Sketchbook
Stories of Our Political Life in Full Color
Bursting the Bible Bubble: Thoughts on Womanhood as a Political Act
“What do you think is wrong with society today?” my high school Bible teacher once asked us. No one said anything, so he continued. “We’ve…become a society disconnected with God. We’ve strayed away from what is pure and good, and have delved into sin and filth.” He paused, and I waited for what he would say next. “We had it better in the 50’s,” he said. ¶ He was a full-fledged WASP- upper middle-class, coach of the football team, son of the church’s senior pastor, telling a classroom full of teenagers –half of which were girls of color- that their existence would have somehow been better in the days of Jim Crow and gendered…
Karina Daniela DaSilvaDec 31, 2015
My First Political Act: The Donkey, The Elephant, and Da Bears
It was 1992 — a big year for me. We moved to a new town and I started second grade at a new school. “Newness” wasn’t really my thing, so…the fact that I was drowning in change forced me to figure out how to swim. ¶ Naturally, I took comfort in predictability. Watching dad work in the garage on Sundays and shout at the radio as he listened to his “crummy Chicago Bears” brought me much-needed solace. Just a season before, he was in the garage cheering on the White Sox, but he never got his hopes up, as they always “blew it after the All-Star break.”
Heidi WilbrandtNov 15, 2015