Contextualizing the chaos one historical tangent at a time
If you’re curious, my kid chose to “improvise” on the harmonica bc that’s my kid. 🤷♀️
And if you’re angry at what’s going around on in Texas education, go support
05/21/2026
“You are dealing with the oddity of time travel with the greatest of ease.”
📸:
05/21/2026
Chicago is easily one of the top 3 most interesting cities in the U.S., historically. Come along with me as I teach you a brief history of the Windy City, from indigenous land to Barack Obama.
I couldn’t spend the day in Selma and Montgomery, and hear the words of amazing leaders, and not constantly think of the past. What always inspires me most whenever I’m surrounded by Black American activists is how well they know their own history and how they continue to use their faith, knowledge and community to fight for what’s right.
05/17/2026
It’s no coincidence that the state legislatures that immediately redrew their maps to dilute Black voters were all former Confederate states. The Voting Rights Act was what turned our American experiment into a true democracy and we can’t go back. If you have primaries or local elections, vote and bring 5 people with you. Talk to people in your life who “don’t follow politics” and make sure they know how big of a role their local and state officials have in dictating their life and their rights.
You could teach all of US History from this spot between the Alabama State Capitol and the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. But let’s keep it in the past. We’re not going back.
Attending the service in Selma this morning was incredible. And a good reminder that the Black church provided structure and leadership to the Civil Rights Movement.
05/16/2026
Re-reading this on the flight to Montgomery and it’s all still tragically relevant. “These things must be repeated time and again, for men forget quickly.”
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Tomorrow. Selma 9 AM CT. Montgomery 1 PM CT. National Day of Action for voting rights. The march our grandparents made. Same steps. Different generation. → allroadsleadtothesouth.com
Did I want my son to be Lafayette? Sure of course. Obviously. But Einstein was a pretty good pick too, I guess.