My Nephew’s Body will be Buried Today

“It will always be important to have a community of people who support each other and work together for the struggle.  Yes, for the struggle for all people.” Bruce McQuakay Saturday Memorial Day weekend, 2017 Seven years ago, on Fathers’ Day, Bruce McQuakay and I saw one another at the annual Delta Park pow wow. Bruce, who described himself as Tlingit and Apache, was not a father yet – that was still… Read More

A Protest Vote Decades in the Making

“White people elected Trump.” Over these last 10 days, these words are showing up everywhere. Mostly because they’re true. And white progressives actually helped. Among most white people I know who think of themselves as social progressives and who, like I, have had loads of access to privilege – aka education, careers, financial literacy, problems of identity that way outnumber problems of monetary survival – reactions to the election of Donald Trump… Read More

Zero Tolerance 2.0

I recently heard a story from a student finishing her sophomore year at a small liberal arts college in the Midwest.  A story set in a quiet college neighborhood, its characters all part of the college’s community. Here’s how it went – A group of friends were hanging out in a dorm room.  All were men, all members of the football team and all, incidentally, considered strong students by respected faculty members. … Read More