter to check in with her on the last day of their respective quarters to congratulate her on being almost finished with her first year of college and to see how she was feeling about finals. She texted back saying she’s feeling ok about how things … Continue reading Prejudice and Pride
A boatload of racist crap
Dear President Trump, Today is Laura’s birthday. Last night after work I purchased a lovely bouquet of flowers for her that I hid until this morning. She was so sleepy first thing that she missed seeing them on the dining room table, but her smile when she did see them was wonderful. It’s not easy … Continue reading A boatload of racist crap
Housing for goodness’ sake
Dear President Trump, Recently I was on the periphery of a conversation that kept dipping in and out of tense territory. It never quite landed squarely in the squirmy zone, but it still had me wishing it would end much sooner than it did. The first person involved made a compassionate, yet practical, argument for … Continue reading Housing for goodness’ sake
“Atmospheric discrimination”
Dear President Trump, For a few days now, I’ve been chewing on something to tell you about, trying to figure out how to frame it, what to include, what to let stay shadowy. This morning while I was getting some exercise I finally decided I was ready to tackle it (I’ll tell you what “it” … Continue reading “Atmospheric discrimination”
Forging a path between all and nothing
Dear President Trump, I’ve started this letter over four times now. It hardly ever happens to me that I can’t get a toehold with a letter, but today I’m really struggling. I’m quite certain it’s because I keep thinking about how white Northeast Seattle is and the fact that I live here and am not … Continue reading Forging a path between all and nothing
White by design
Dear President Trump, It’s only 1pm and already it’s been another banner bird day. We took the dogs to the Union Bay Natural Area this morning and saw or heard the following birds: redwing blackbirds, seagulls, mallards, song sparrows, wrens, two osprey (plus noisy chicks), and a heron. We also saw turtles sunning themselves on … Continue reading White by design
Katie Porter rocks!
Dear President Trump, This morning, once I was fully awake, I realized I was thinking about California Representative Katie Porter. Yesterday evening I watched her laser-focused questioning of JPMorgan Chase’s CEO, Jamie Dimon, and apparently she was so compelling my brain wouldn’t let her go. Did you see the clips? No? I’m shocked! Well, the … Continue reading Katie Porter rocks!