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He Led With Light, He Led With Might: MLK Jr
He was 39 when he died. He was only 39. I think about that all the time. When people hit that age now, they are still using the word “adulting.” Or at least, the entitled people who have a cushion of some sort—a cushion of money or education or white skin or some other privilege they’re wantonly taking for granted. Something that makes them think they don’t need to pick up a pitchfork or a picket sign or the concerns of others. Martin Luther King Jr wasn’t one of those people. He was a person who led with light but also might, who loved everyone but suffered no fools, who knew he would end up sacrificing his own life for a line that was not just ancestral not just racial but the dream of the human race at its absolute best. He said, “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” He said, ““Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable.” He said, “Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle.” Continue Reading →
The Jury Is In
Some thoughts on landing on a jury for the first half of January.
1. It could have been so much worse–some people in my pool were roped into month-long service.
2. I’m going to appreciate non-institutionalized time so much more when my service is done.
3. I am infinitely more enthusiastic about the judicial process now that the courts are the most effective deterrent to Trump’s nefariousness.
4. I adore downtown Brooklyn, and rarely visit it since moving to Williamsburg 16 years ago. En route to the courts I bought earrings at the corner of Jay St– NYC accessorization at its best–and swooned over the serious BK lady sidewalk style.
5. The eating is good! As I type this, I’m eating cheapo Sahadi’s black caviar slathered on a Mile’s End bagel with a half-sour Kosher pickle.
6. I’m fairly certain I conjured this experience because I’ve been mainlining The Good Fight, the most progressive, envelope-pushing TV drama no one is watching. (I blame the CBS All Access platform.) I adore strong legal dramas, and have convinced myself that in an alternate universe, I am a Diane Lockhart-style badass.
So, yeah: it’s all in how you look at it.