Tag Archives: protest

2/14/25 Boston Common

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In spite of cold temps and intermittent gusts of wind blasting in off the Atlantic, the Valentine’s Day protest on Boston Common was well-attended. Three hundred? Maybe more? Ken thought five, but that seems a little high to me.

Such is my life that when Sarah Kendzior liked the photo of her quote that I posted on Bluesky, it was a little thrill.

The Embrace might be growing on me.

We’ve been rewatching the HBO series JOHN ADAMS. It opens with the Boston Massacre, so I wanted to go honor the five fallen men from that day, but the Granary Burial Ground was closed. It looked like pure ice in there.

The HBO show is really well-acted with lots of local scenery, but it’s a strange time to be watching. It’s not a balm or a distraction, that’s for sure. “A Republic, if you can keep it,” Ben Franklin famously utters.

The birth of independence. The sacrifices. The wrangling over how to express our ideals. Not perfectly done, but still.

All to get out from under the tyranny of a king.

Tonight I went to a birthday party. A small, warm gathering with interesting folks and good food. Snow falling outside.

In a living room full of eight people that I was meeting for the first (maybe second) time, SIX of us had attended the protest the day prior. Six! I’m not sure why, but that really made me feel good.

PS I understand needing to step away, take breaks. I hope our community holds though. It means the world to me.

Here is Marti’s sweater and pin for tomorrow.

Good news

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In spite of everything, there is still the vote. There’s no real evidence that gerrymandering or Russian attacks can thwart a major voter turnout.

We cannot expect Mueller to fix things. We cannot rely on impeachment. But we sure can vote.

Vote. Vote. Vote.

(That’s the gist of a Will Stenberg piece on FB this morning).

And protest. MoveOn has asked us to wear white on Saturday.

And now, major machinery is grinding at my neighbor’s so I’m heading into the Center for breakfast.

Protest sustenance

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Seven encouraging minutes by Dr. Glenda Russell that are worthwhile and, believe it or not, funny.

Highlights:
“Don’t cultivate anger, direct it.”

“I cannot help but feel some measure of anger. I must deal with that anger.
I don’t want to wrestle it to the ground. I want to harness it.” Charles M. Blow

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” MLK, Jr.

Don’t give your power to those who would do you harm. Focus on your allies.

Sleep enough, eat well, and limit your exposure to depressive media.

Because so many groups are being attacked simultaneously, “the potential for mass mobilization and coalition building is greater than it’s ever been in my lifetime.”

Frederick Douglass: ‘The end of the Republic begins when the heroism of the struggle for equality yields to the cowardice of resentment.’

Jill Lepore: “What could possibly be more important, more meaningful, or more fun, than making this election the basis for renewing the struggle for justice, equity, and peace.”