I Was Born in a Small Town

Posted on July 25, 2023July 25, 2023 by Jenny

Well, I was born in a small town And I live in a small town Probably die in a small town Oh, those small communities "Small Town" John Mellencamp I think John Mellencamp sang a better song about small towns. Jason Aldean, not so much. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t know whereof he speaks. After all, Mr. Aldean reportedly grew up in the city of Macon, Georgia, population 157,000, and spent summers in the Miami-area city of Homestead, Florida, population 80,000. Then there’s me:...

“No one gives a [bleep.]”

Posted on June 9, 2022June 9, 2022 by Jenny

If you haven't seen today's Baltimore Sun article about an incident involving Howard County Councilmember Deb Jung wielding her power and privilege over a group of young men in a parking lot, you need to drop what you're doing and read it. But make sure your family is wearing a poncho, because your head is going to explode like a melon at a Gallagher show. Video courtesy Baltimore Sun via Sam Hightower The video (above) of the incident is damning, showing Ms. Jung threatening to call t...

Dear White Women

Posted on November 4, 2020 by Jenny

Those of you who have clicked my “About” button above can see that I’m a white woman. There are about 120 million of us in the U.S. We’re a pretty heterogeneous group, race and gender aside. When it comes to our identities, our opinions, our faiths, our families, and our lifestyles, we are anything but a monolithic group. White women’s experiences in life are just as varied. Many of us have experienced the joys of partnership and motherhood. Many of us have felt the searing rage boiling...

Hollow Victories

Posted on September 5, 2020September 5, 2020 by Jenny

Imagine a track race. The contestants are lined up, ready to give it their all. When the gun goes off, they take off running, except for the Black man; someone has put heavy weights on his ankles. He struggles to run as the others pull farther and farther ahead. As the other contestants reach the home stretch, a race official finally stops the race and points out that the Black man has been wrongly and unfairly handicapped. The race officials take the weights off the Black man’s ankles, pa...

Let’s Talk Redistricting (Part II)

Posted on July 17, 2020August 19, 2020 by Jenny

This is a two-part series reflecting on the 2019 HCPSS redistricting process. In Part I of my series on redistricting, I explained my position on the 2019 HCPSS redistricting process, and I stated that I while I supported the plan, I understood much of the opposition to it. Today, I’m going to discuss opposition that had a different, distinctly malignant flavor. This opposition was at best disingenuous and at worst covertly racist, characterized by vitriol filled with half-truths...