Pat Taub
An Impressive Student Leader
Bright, concerned teens all over the country are speaking out against gun violence, shaming their elders for their inaction. Yesterday in Augusta, Maine, Pearl Benjamin, a 16 year-old Camden high school student addressed the Maine State House at a gun control rally, Here’s a brief except from her talk:
My friends and I didn’t come here today to try to convince you that our lives are more important than your job, the gun industry, or the hobbies of weekend warriors. We’ve already tried that, and you didn’t listen. Today we are here to warn you. We are here to tell you that your time for valuing your own benefit over the lives of others is running out. Because of my generation, your position of power is no longer set in stone.
Camden High School Pearl Benjamin addressing the Maine State House, March 1, 2018
My Sister-in-Law
My sister-in-law, Phyllis Albritton will celebrate her 80th birthday this weekend in her hometown of Blacksburg, Virginia. Phyllis has been an activist for over 50 years, working tirelessly for civil rights and good city schools. She’s undeterred in her commitment. Here’s a recent photo of her at a Blacksburg action.
Anna Deavere Smith
This week HBO premiered Anna Deavere Smith’s amazing one-woman show, Notes From the Field. I watched the first ten minutes and plan to finish watching it this weekend. Smith is a brilliant character actor who interviewed 250 people to create the 18 different characters represented in her piece. The focus is on Black injustice, evoking the recent deaths of Freddie Gray and others killed by police.
Anna Deavere Smith tackling white supremacy in her HBO one-woman show
Crazy Weather
While January was reported to be the coldest winter in Maine’s history, February is on target for being the state’s warmest! Today, March 2nd Portland has lucked out missing the big storm that is pelting the East Coast from the Carolinas to Boston. We’re left with rain and heavy winds that are causing the street lamp outside my study to swing furiously. Will we ever address global warming?
A Basketball Fan’s Depression
My college basketball team, Syracuse, has had a terrible season and is on course to miss a tournament bid for March madness. I’ve been following the SU team since I lived in Syracuse in the 80’s and ‘90’s. I take basketball seriously and take it very personally when the Orange has a losing season.
