That big laugh. That scoop-you-in enthusiasm. And while she doesn’t own a pet lizard like the famous Magic School Bus teacher, Joanne does have Rosie the Resistance Bird, the parakeet whose occasional shrieks feature prominently on her podcasts.
But almost every pod I’ve seen of her, she’s giggling. Or crowing, “LIVE!” (then laughing at her own glee). If what you need in these days of constant heartache and gut-wrenching worry about our vulnerable fellow Americans, environment, and democracy is a reminder of the “power of We”…Joanne Freeman is your woman.
Aside from her piercing insights on things like the role of white supremacy in our nation’s current shitshow state, and her abiding love for Alexander Hamilton, my favorite thing about Joanne Freeman is her tenderness with her listeners. “A Few Thoughts For Those Who Can’t Sleep” kind of says it all, doesn’t it? (Though her buddy HCR jokes that most folks call it “Freeman After Dark.) She’s there for us–literally.
At the end of each of these late-night (or evening, if you’re on Western time) sessions, Dr. Freeman has a set of rituals guaranteed to warm your heart. With a sense of joyful ceremony, she holds these items up, one at a time:
a whistle: to remind us to look out for each other, and stand up for each other, like the people in Minneapolis
2. a little tin labelled “Chutzpah”: to remind us to “Be strong and of good courage,” a quote from a onetime professor of hers, which she uses as a mantra
Who doesn’t need this?????
When it comes to Dr. Joanne Freeman, I say: Come for the scholarship. Stay for the…
I know. I looked! But this guys is young and fresh and new. And so are his takes. And that’s why I follow him.
from Ahmed Baba’s popular Substack, Ahmed Baba News
I first ran into Ahmed through my favorite hands-on political org, Common Power. Not only was he canvassing with CP, as I was, in battleground states leading up to the 2024 debacle election, he was breaking through as an independent journalist in a place I (and so many of us) have turned to since 11/2024: Substack. (See also: The Contrarian, Joyce Vance, Marc Elias…)
I still love watching Ahmed compare political notes with Common Power’s Executive Director Charles Douglas:
Ahmed was one of my first “follows” on this new platform. Not only did he follow me back, but whenever I’d write a personal note about some major milestone in his young life–his marriage, the birth of his first child–Ahmed would respond. Somehow, though this guy seems to be everywhere! he has time to interact with the folks who rely on him for his un-bought perspective.
That “everywhere” thing? Here’s Ahmed on MSNOW:
Here he is with Don Lemon, on Don’s own channel, Lemon Drop:
Ahmed’s special sauce is connecting with folks whose perspectives you might not have considered…like citizens of the UK. A regular guest is his Scottish buddy James Matthews, in a segment they call “Across the Pond” (note, in this clip, James has had very poor sleep–he’s not usually THAT pale! Or maybe he is):
While Ahmed’s mind is sharp and his soul deep, it’s his authenticity I most value as a guide, these choppy days. He has to wear a suit for his TV appearances, but otherwise there he is in his polo shirt, cussing where necessary but never showing off. “Say it with your chest” is one of his frequent comments.
More of that, please. PLEASE. I highly recommend you check out Ahmed Baba News if you haven’t already, and pass it on to someone else who’s feeling let down by legacy media.
In the Department of Guiding Lights, there’s the North Star (see my piece on Heather Cox Richardson); the twinkly path-markers known as The Contrarian, and several more which offer both inspiration and guidance to folks like us. (Watch this space!)
Marc Elias in 2024 (photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
According to Ken Vogel of The New York Times, “Elias has arguably done more than any single person outside government to shape the Democratic Party and the rules under which all campaigns and elections in the United States are conducted.” (October 30, 2024, as quoted by Wikipedia.org)
Marc’s political bio is far too voluminous for me to sum up here; please check out Wikipedia or Democracy Docket itself for all the details of presidents and almost-presidents he’s worked for, trials he’s worked on, resistance fighters he’s supported.
What matters to me now, and what I hope (assume? since you’re reading this) matters to you is: his law firm has taken the Trump administration (regime) to court dozens of times…and of the cases already decided, Elias Law Group is 23 and 0.
That’s 23 wins for Elias’ democracy warriors; 23 LOSSES for Trump.
A fighter who springs to action when democracy is threatened, like if Batman wore a suit & tie? That’s who I want on my side, heading into the scariest electoral period in our country’s history since 1860.
Marc? That you? (image courtesy Wikimedia)
I’m not a lawyer; don’t want to be. But I DO want to fight to keep the Trump regime’s mitts off my election data. I do want to keep their ICE thugs from intimidating my neighbors at the polls. I want the rule of law back.
That’s why I support Democracy Docket with a small subscription. I hope you’ll consider doing the same. Marc & Co left behind their lucrative former law careers to fight for us.The least we can do is be Robin to their Batman.
Norm Eisen (formerly Obama’s Ethics Czar, lead counsel on the first Trump impeachment trial…etc) [courtesy Wikimedia]
In January 2025, Norm Eisen–CNN analyst, former ambassador to the Czech Republic, the list of roles goes on & on, click here for more–joined forces with a Washington Post journalist, Jennifer Rubin, who had quit the WaPo following its Trumpian purge by owner Jeff Bezos. Together, Norm and Jen created The Contrarian, on Substack. Meet Jen:
[courtesy Wikimedia]
Since I’ve never been a WaPo reader, I didn’t know that Jen Rubin had started life as a conservative Republican. By the time I started listening to her, following Trump’s second inauguration, she sounded just like me: alarmed, pissed off, and raring to fight fascism. Does that sound like you too? You’ll love Jen.With a journalist’s razor-sharp vision, she not only distills what’s at stake, she lets readers know how to help fight for our democracy.
BEST OF ALL (notice I saved this for last): all paid subscriptions to The Contrarian (you CAN read & listen for free…but should you??) go to fund Lawyer Norm as he takes on the Trump Regime in case after case after case (all Ws so far, by the way). It brings me special pride to know that I am helping the fight in such a LITERAL way.
And in navigating this current turbulence—both national, and, more recently in my case, personal—she’s also my North Star. (Here I confess I don’t actually know if Polaris forms part of what mariners look to…but I know the North Star led folks out of slavery, and that’s the choppiest chop there is. So: let’s roll with it.)
(image by Andres Nieto Porras, courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
Reading and listening to HCR (especially listening; her voice is so calm) has been keeping my keel evened since the 2024 debacle election. If you’re reading this, you’re probably in the HCR choir so I should quit preaching. But just in case you’re not…
Through her Letters From an American series, HCR puts the daily outrages of the current regime into perspective. Yes, this is horrible…but it also looks a lot like the 1850s. The 1890s. The 1920s. Etc.
1850s attempted murder in the Senate, anyone? (courtesy Wikimedia)
Through her Politics Chats, (on YouTube, Substack and Facebook) HCR draws a line through the chaos, connecting dots, allowing us to see patterns, to understand. What do all these awful news stories have in common? Grift. Corruption. White supremacy. Etc.
(Plus she has an adorable habit of reading aloud all the towns and countries people beam in from to listen to her livestream.)
Through her current 250 to 250 series—which should seriously win some kind of media prize—HCR reminds us what it means to have pride and joy in our own country, its government, lands, history. Want to celebrate America’s 250th more meaningfully than watching a cage fight? Here are 250 1-minute snippets on everything that makes us US.
(Most of the 250 are narrated by other people, some famous, some just appropriate. Heather herself only narrates two…but it’s telling which two she chose.)
HCR is also fun and funny. My favorite podcasts are her weekly(ish) chats with fellow American historian Joanne Freeman, “What the Heck Just Happened.” There, serious unpacking of the week’s stuff comes with healthy discussion of M ‘n’ Ms, cleaning your bathroom, and Gary the Apple Guy, and they end each session telling each other “I love you.” Can’t begin to express what a balm this is.
If you’ve clicked on some of the above links, you’ve now found your way into HCR World, but just to be clear: look for Heather Cox Richardson on YouTube, on Substack, or just Google her and see what pops up.
I guarantee you will feel heartened, bolstered, and…guided. Sail on!
In my last post, I highlighted three “navigational markers” that are keeping me going in seas which feel rougher than usual. #1 is family and friends. Nuff said there.
But #2 and 3 are “using historians, legal minds, politicians and activists to keep myself inspired and motivated,” and then AMPLIFYING THAT INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION.
That starts here, with an activist I’m willing to bet most (all but one?) of y’all have never heard of: Tomiekia Johnson.
Photo submitted by Nevaeh Lemons
Tomiekia and I have known each other for six years. I call her TJ; she calls me Gretch. We have never met, because I live on a small island in the Pacific Northwest, and she is incarcerated in central California.
Me writing TJ. (kidding–it’s Woman Writing a Letter, c. 1655, by Borsh, courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
Eventually we got into (what I call) Planet Prison’s method of email—one more way for the Prison Industrial Complex to squeeze money out of people in need. Subject to constant censorship and glitches, it still allows a certain amount of back-and-forth missing from paper letters. This year, we added weekly phone calls to the mix. But it’s Tomiekia’s WRITING that I want to lift up here.
“Prison journalist” does not begin to describe this woman’s pounding energy in exposing injustice “behind barz.” Because inmates are severely limited in communication with the outside world, I took on the role of Tomiekia’s editor. She sends me rough drafts (in short chunks as required by Securus, a subsidiary of JPay). I edit, send chunks back. Lately, we’ve started editing over the phone. When we have a final draft, I pitch it to a series of online mags who’ve shown interest in Tomiekia’s voice and topics over the years.
We’re pretty proud of her latest in Prism, on the importance–practical and symbolic–of Black women’s hair care behind barz. Read it here.
NOT the braids TJ’s describing! (Couldn’t find a photo of Nipsey’s braids on Wikimedia)
My hope, shared by Tomiekia and her loved ones, is to amplify her voice, justice issues and energy by combining our forces. So: if you “like” and follow me? Subscribe to @therealtj on Substack. But don’t blame me if she blows your mind.
Chop. Swirl. Eddies. Currents. Unexpected wavelets, even waves, hitting from all sides, throwing you off balance, interfering with forward movement. Obscuring forward movement. Where am I headed, anyway? Where’s this interference coming from? Should I drift for a moment or power through? What new challenges will either choice unleash? Which way should I steer?
I am neither historian nor lobsterwoman. But—in case you’ve wondered whether Wing’s World has fallen off the face of the earth—I’ve been living this metaphor for the last several months. Chop, for me, has set blogging wayyyyy back as a priority. Only now am I coming to realize I might need this blog as a navigational marker to sail on through this stuff.
I have always considered myself the person least touched by adversity of any I’ve met. I even wrote a song about it, from the perspective of someone who got all the bad shit I’ve avoided: “Who got my sunshine, who got my ease?/Does she realize her fortune? Will you tell her, please?” The song ends, “Hope she’ll be ready when her skies turn black.”
This year, my skies finally darkened.
In December, my high school bestie died, with no chance to say goodbye. A week later, a close local friend died. In February, the Mate’s health circumstances took a hard turn. And in early June, my amazing father, Peter Klopfer, died.
Add to that the national shitstorm we’re all living through, and…
[photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons]
Another favorite topic of HCR (Heather Cox Richardson) is navigational markers. In my personal chop, I have decided to focus on these few to guide me:
Interdependence on and with family, friends and the Mate, more intentionally than ever in my life
Using historians, legal minds, politicians and activists to keep myself inspired and motivated
Using my own resources of time, money and WORDS to amplify that inspiration and motivation
I won’t blog about the first marker. But the other two? Watch this space.
From the wonderful online news source Salish Current in Bellingham, WA comes this heartening story by Nancy DeVaux. I promise you’ll find inspiration here.
No, this post isn’t about Zohran Mamdani. (Well, maybe a little.) I’ll skip straight to the moral of the story: if your adult offspring sends you a link, read ALL of it before reacting.
That said, sometimes reactions can lead somewhere positive. Let me explain that statement…and also, for those of you who don’t follow my blog, why I’m sending this to you.
Don’t be like me. Read on for explanation…
Son Two, Casey, has only dipped his toes into filmmaking. But (as he acknowledges) he’s dipped his toes into many things, so when he told us he was filming a promo for his feature, my thought was, Way to be creative–go get ’em, kid.
Then came the fundraising link for Anyone But Linda. I immediately clicked on the video–Hey, that’s my boy! And then came…
Wait. You’re raising money for a movie, now? When it feels like all hands on deck to keep folks in Minneapolis fed and housed, under the ICE/CBP siege?
Wait. If folks donate to you, what are they not going to donate to?
Wait. You’re a healthy millennial with more resources than many. You’re putting your time and energy into a movie?What about more hands-on action, like when you were helping detainees released from the ICE facility in Tacoma?
Such were my maternal reactions. Followed by…
I should be telling my son how proud I am. I should be contributing to his project. How can I tell him about my misgivings without damaging our relationship?
So I wrote Son Two a long letter, giving each of my concerns its own thoughtful, loving (I hoped) paragraph. I put it in an email, then reread it several times before hitting Send. My stomach hurt.
It helps that we’ve always had a great relationship. This pic’s a dozen years old, but the feeling remains.
Turns out I could’ve saved myself the gut-wrench. Not only did Casey write back with an equally long and heartfelt letter, not only did he suggest we talk that night, but when we did…
…he pointed out that the fundraising link contained the answers to ALL my concerns. In my haste to watch (and react to) the video, I had missed everything underneath. Like the mission statement:
“Given the state of the world, it’s no wonder so many have given up on politics. Hope is in short supply. This film is meant to reignite the flame of belief, not in unfair systems, but in the unique power of individuals to stand up to them – with a tickle, a wink, and a gentle nudging of the heart.” [emphasis mine]
And the synopsis:
“Linda Santori has been in office FOREVER and, like the rest of the establishment, she is totally out of touch with working class people. Or so says Suresh Palavairayan, the young progressive running to challenge her. The campaign is a long-shot…but Cole has a plan.
Adrift in his mid-20s, in an unfulfilling job and a relationship that’s lost its spark, Cole is searching for purpose. His social media addiction keeps him overly informed – and borderline depressed. Suresh’s firebrand rhetoric is just the push he has been needing, that sends him stumbling into a zany plan of action:
To open the path for new leadership, he will jump-scare the aging Congresswoman so badly that she decides to retire.
It barely makes sense and is hardly likely to succeed, but in this impulsive scheme Cole finds what he has been needing to believe in himself, in democracy, and the power that we each have to make a difference.” [emphasis mine]
This was exactly the passionate purpose I was wondering about. It’s no secret that Gen Z is likely to be the difference-maker in the elections of 2026 and 2028. Someone has to reach out to those dispirited Americans. Do I have any ideas how to? No…but Son Two does.
The rest of the fundraising site (which I’d missed) even answered my main question (above).
“Politics today are depressing. Social media bombards us with endless catastrophe and crisis; each one complex, urgent, and overwhelming. We feel powerless as individuals and our elected representatives can’t, or won’t, take meaningful action.
Yet across the country there are dozens of young progressive candidates challenging establishment politicians with grassroots campaigns. Up against corporate money, the key to their success has been thousands of individuals volunteering to canvass and phone-bank. These candidates are our hope for change and these volunteers are proof that each one of us can play a role in making that hope a reality.
We desperately need a story of politics that is uplifting. And relatable. And funny enough to make you remember it’s not all doom and gloom out there. Anybody But Linda is the political story that nudges you to find your purpose, even if it seems impractical.
With a small cast and few shooting locations, this feature film is designed to be produced like a short. This allows for a speedy timeline (shooting end of March) so that the film’s release will coincide with political primaries in June ahead of the midyear elections. The vision is to host community screenings that allow folks to come together in dialogue about the social and political themes of the film, and galvanize civic participation. It also means getting scrappy with the budgeting, so every dollar counts!
The production itself is an homage to grassroots organizing, with many people volunteering their valuable time and skills in support of a greater mission. Funds raised allow us to compensate our actors, crew, and host locations.” [emphasis mine]
The more I ponder the questions raised by the promo of Anyone But Linda, the more I find myself thinking, Maybe this story does have to do with Zohran Mamdani. Finding power, hope, purpose…in politics? Yes to that. This little movie, when made, won’t detract from anyone giving of themselves to help the next Mamdani, or the citizens of Minneapolis. This little movie can remind folks why they want to do just that.
Rev. Dr. William Barber [photo courtesy Wikimedia]
If we were back in my childhood of the 1960s-70s, all watching the same 3 or 4 channels, everyone would know this preacher. Everyone would have seen him preaching, heard him cajoling or roaring from the pulpit. Though his accent is eastern Carolina, not Atlanta, we would have known him the way we knew that other Rev. Dr., the one whose birthday is now a federal holiday.
But we’re all in our separate media silos now; separate channels, separate apps. Rev. Barber is back on the east coast (managing to pastor a congregation at Yale even while doing all this political work), and here on the west, I RARELY meet anyone who’s heard of him.
I’m trying to change that.
One of my very earliest memories is of the civil rights movement in my hometown of Durham, NC: holding hands and swaying in a demonstration, singing “We Shall Overcome.” I learned later that Duke students and faculty–including my dad–came out in support of Duke’s all-Black custodians, probably 1965.
Out here in the Pacific Northwest, all that history feels remote. Or it did until Trump, the Supreme Court and Project 2025 started attacking voting rights again. Now here we are, right back in the mid-60s, fighting to maintain what we thought we’d won.
The only difference? “We” is more than Black Americans now. “We” is we.
If you find yourself thinking, “We sure could use Dr. King now,” then
a) you’re not alone, and
b) meet Rev. Barber.
State troopers watch as marchers cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge over the Alabama River in Selma, Alabama as part of a civil rights march on March 9. Two days before troopers used excessive force driving marchers back across the bridge, killing one protester. [Courtesy Legal Defense Fund]
This February, Rev. Barber’s group, Repairers of the Breach, will be leading a march modeled on the famous Selma to Montgomery March of 1965. They’ll start in Wilson, NC on Feb. 11 and walk almost 50 miles (15 miles/day), finishing in Raleigh on Valentines Day. How I wish I could be there! I can’t…but I plan to support the march financially. And I plan to tell everyone I can about it.
Starting here. Because, who knows? Maybe you can be there. Maybe you can be part of that history.
Can you? And if not…can you send this post to someone who might be able to join, or support the marchers?
And if you do that, will you tell me about it?
PS: For more information, or to contact Rev. Barber & the Repairers of the Breach directly, click here.
