Bruh

The Mother of Exiles, a mighty woman holding a golden torch aloft says, "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me." We have done better, but racism divides: this is how we fall

There's far too much shock and awe to cover everything. I don't care about gender; character and unity matter. Honesty, integrity, dependability, empathy; those things are honorable. Human rights matter more than our differences. We should not be rounding people up like cattle to be put in camps

A South African wendigo consumes, always hungry, never sated. He makes the world more perilous, dismantling decaying infrastructures. An angler fish, he dangles an orange lure to dazzle and confuse those in the dark before they get consumed. Political sports teams defend, denying his nazi deposing

My point; how many more difficult decisions will we have without safety nets? How many will have their deaths blamed on their skin color, ability to pay, or industry dangers instead of the systems that caused those folks to be put in danger? Will my generation be able to own homes and have families?

Don't pity me. This is me showing the hand I have. I'll play the cards dealt. My degree has gotten me a good credit score and an understanding of money. I used to dream of helping my family out of poverty, owning a home, but now? Child, money only flows up or out, trickle down is a bourgeoisie myth

My younger sister is diabetic. She has been hospitalized many times. Insulin she gets from Walmart isn't as effective. She was pregnant, got to 26 weeks, and the baby passed away 15 days after being born. She lives with her sickly grandfather. We stood around at our brother's place as a funeral

A foster sister passed while debating dialysis treatments or rent, our last conversation. She chose rent, and her body gave up on her in 2015. She was beaten by her parents as a child, causing kidney damage. We lived in the same group home. She left foster care at 18 and had no insurance. She was 19

He and I spoke about Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice. We spoke with fear, how the boys were treated, with an air of "we could be them." I fought with newspapers to change his photo from his mug shot to any other photo. I was beaten protesting, but my wits and temper held, I went home bloody, but free

On 3/2/2018, he went to the club. A Black man started a fight and fled before cops showed up. They profiled Peter, who in a panic, tried to run home the wrong way and fell in the river. Cops called him slurs and took their time to help. On an ice floe, scared, hypothermic, he slipped, dying at 22

I don't have a record, despite being harassed. My foster brother's initial crime was existing while Black at McD's. The manager didn't like his joy and banned the teen from the store. His white friends were being loud too, no bans. He forgot one night after work in his 20s, got arrested for trespass

I work gigs using my car to make up for wages. Been legally working since 15, but I started at 10. I'm 31. I thought last year I might break down and get a government job for the security, but that's a laugh nowadays. I would have been a "DEI hire", I'm mixed. No vices or kids, I'm single and budget

It feels like a tightrope walk. I work 16/hr for 35 hours/week. Work does not give raises, just some overtime. I pay rent in groceries and chores. Rejection letters pour in my inbox. I haven't gotten an interview yet, likely due to my inconsistent work history. Many businesses shuttered permanently

I didn't know what to do. Someone's dad started mentoring me. I got a car. Went back to school for business admin, graduated in 2024 with three degrees, and used scholarships to pay tuition. Wrangled my debts and started paying on loans, caught up on interest. I sleep on the floor at my cousin's now

The first to go to college, nursing, I took loans out the first time. My parents, 40s, passed soon after I started, leaving kids. I quit school. I worked 4 jobs, often 120 weeks in the summer, seasonal work that transitioned to finding a winter job. Lots of sleeping in tents and on couches, no car