Our Paradox

The telling of American history is heavily politicized these days. Attacks on so-called “critical race theory” stray close to the defensiveness of White nationalists. Calls to “honor America” by standing for the Star-Spangled Banner are controversial. We’re a nation sharply divided over what is “our” story as Americans, and what is not.

Mary Elliott, the Curator of American Slavery at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, saw this year’s July Fourth as an occasion when all Americans can “mark the nation’s independence and its paradox.” She noted that “the combined holidays of Juneteenth and July Fourth, that fall so close to one another on the calendar, provide a moment for all of us to consider the meaning and manifestation of a more inclusive freedom, even as the fight for justice continues.”…

Who’s Got the Manual?

It’s been a rough stretch for all of us. Some have clearly suffered more than others, and I’ve mostly been spared the worst. I was privileged to be isolated, even if I complained about my isolation. Out of the now-600,000 Americans who died of COVID, none were my immediate family members.

And, now, it seems like a time to look forward. We’re wondering what it means to emerge from isolation. We’ve said we want to “get back to normal” even though we also say we want a fresh start, a new beginning — not just going back to what was. We want to go forward to…uh, well, we want to go forward.

The problem is, we don’t know where we’re going….

Are We in the After?

I hear your question, “How are you feeling?” and see that you expect an answer. I’d be happy to help but, truth is, I’m stumped.

It isn’t that I feel nothing. It’s that I feel everything: fury at the Republicans’ blasphemy, their smug winking at lies, and the soothing contentment of snuggling with my granddaughter. I’m not lacking in feelings. I just don’t know which one will come visiting next….