1. There’s been a bit of hyperfixation around here.
2. Unfortunately for me, this slightly obsessive focus on a singular thing is rarely as useful as one might think.
3. A mild obsession with spring cleaning wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Maybe a super-focus on baseboards or blinds.
4. But nope, my big brain decided my phone was this week’s target.
5. Random, I know. I think it’s how I’m handling the stress of…waves vaguely at everything.
6. My lockscreen has been a photo rotation for a while.
7. I’d turn on my phone and BAM! One of the kids or a cute pet or BrightSide would grace the screen.
8. It added a little something extra to the day.
9. A switch flipped this week, though, and I shifted to motivational screenshots.
10. Because nothing screams springtime like motivational screenshots.
11. One simply says SMASH THE PATRIARCHY which will be a fun conversation starter if the wrong person is looking over my shoulder.
12. Then again one could argue you look over someone’s shoulder then you deserve what you get.
13. There’s a James Baldwin quote “I can’t believe what you say because I see what you do.”
14. John Lewis weighs in with “Democracy is not a state. It is an act.”
15. “Well behaved women seldom make history” had to make the lineup.
16. MLK’s “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” rings true.
17. As does Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s “I DISSENT” and “When injustice becomes law resistance becomes duty.”
18. We’ve got LOVE is LOVE and “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
19. Audre Lorde’s quote “My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you.”
20. You’re seeing a theme, right?
21. There’s some artwork that speaks to me and core values I believe in.
22. Hard to believe “pro-science” could cause a ruckus but I’ve seen wilder things out here.
23. At any rate, that’s been a whole project this week but I think I finally may have found my way out the other side.
24. Other people do this too, right? This can’t just be me.
25. What else, what else.
26. Let’s talk about some names.
27. Please keep talking about Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He is just one of more than 200 people the U.S. sent to a prison in El Salvador.
28. Let’s talk about Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez. But first, Florida.
29. In 2023 Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an anti-immigration law into effect making it a state crime for an undocumented immigrant to enter Florida without legal permission.
30. Lopez-Gomez is a 20-year-old U.S. citizen who was taken in from a traffic stop and charged under this state law that’s been temporarily blocked from enforcement by a federal judge.
31. The charges were dropped but the judge claimed she didn’t have jurisdiction to release Lopez-Gomez since ICE had requested he remain in detention.
32. All of this was happening despite the fact that Lopez-Gomez’s mother provided his birth certificate and social security card to the court.
33. Check on your communities, your neighbors, their friends. We need to look out for each other.
34. Higher education in the U.S. is a shifting landscape right now and Harvard pulled the short straw this week.
35. Cliff Notes version: Initially Harvard made several moves designed to appease DEI demands of Trump’s administration.
36. On Monday Harvard’s president wrote a letter refusing to bow to the latest round of administration demands.
37. Trump threatened then froze the school’s $2.2 billion in federal funding.
38. Department of Homeland Security announced the cancellation of two grants totaling more than $2.7 million, claiming Harvard is “unfit to be entrusted with taxpayer dollars” and that the grants were for programs that “undermine America’s values and security.” (DHS press release here)
39. DHS has threatened a foreign student ban while the IRS is reportedly making plans to rescind Harvard’s tax exempt status.
40. Just another week in America. Keep safe out there, people.
We need more bright spots. I’m not sure ignoring is working for me.
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Yep. Checking out like that was strange for me, I guess I was at capacity and needed to reset.
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Loving the James Baldwin quote. Ain’t it the truth‽ Ditto what Beth said.
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Yep that James Baldwin quote made me want to shout into the ether THIS! THIS RIGHT HERE IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!!!!
I’m losing my filter. Thank heavens for that.
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What I read and hear about the situation in America is very worrying.
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I’m certain we’re very concerning to the world right now. We’ve definitely caused a lot of turmoil worldwide.
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Oh yes America has. Most poor countries are in a fix due to suspension of the us aid.
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His is such a violent and shortsighted stance to take. I knew he’d planned a lot of internal chaos but had not prepared for him immediately slashing aid.
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Very true my friend. It indeed has caused chaos all around the world.
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each day gets crazier, that’s the point we’re at. at least one positive crack in the wall. last night, senator Van hollen, who travelled to find Garcia in El Salvador was finally able to meet with him and then called his wife to tell her. just the beginning and small opening, but they will not stop and need to not let up. Cory booker, Robert Garcia and Maxwell Frost are all waiting to go next.
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I was so grateful to hear they’d finally met! My husband looked a little surprised (in an of course he saw him way) but I’d started to get very concerned Garcia might not be okay. Or as okay as you can be in an El Salvador prison.
Thank you for the bright spots. We’ll be holding on to those where we find them.
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❤
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