Agitators: Black Thinkers Who Spoke Out Before It Was Easy

I’ll admit it: in the midst of my joy at the amount of people attending protests around Minneapolis, a cynical part of me wonders where these people were last year. When every corporation is denouncing racism, when donations flood neighborhoods, when all your friends are doing it–it’s pretty easy to speak out under those circumstances.… Read More

Women’s March: St Paul, Minnesota

The week before the Women’s March I was sharing dinner with several good friends, including the woman I would eventually go to the march with in St. Paul, Minnesota. As we ate, we talked, and when the subject turned to the march there was some trepidation voiced. Was it going to be positive? Was it going… Read More

My Experience on the Ground at the Women’s March on Washington, DC

My trip to the Women’s March on Washington covered the span of 36 hours. The morning of inauguration day I went to work as usual. While listening to Minnesota Public Radio during my commute an immense sadness overcame me. It’s happening. This is real. I was brought back to the ugly moments immediately following the… Read More

Women’s March on Washington Diary – “Preparation”

The countdown begins. Tomorrow over a million women around the planet will be marching in solidarity towards a more equal future. I bought my plane ticket on November 12th to the then-nascent women’s protest in Washington DC, just four days after the presidential election results shocked (at least some parts) of the nation. The decision to go… Read More

Slacktivism and the Male Feminist

In the past year or so (and probably longer) there have been plenty of articles on Internet activism, sometimes derisively called “slacktivism.” Some people are panicked by Internet activism and what it means for the world’s scariest generation: millenials. To wit, the Huffington Post published one piece in October called Slacktivism: The Downfall of Millenials. I think the title… Read More

Wherefore Art Thou “Leader”?

President’s Day is a reminder to reflect on history and, of course, on our presidents. As a woman, I’m rather conflicted on this. It’s not that I can’t identify with any of our leaders or have some sort of crazed “every male leader is irrelevant” mind-set. However, I find it dull from a historian’s perspective.… Read More