37days of Activism
You wanted to know what role you would have played in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s? Now’s your time to find out. You were shocked by the outcome of the U.S. Presidential election, and the aftermath of racial violence. You didn’t know this kind of racism still existed …
I will not be quiet. I am intolerant of your intolerance.
I am thinking of the singular commitment of the North Carolina General Assembly to being pioneers in bigotry and hatred, willful unknowing, and discrimination because of ignorance and fear. It hurts me, deeply, to know that my lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex friends face this kind of reality daily, …
What does freedom really feel like?
On this day of celebration in the U.S., it is too easy to take for granted the freedoms we enjoy here. Let’s pause–amidst the rambunctious grilling of soy burgers and the shopping for extra long jersey knit sky blue dorm room sheets–to list the freedoms we have. Go ahead. I’ll …
Make a sign, don’t cry
Scenario One: Tinkling bells of ice cream truck sound in the distance. We sit up straighter like dogs listening to an invisible whistle, cocking our heads to one side. "Is it?" we ask, and bolt for the door. Half dressed or not, we’re going out. We run down the front …
Be an activist, not an actor
You are six or seven years old. Your sweet Poppy is a giant to you, so tall that when he sits in his large corduroy Barcalounger, his legs from hip to knee provide a big table on which you can sit for hours and watch reruns of M*A*S*H, one of …
She had me at “cow town”
Oh, my. I love to shop on Etsy. Real artists making art. I’ve made a conscious commitment to buy handmade. My dream is to create a small shop at 37day.net that will include only handmade objects that relate to my blog and book (did I mention I’ve written a book?), …
Unplug the phone
The first principal of nonviolent action is that of noncooperation with everything humiliating. – Cesar Chavez I was in my early 20s, in graduate school studying literature (mainly American) and art history (mainly the figure of the artist in fiction). There’s a huge employment market for people who have studied …
Women speak truth – Eve Ensler
Several years ago, I heard Eve Ensler was coming to Charlotte, North Carolina, just a few hours’ drive from here, to perform her new play, “The Good Body.” Ensler’s internationally acclaimed work, “The Vagina Monologues,” continues to be performed around the world, and her V-Day organization is a force to …
Consider yourself unstoppable
I have to say that ranting feels good. Ranting with intention feels even better. It’s a step beyond Grumpy Patti, which is the nickname my business partner, David, has recently given me. "Grumpy Patti is good," he’ll say, smiling, after I’ve said my truth in a meeting with a client, …
Welcome to 37days…
At some point in our lives, we’ll all just have thirty-seven days to live. Maybe that day is today. Maybe not. There are new, interesting eyes (and, presumably, whole faces) peeking into 37days recently—many as a result of this site being newly noted as a TypePad Featured Blog. Thanks, TypePad! …
