Last year, I asked artist Andrew Lyko to paint my old motorcycle jacket so that it would be appropriate for cold-weather protesting. I requested a tribute to Never Again Action, a grass-roots collaboration between Jewish and immigrant-rights activists that started protesting U.S. concentration camps last summer. I wear the jacket to other protests too, so…
activism
Like Audre Lorde Said, Find Your Work and Do It
Nearly every day, someone asks me if I have hope, and shares that they feel hopeless. I wish I could pour people a serving of hope the way I might supply an imaginary neighbor with a cup of sugar. (Do people still do that somewhere? “Borrow” sugar?) To be honest, I feel low on hope…
Guess Who’s Back … With a Trump-Rat GoFundMe!
Hello? via GIPHY Is anyone out there? It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the blog, though I thought about it guiltily every day since my 13th-blogversary post in July. (By the way, unproductive, self-inflicted guilt: zero out of 4 stars, do not recommend.) If you follow my personal Instagram, you know that…
RIP, Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer, a writer and one of the earliest AIDS activists, died today at age 84. You can read his full resume in the many obituaries that have been and will be published but, in short, Kramer was a co-founder of two AIDS activism groups — Gay Men’s Health Crisis, in 1982, which provided support…
White Supremacy Is Terrorism
Yesterday, a black man named Christian Cooper asked a white woman named Amy Cooper (no relation) to put her dog on a leash in Central Park’s Ramble, where dogs are required to be leashed to protect the wildlife and plants. In response, Amy Cooper called 911 in fake hysterics and told the dispatcher that an…
Taking to the Streets to Mourn COVID-19 Deaths
More than 90,000 people have died of the novel coronavirus in the U.S., but the White House hasn’t called for national mourning. To make up for that, grass roots activist groups arranged a Day of Mourning today to call attention to our losses. As #COVID19 infections in the US increase to over 1.5m and deaths…
Wednesday, May 20: COVID-19 Day of Mourning
As of today, more than 90,000 people have died of the novel coronavirus in the U.S. Tomorrow is a National Day of Mourning, organized by Indivisible, MoveOn, the Center for Popular Democracy, and other activist groups. As part of that, there will be a 24-hour livestream during which all the victims are named. You can get the…
Throwback Thursday: Leather Painted by Lyko
My painted motorcycle jacket has already appeared on the blog numerous times. Artist Andrew Lyko customized it for me last year, and now I like to wear it when I’m going to be arrested. I’m so glad I never purged this jacket from my closet like you’re “supposed to” with clothes you never wear. This jacket…
What Wendy Wore: You Can’t Unsee the Babadook
While making final logistical arrangements for yesterday’s protest action with multiple banner drops around the city … … photographer George De Castro Day emailed me, “You know, the world might need a portrait of you with a mask and in that top hat.” For a moment, I was like, “How does George know I have a…
Trump Lies All the Time
Today I left my neighborhood for the first time since Friday, March 13, to join a few of my friends from the Remove Trump collective and We Will Not Be Silent in making a little statement. Just kidding about the “little” part! This banner is 20′ by 30′ — so it was easy to hold it…