Trump spoke from the Bemidji Airport on Friday 9/1/2020. I was about 231 miles away and felt a disturbance in the “Force.”
Bring Me The News covered the story, https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/heres-what-president-trump-said-on-his-visit-to-bemidji
For weeks, I've wanted to post an article about racism in the U.S. I am not an expert on racism and don't pretend to be. I'm a white woman who doesn't want to engage in racist behavior. I want to be an ally to BIPOC. I don't want to participate, engage in or support racism. I don't want to support systemic and/or institutionalized racism. I want to dismantle it.
In all honestly, I struggled with writing this post. This isn't about me, but I let a commenter egg me on. Yes, I let my ego get the better of me on this. I was tagged to this thread, "Racism, dERpy At Critical Theory, and Winning Arguments by Changing the Meanings of Words." He seems to be upset with the definition of racism that I posted. I used a definition of racism by the Anti-Defamation League, https://www.adl.org/racism. "Racism: The marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people." Shep posted a screenshot of my comment with his commentary.
Posting a dictionary definition of racism doesn’t address racial oppression, systemic racism, and institutional racism. It's much more complicated than a dictionary definition. We have to address the deeply ingrained systems of racial oppression in the U.S.
I guess there is no rebuttal but a pause to stop and think. Please share your thoughts.
It's the 19th anniversary of 9/11. Do you remember where you were? I remember. It was a surreal day, filled with horror and shock.
Sculptor Michael Richards died during the World Trade Center attack on 9/11. He was the recipient of the Franconia Sculpture Park/Jerome Fellowship in 2000. “Mr. Richards was in residence in 2000, during the last week of August and the first week of September. In that time he created the sculpture "Are You Down?" The large-scale work features three life-size human figures surrounding a target, which represent the artist in uniform as a Tuskegee Airman.” https://www.franconia.org/michael-richards/
The loss of life and suffering was immeasurable.
On 9/11/01, I was at work and listened to the news that a plane hit the World Trade Center. From the news report, it sounded like a small plane than went off course. This was not the case.
Because of the work of labor unions and union workers in the U.S. we have a 40-hour work-week, no child labor, and safer working conditions, among other gains for workers. The height of the labor movement in the U.S. was in the mid-1950s and has been steadily declining ever since. Many people don’t understand or know about the hard-fought work of unions and that impact on the rights of workers today.
"The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated in New York City on Tuesday, September 5, 1882. Following the deaths of 13 workers during the Pullman Strike in June of 1894, President Grover Cleveland made reconciliation with the labor movement a top political priority, and Labor Day become a federal holiday in 1894." https://www.unionplus.org/page/labor-day-history
There was a famous strike in Minneapolis known as the “Minneapolis Truckers’ Strike” in 1934. “The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, also known as the Wagner Act” was a result of the 1934 strike. https://mndigital.org/projects/primary-source-sets/minneapolis-teamsters-strike-1934
Using tear gas during truckers' strike in Minneapolis from 1934. Photo from Minnesota Public Radio.
If you are curious about the Minneapolis Truckers’ Strike or learning more about the labor movement in the U.S. listen to this special at Minneapolis Public Radio, https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/09/07/documentary-the-strike-is-on
I listened to this today and it’s an excellent piece of journalism. It was produced in 1984 but is a look back at the labor movement and those who fought and died for our rights as workers.
“There Is Power in a Union” Utah Phillips
Happy Labor Day!
I'm shopping for a toaster oven and have never used one before. Do you have any advice for me on what to buy or what to look for?
I have my eye on this tiny house. Isn't she cute? I could run away and live my Cottagecore dream. (Yes, sarcasm)
No, sadly, I'm not running off to the woods. However, I really like the tiny house concept. Not sure I could do that long-term. But I can dream about living a simple life in the woods and learning how to adapt that to city life.
Photo from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tiny_house,_Portland.jpg