By Leah Richard I was laid off from a $70,000 a year job a few years ago and embarked on a journey that taught me alarming lessons about what people have to live through every day. Canned food is crap that will raise your blood pressure, the stress of not being able to pay your... Continue Reading →
This is part 2 of a multipart series about cross-political friendships. For part one, click here By: Ellison Wade James voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012. In 2016, he voted for Trump. How does he make the leap? James attributes his liberal past to an innate desire toward rebellion against his rural, blue collar... Continue Reading →
By Leah Richard “Why are you using your Food Stamps to buy wine?!” This was shouted at me while I was in line at the local Piggly Wiggly in my small Louisiana town. I didn’t personally know this woman, she didn’t personally know me, but we’d seen each other around and now she felt entitled... Continue Reading →
By Ellison Wade This is part one of a series on holding friendships across party lines. Check back in the coming weeks for future installments What I expected to learn from such an experience, I’m unsure. But there I was, providing him a platform. Hoping I suppose, naïve romantic that I am, he’d hear himself... Continue Reading →
By Kristin Fleetwood This is part 2 in an ongoing series on Orthodox Judaism. For part one, click here Part 2 Part 1 of this series was aimed at providing a brief introduction of myself and a basic sketch of Orthodox Judaism and the varied perspectives within its borders. I will endeavor in Part 2... Continue Reading →
By Kristin Fleetwood This is part one of a multi-part series. For more, check back in the coming weeks. I grew up in a nominally Episcopalian Christian family in the mid-Atlantic region. My mother has always been committed to her faith, whereas my father is a proud man of science. In my late teens, I embarked... Continue Reading →
By Ellison Wade Western North Carolina isn’t a place many would search for reasonable debate on the widening partisan divide affecting our country. In general, people out here have pretty much made up their minds. This is Trump territory. Growing up in a family of Democrats, I’ve gotten used to being the nagging blue voice... Continue Reading →
Being transgender anywhere in the world can be difficult. As a population, trans people face discrimination at much higher rates than any other group, they are often maligned or mocked in mainstream culture, and violence committed against them occurs with alarming frequency. They also have higher incidences of mental health issues , including suicide --... Continue Reading →
Those who know me may think me an unlikely candidate for such an undertaking. I grew up in a very religious and conservative household, and was a Republican for my early adult life. However, my views on some issues, especially social issues and foreign policy, changed over the years, and I found myself more and more drifting away from the two major parties. I now vote third party in most elections, primarily Libertarian, though I do occasionally vote for both Democrats and Republicans on a case-by-case basis.
“But I get it. You get dependent on something. Nobody is trying to mess things up, but things happen, you know? They want to have the service, but don’t want to wait on it to get built up. They want to be to work on time, but so does everybody else. We’re all just trying to do our jobs, and the jobs just get harder and harder.”