opinion writing

Year of Grief, from Traumas New and Old

We are all spent and on edge Image by Larm Rmah from unsplash.com. Every day, I read the news. I see the photos. I hear the reports. The grief is palpable. I can feel it pulsing around me, a living, breathing thing that threatens to consume all of us. My anger and my sadness makeContinueContinue reading “Year of Grief, from Traumas New and Old”

We Need to be Honest and Call Them Lynchings

Noose. Image by Tamara Gore from Unsplash Six Black people (four men, one woman, and a teenaged boy) have been found hanging from trees in five states (California, New York, Oregon, Georgia, and Texas) in recent weeks. All of the trees were in public. They’ve all been ruled suicides. There has been sporadic and lacklusterContinueContinue reading “We Need to be Honest and Call Them Lynchings”

A White Woman’s Take on Black Murder

We, as white people, have to stop assuming that we aren’t part of the problem, that we even fully understand the problem. We don’t. We have not be born in skin that is inherently viewed as “bad”. Light and dark, good and evil. All of it relates. We benefit from it, even when we don’t realize it. The benefit of the doubt is always given to us, and the suspicion is always placed on people of color. It’s time to acknowledge the truth. I, for one, will no longer be quiet for the sake of propriety or so I don’t hurt the feelings of someone who thinks that this is an attack. Is anyone listening anymore? I sure as hell hope so because the message is literally life or death.

The Equality Fight Continues and Is More Important than Ever

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on whether employers have the right to fire employees based on their sexual orientation and gender identity SPOILER: Opinions ahead “I’d like to live to be old.” — Bren Osborn In October of last year, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in three cases that will determine whetherContinueContinue reading “The Equality Fight Continues and Is More Important than Ever”

The Brazen and Beautiful Legacy of Strong-Willed Women

My maternal grandfather called us “strong-willed women”. It was a point of pride with him. I come from a long line of strong-willed women, on both sides of my family, and I am better for it. I mean, there is literally a park in my dad’s hometown named after my grandmother. Pennington Park was aContinueContinue reading “The Brazen and Beautiful Legacy of Strong-Willed Women”

To the Amazing People Who Make Our Lives Safer

Thank you to all of the gig, service, delivery, postal and healthcare workers NOTE: A version of this was originally published on February 20, 2020 at medium.com/@katyferry. I feel like it is more important than ever to acknowledge our service workers, our “essential” workers who are keeping the country running while deal with COVID-19. ThisContinueContinue reading “To the Amazing People Who Make Our Lives Safer”