Tuesdays w/TJae: Can you find your birth certificate?

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Reader, I'm tired. Are you tired?

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I don't want to upset you any further than you may be already. I care about our relationship and do not wish you any harm.

AND . . . there's a few (more than a few - actually a shyt ton) things that require someone's attention. *I typed and deleted a sentence just now because I had a thought that feels more true.*

ALL the things we have been discussing together over these last 5 years were important to helping us understand this moment better. And perhaps it felt like we were just talking to talk . . . or like we just wanted to feel better about ourselves . . . or by talking we were contributing to the solution. All of that can be true and we can still live in a country where - in no particular order and not at all exhaustive:

• ​The SAVE Act could jeopardize the voting rights of millions of Americans - mostly women. Do you have a passport? If not, do you know where your birth certificate is? Can you easily obtain either? Does your last name today match your birth certificate?
• POTUS has defied a SCOTUS ruling to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who is innocent of involvement in gang activity and was sent to an El Salvadorian prison without due process.
• There's an upcoming expansion of our National Parks for timber productions that suggests it will prevent wildfires which also happens to coincide with tariffs on Canada which typically supplies 91% of our lumber.
• Six women, amongst them Gayle King and Katy Perry, went to space and we're supposed to celebrate this as some sort of triumph for women . . . *insert face palm* Please do yourself a favor and Google Amanda Nguyen (on IG @amandangocnguyen) - notice how I didn't link her. . . please go look her up. She's totally deserving of your effort.

Last week I chatted with a colleague/friend following the Hands Off! Marches that occurred across the country and throughout the caring world. She remarked about the whiteness of the marches and remembered my suggestions that Black and brown folks sit this one out.

She asked my opinion on whether or not it would be appropriate to introduce the intersection of racism in the conversation - and if I felt like anti-racism was being lost in the current fight as so many white folk are feeling newly disenfranchised.

America has never not had a race problem. That problem will likely continue to exist even if the current fight manages to subside. What's at risk today - the current fire - the most urgent situation - is the remnants of democracy. If we lose the rights laid out in the Constitution: freedom of the press, of speech, of due process, of birth right citizenship, to vote, etc . . . then we won't be in a position to fight racism, sexism, capitalism, FASCISM . . .

At what point, and to what end is enough?

Rather email/mail? Resistbot is a chatbot that turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes. There are even some prewritten scripts for some of the more widely known issues. Chat with Resist Bot

Will you join me in making daily contact with your representatives for one week? Make it weird. Make them get tired of hearing from you. Let them know you're paying attention.

Special Request I am seeking 3 more participants who work in a corporate, nonprofit, educational or government organization who are willing to sit with me for one hour and allow me to help you make a more HUMAN decision regarding a specific organizational challenge. ​ Here’s the deal. ​ In exchange for one complimentary session, currently priced at $550, you agree to: 1. have the session recorded for promotional and training purposes, 2. provide a testimonial following the session ​ If this sounds mutually beneficial for you, go ahead and get your spot. https://calendly.com/quietrebel/actively-human-1-1-coaching-special​

At the end of this month, I am honored to curate a class for Jung Center Houston anchored in the work of Dr. Clint Smith. If your schedule is open on April 30, 6-8pm, I hope you will join the conversation.

In case you're new to Tuesdays w/ TJae, you should know that you won't receive emails from me every Tuesday, or on any particular Tuesday - but always (well, normally) on a Tuesday. As a child, whenever we'd visit my Grandpa James, he'd end the visit by saying "See you Tuesday," no matter when we were scheduled to see him again. So this newsletter is part nod to James Rivers, and part nod to my love of alliteration.

See you Tuesday!
TJae