From Georgia: “Hope is a Muscle.” “Despair is a Luxury.”
Hi friends,
This past spring, I had the gift of “audiencing” three deep conversations with international experts about our political present. Hosted by local cultural organizations, the experiences reinforced my impulse to become a sustaining donor to support their work maintaining our democratic infrastructure: ideas, connection, and hope. Join me in reflection ♥️ and action ⚡!
♥️ Danielle Allen on remodeling US Democracy at Oregon Humanities’ Consider This.
⚡ Order five free copies, then read along with people you love: Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century.
♥️ M. Gessen on surviving autocracy; thanks Literary Arts!
⚡ Do NOT comply in advance. Question when others move towards compliance.
♥️ Rebecca Solnit touring her new book No Straight Road Takes you There: Essays for Uneven Terrain; thanks, Powell’s!
⚡ Read her 2023 essay Despair is a Luxury republished in this book.
As I move through the world, I’m reminding myself of, and repeating, Bjork’s line (below) “hope is a muscle.”
Flexing in solidarity,
Georgia
values & money
Our annual Tax Planning meetings with clients always include an update on the tax industry and any legislative changes, all with a view to values and countering anti-tax, anti-government misinformation… well, the 2025 updates are a LOT, clocking in at 30 minutes of info and impacts. Phew!
Click to watch how we’re framing the impacts of systemic pressures on the tax industry, the tax impact and social impact of the Big Brutal Tax Act, and ways to take action.
Want to join us in donating your Big Brutal Tax Bill (aka OBBBA) savings? To better understand what you’re saving in taxes, use this handy calculator from The Tax Foundation to calculate your savings. Most folks are saving 3-5% of their income, paid for by taking food, shelter, and health care from kids and families in need of systemic support.
Good News From the Resistance
Someone you love believing the right-wing hype about Portland? Please share this gentle reminder from the leader of the Frog Resistance when your concerned friend or relative reaches out to check if you’re okay. Even Kermit knows what’s up on the streets of Portland.
Art Break
Stories Ground Us
As a proud board member, I love highlighting the work Oregon Humanities does to start conversations and bridge divides. “This Place” is a weekly short, aired on public radio, sharing stories from diverse folks around the state. This one from an 11-year-old in Spray, Oregon reminds me of our mutual love of the land, though we likely have very different political families. If you need a boost for faith in humanity, give it a listen!
Poetry Clarifies
All of the arts, but especially poetry, are my daily resistance fuel. “Imagine the Angels of Bread” by activist-lawyer-poet Martin Espada* envisions a world where those in power are toppled and collective needs are met.
This is the year that those
who swim the border's undertow
and shiver in boxcars
are greeted with trumpets and drums
at the first railroad crossing
on the other side…
if the shutdown of extermination camps
began as imagination of a land
without barbed wire or the crematorium,
then this is the year;
*Follow the link for a writing prompt to envision a world you want to live in.
Music Nourishes
I’ve been building the Modernist Boss Ladies Playlist since 2015, so when I need some extra fuel on my walk to work, I dip into its eight hours of genius women and femmes.
Bjork is a polymath who continually works at the edges of her creativity. Enjoy this strange and gorgeous song for connection and meaning, and her reminder that Hope is a Muscle.
Are these not just excuses to not connect? / Our differences are irrelevant
To only name the flaws / Are excuses to not connect
Our union is stronger, our union is stronger than us
Hope is a muscle / That allows us to connect