“Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” has been the official full name of the state since the colonial era, created by the unification of the original “four towns,” which in order of their dates of founding were Providence (1636), Pocasset/Portsmouth (1638), Newport (1639), and Shawomet/Warwick (1642). In 1643/1644, the towns were combined under their current name […]
Leave the White People Alone: An Open Letter Dear Manager of “Black Lives Matter,” We have been hearing a lot about “people of color” of late and how these communities have been experiencing prejudice in the free nation that is the United State of America. In case you hadn’t noticed, this is extremely prejudicial itself. […]
What are we going to do about President Walking Eagle (he’s so full of shit he can’t fly)? P and J thought Dubya Bush was the dumbest and least intellectually curious president we’d ever seen, but Walking Eagle has outflanked him. This guy has lied since he could walk and is in so far over […]
When society experiences a monumental shift in social consciousness, citizens of that society must pause to fully appreciate and understand the gravity of what just occurred. Mayor Elorza and subsequently, Governor Raimondo, were correct in removing the word Plantations from the state’s name on official documents. Plantation is a word engulfed in the cruelty of […]
I’m a bit perturbed about Motif publishing a so-called leaked document from our organization. It’s bad enough betraying someone writing for you, but like most other news, it was FAKE! I would never support such a thing and it’s not even close to my style of writing. Covering the arts and pot smoking not enough? You […]
I had an interesting and somewhat disheartening conversation with an old friend yesterday who has recently gone over the deep end of Fox News conspiracy mongering (and worse). As the talk lurched from one preposterous right-wing extreme to another (Bill Gates, Pizzagate, John Podesta’s art collection, ANTIFA and the putrid musings of Tucker Carlson), I […]
Global forest losses are one of the big drivers of climate change. RI needs to step up and stop deforestation as part of our climate policy. And if solar is a part of our future energy strategy we need very good numbers on the trade offs of solar for forest. I do not think solar […]
I am truly thankful for Trump. That hurt to write. I’m thankful for this president who has encouraged and incited white supremacy to show its hidden face. I am thankful that racists are free to speak their truth for all to hear. I’m thankful to be shown love’s enemy. Without the help of Trump, I […]
Recently there was an article about the town I live in and how 100 years ago it was a stronghold for the KKK. There was a lot of outcry about this article, but one post in particular struck a chord with me. “You will learn if you put children through school that World War II […]
It’s a popular social media trend, lists of book recommendations dealing with anti-racism. You’re probably familiar with their contents, The Color of Law, White Fragility, Audre Lorde, Ta Neesi-Coates, with some fiction by Zora Neale Huston or Toni Morrison for good measure. I’m male and pale, so I can’t speak to whether a list of […]