Accessibility is a Voting Rights Issue
After three years of legal advocacy, a group of women with disabilities secured a federal settlement that will bring major accessibility improvements to Detroit’s public buildings, including the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. These changes—impacting access to courts, public meetings, jury service, and voting—are not cosmetic; they are fundamental to democracy. The legacy of lead plaintiff Jill Babcock lives on in this reminder that access denied is democracy denied.
Caring for Ourselves Is Civic Work: We Are Our Own Rainbows
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. While studies show there are many reasons why someone might consider suicide, the biggest deterrents to suicide are positive social connections and access to mental health care. As a writer and activist who leans into many political spaces, taking care of myself is often in competition with other […]
Naming the Wound, Finding the Healing
What happens when lived grief meets clinical wisdom? At the Ann Arbor District Library, George Floyd’s family and leading psychologists gathered for a powerful evening of truth-telling, resilience, and racial healing. From personal loss to the psychology of racial trauma, the panel revealed how turning pain into purpose demands not only courage—but also community, love, […]
Before The World Knew His Name
On what would have been Emmett Till’s 84th birthday, we remember not just the brutal injustice that took his life—but the vibrant boy he was before the world came to know his name. Before his name became a national rallying cry, Emmett Louis Till was a 14-year-old Black boy navigating the joys and challenges of […]
Stay Cool, Stay Connected
? What to Do on Super Hot Days: Stay Safe, Stay Cool, Stay Connected ? As temperatures soar this summer, it’s more important than ever to protect ourselves and our communities from dangerous heat. Extreme heat isn’t just uncomfortable—it can be deadly, especially for children, older adults, people with chronic health conditions, and those without […]
Discovering Juneteenth
Article Reprinted, Courtesy of Brownsville States-Graphic OPINION | DISCOVERING JUNETEENTHBy Leslie McGraw, Great Grandniece of Elbert Williams I didn’t grow up celebrating Juneteenth. Like many Black Americans in the Midwest, I knew of it only vaguely—something about Texas, something about the end of slavery, but it felt distant, like someone else’s history. In my 11th […]
Hannah: True story of a newly freed girl meeting President Abraham Lincoln
Author, Podcast Host, and retired Nurse Pamela Goldstein recounts a story of meeting President Abraham Lincoln, as told to her by 108-year-old Hannah when she worked as her direct caregiver at age 19.
Gratitude Leftovers – Part II
A Belated Happy Birthday to Elbert Williams