Tuesdays w/TJae:
What is True, What is Real - and What Comes Next

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Hi, Reader, Happy Tuesday!

From 100 Voices to 100 Readers

Lately, I’ve been thinking about liberty—and what it actually means in this moment.

I revisited Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?

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His words—clear, cutting, unflinching—are still echoing. In 2025, I wonder how many of us feel the weight of his critique. I wonder how many liberties we’ve already lost while still celebrating the idea of freedom.

I also learned a new word recently: kleptocracy—government by theft. Not just financial theft, but the slow and steady erosion of rights, representation, and resources. Theft that’s dressed in law or policy.
The kind of theft that tells you, you voted for this. (I can hear you saying, not me . . . either way - THE VOTE THAT WAS RECORDED got us here.)

And I’ve been reflecting on the difference between what is true and what is real. “True” is provable. You can show evidence, run the numbers, trace the facts. But “real”? That’s what we accept, what we internalize, what we live under—true or not.
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Think about that. What have we agreed is real, even if it was never true?

Let's embrace whatever discomfort arises. Comfort does not encourage growth, or action.
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So I’ll ask you, like I ask myself:

• What are you feeling in this moment?
• What are you accepting as real?
• And what are you doing about it?

From 100 Voices to 100 Readers:
A Civic Invitation

Five years ago, 100 women gathered in Houston to talk about race and culture in community. Then, several of you joined 100 Voices in your own communities. That event—100 Voices—reminded me that we don’t need all the answers to have meaningful conversations. We just need willingness. We need care. We need each other.

Now I’m inviting 100 people to gather again. Not to talk about race this time, but to read the U.S. Constitution.

Not as a performance. Not out of patriotism.
But out of curiosity. Out of care. Out of concern for where we’re headed.

You'll remember that we began this journey in 2023 and returned to this practice last year as part of the Our Old House Conversation Series.

This time, The Constitution in 90 Days is a self-guided experience that invites you to sit with our founding document—not for rote memorization, but for meaningful reflection. You’ll receive curated sections, reflective prompts, and a path that you can follow at your own pace.

Start when you're ready. But I’ll be beginning on July 4th—not as a celebration, but as a reckoning.
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If we can celebrate the ideals of independence, we must also examine the structure that claims to uphold them.

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**Quick Note: if you join us on July 4th, you'll notice that only the first 2 weeks of readings are live. I'll be adding the other readings a few at a time and they'll all be posted long before we reach the end of 90 days.

As a thank you for taking time to read the newsletter, enter the code QR2025 for special pricing through the end of July.

Weaving Waters: A Clay & Storytelling Workshop

You’re invited to take part in Weaving Waters, a clay and storytelling workshop led by artist Margarita Cabrera and hosted by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership.

There are several dates available throughout July, but I’ll be attending the session on Saturday, July 26 from 10am–12pm, and I’ve reserved 9 spots for Quiet Rebel community members.

If you’d like to join me, just reply to this message to RSVP.

(Full event details are available on the flyer or at buffalobayou.org.)

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