May 17From Georgia to Buffalo and Everywhere In Between: Racism and Painby Valerie Morales When news broke of the Buffalo murders I remembered two months earlier when a mostly black lacrosse team was harassed by the police in Georgia. No one died in the racial profiling travesty on I-95 and the victims were decades younger than those in Buffalo, but trauma…Murder6 min read
May 7The Abortion Pill Is 22 Years Old. Its Rebirth is Stunning.by Valerie Morales For economic reasons both my parents receive their medications through the mail. When the idea was first presented to them they were skeptical. …Abortion7 min read
Apr 25Melissa Lucio Has Died Eight Timesby Valerie Morales Melissa Lucio will not be executed on Wednesday the 27th of April. Her blood will not wound the world. The rocks will not cry out. Her death won’t demand urgency. Her children won’t mourn her even as they mourn her. Melissa Elizabeth Lucio is still incarcerated. …Death Penalty11 min read
Apr 5My Mother Warned Me About Men Like Lindsay Grahamby Valerie Morales This happened in one of my favorite movies: a hunter of human cargo was creeping through 1873 Ohio. He was desperately looking for a woman named Sethe who had escaped slavery by boating across the Ohio River with her newborn daughter named Beloved. When the slave catcher…Ketanjibrownjackson7 min read
Sep 16, 2021When You Want Trump on the Ballot But Can’t Win With Trump On the Ballotby Valerie Morales California Governor Gavin Newsom escaped a political casualty by slithering through a keyhole in the GOP’s latest resurrection fantasy. Newsom will remain governor of the most populous state in the country, at least for one more year when his term ends in 2022. While Newsom tries to…California7 min read
Jun 20, 2021My Juneteenth Isn’t Your Juneteenthby Valerie Morales Ignoring white supremacy while applauding black liberation doesn’t take much talent. Just privilege, denial, and an entitlement culture that normalizes racial angst. For many whites, even the woke set, black liberation is embraced only if its victims have obediently waited their turn. It perfectly illustrates the problematic…Juneteenth5 min read
Feb 3, 2021Bling Empire Has A Pandemic Problemby Valerie Morales A year before social distancing ruined us, audiences flocked to a Korean film named Parasite. It was a witty story with a moral question: what do the wealthy deserve? An affluent family and a scheming family provided more than enough wit and contemplation. Because what was slick…Asian American8 min read
Jan 20, 2021Black Voters Ran Trump Out of Townby Valerie Morales In the anxious weeks before election day, when COVID was an oppressive enemy on the prowl, and professional football was a diversion, black voters stood in line for hours, emboldened by in-state early voting. The recipients of voter suppression endured all kinds of peculiar weather and circumstance…Politics6 min read
Jan 10, 2021Complicity Comes First. Then Lies. Then White Tears.by Valerie Morales It was a terse scene on a tinny Georgia night. A loud roar of cheers set the raucous but absurd mood on a piece of land known as the old Troutman field. Sam Hose, the son of a slave, was being executed. His ears first. …GOP6 min read
Nov 8, 2020The 5 Counties That Ruined Donald Trumpby Valerie Morales Kent County, Michigan. 52% Biden. 46% Trump. Months before election day, Grand Rapids, Michigan had a Black Lives Matter protest and thousands showed up at Rosa Parks Circle. Yes, the home of Gerald Ford has a Rosa Parks Circle. The crowd marched until they reached GRPD headquarters…Election 20204 min read
