Tag George Floyd

Aspire featured on Lehigh Valley with Love

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

I’m very excited to announce that my dear friend and colleague, Darnell Davis, from Aspire to Autonomy, Inc., “appeared” on George Wacker’s Lehigh Valley with Love.

Episode 113: Lehigh Valley with Love Podcast

George and I worked together at Lehigh Valley News Group in 2006, when he served as editor of the E… oh dear me I am old and senile… I know it was East Penn/Emmaus area, but I can’t remember what the newspaper’s name was… East Penn News sounds right because each paper was named after the school district and it’s the East Penn School District and Emmaus High School.

Sorry to babble like that but it was almost 15 years ago. My teenager was younger than his daughter is now.

I served as managing editor when those papers launched and George always had a certainty creativity and a penchant for thinking outside the box. We had a weekly entertainment column shared by all six of our papers and if I remember correctly George pitched most of our concepts.

So I was not surprised when George developed his own media company and that he’s scooped the main media outlets in town and created some phenomena— google “Lehigh Valley Snow Camel” and know that George broke that story.

Now, like George, Darnell has a big creative energy, vivacious speech, and will not shy away from what needs to be said.

So I wanted to get these two together. And George put a call out for potential guests on his podcast.

Today George shared with me the link for that final podcast. And I’ve very excited to share it. The content may get heavy at times but these guys kept the conversation going in a natural organic manner.

They reference some of the Valley’s food— I won’t spoil it here. But when it comes to cheesesteaks I vote for Joe’s Steak Shop in Phillipsburg and hot dogs would have to be from outside the Lehigh Valley and go with Hot Dog Johnny’s in Belvidere, N.J. A few years ago it would have had to be Charlie’s Pool Room in Alpha, N.J.

Quest for the Lighthearted (after some BIG questions)

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

It’s still a pandemic, and I know it’s hard.

My neighbor and I were having a discussion about what it means to be light-hearted and if it can be learned. It fits into our previous discussions about achieving our best selves.

So to spread some lighthearted good will into the world I am going to share some lighthearted statements.

But first let me remind you— that in the midst of this frivolity— we are still in the midst of an important dialogue. It’s a lot of different dialogues all rolled into one:

  1. How do we change the racial injustices and judgments that occur in our society?
  2. How do we apply those lessons to other marginalized “other” groups?
  3. How do we revive impartial journalism or do we work toward being clearer about the bias and special interests? (And when did it become okay for journalists to be physically attacked in the line of duty?)
  4. How do we improve and equalize healthcare for all members of society? I just finished paying off a $600 diagnostic breast ultrasound only to find out I owe $1,200 on a dental crown.
  5. How much responsibility should the government have for the economy? For the basic needs of the people? For equal education?
  6. When will we stop obsessing about test scores and teach our children critical thinking?

Because, you see my friends, if we truly want to fix the system we need to educate the children, our neighbors, our friends, our parents… everyone… in a way that encourages free thought instead of indoctrination.

Because we have been molded in the eyes of patriarchy’s very white, elite traditions.

And how many of us are old white men with money?

Now:

  • I love kittens. The teenager and I have decided that the kittens in our home are the offspring of Stray Momma, a white American shorthair cat with gray spots (whom we ‘met’), and someone’s purebred Russian Blue.
Fog
  • I made sun tea. But a funky batch with green tea, raw honey, fresh ginger and mint from my garden.
  • The teenager has been very into arts and crafts. She made stickers!!!
  • Siggi’s is my new favorite yogurt.

Rainbow Mac and Cheese and my thoughts on privilege and racism

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

I am saddened that in the 21st century this nation has not made more progress into equality and basic needs for all people.

Having visited different countries in the industrialized and in the developing world, having studied the history of colonialism and prejudice in Francophone Africa, the basic reality that as humans we continue to judge each other and care for ourselves and our own whole ignoring the pain of our neighbors pains me.

I have studied France’s relationship with its colonial history and its institutionalized prejudice against Muslims as a critical theory model for what I see with American imperialism and what I see with our own world legacy of hatred.

Race always enters into these studies because the African American experience shares a lot of commonalities with the French of Muslim Descent community; neither population asked to be enslaved by an empire. Yet, both populations are now belittled and mistrusted by their historical populations.

And both populations are judged and denied opportunities based on their appearance, on something genetic.

It’s so sad.

It’s 2020, America. We have outdated social classes, corrupted government systems, unsustainable consumption, unattainable educational opportunities, a capitalistic drive that values the work over the person, and a healthcare system that threatens our financial wellbeing more than it helps.

So it’s hard.

And I am fortunate to be white. But I am a woman, and I am a woman with a disability, so I understand the lens of judgment. I live every day wondering if I will be judged inferior or incapable because I walk a little funny.

But at least I don’t have to live every day in fear that I may be perceived as dangerous, or manipulated into a situation where I am suddenly an enemy merely because of the color of my skin. I won’t be killed for being dark skinned and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Or near the wrong people.

It’s so sad that some of the best, most helpful people I know have to live in this reality.

That Black men have to swallow their fear.

That Black parents have to hope their sons come home.

That people with power

  • whether the power of law (the criminal justice system which favors the white),
  • the power of occupation and authority (police officers, prison guards),
  • the power of messaging (advertising, media, even entertainment)
  • or the power of mass control (our government and the systems perpetuated by it)

can continue this nonsense of us against them is a classic battle of the “haves” and the “have nots.” It’s really time you listened to your mama and started to share.

Anyway, on a much lighter note, I made macaroni and cheese for the teenager.

I used rigatoni and made a sauce of mostly cheddar and 1% milk, with a chunk of Monterey Jack and a chunk of dill havarti.

I put the rest of my fresh spinach in there, put some smoked paprika, purple peppercorns, and smoked provolone on top and it was amazing.

I called it rainbow macaroni and cheese which got me thinking of the larger racial and prejudice issues.

And that made me sad.

But I did have a very heartening conversation with the teenager today. She’s cleaning her room because, as she told me, she needs to get her act together to be able to help me more.