Hell and High Water: From Gaza to Mississippi
This essay contains images that some may consider distressing. His face haunts me. Through the blur of the rain that splatters his face, I see his short black hair slicked against his olive skin. I see his features contorted, perhaps permanently, in anguish deeper than I hope to ever know. He cries out in a…
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Southern politics
The Southern Truth About Communism
On April 17—notably, the anniversary of the failed, anti-communist fueled Bay of Pigs Invasion—Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill requiring K-12 public schools to teach students about "the evils and dangers" of communism. According to DeSantis, an anti-communist education is necessary for grade school children and will serve as a deterrent against radicalization later…
Arts & Soul
Rest is Not Resistance, and That is OK
the night my Gramma died. I received a call around 11 p.m. the night my Gramma died. I immediately knew what the buzzing on my nightstand meant for my world from then on. That knowing prevented me from answering the phone. One, I wanted to hold onto my grandmother for one more night. Two, getting…
Race & Place
Boiling on the Inside
This essay mentions suicide. "Don't call it air-conditioning; It's a cooling system!" A guard yells to my escorts, referring to the month-old, temporary, external tubular system that seldom works. And on the rare occasions it does, it only maintains an in-cell temperature of 85°F. Daily, the heat index has been north of 110°, and it…