Category: Essays
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Flint and its surrounding areas claim a long and colorful history of incompetent and/or corrupt government that has often resulted in the collective subversion of the needs of the city’s people, especially its most vulnerable or voiceless people, in service to the whims of those in elected positions here.
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There’s a presence about Wallace that is unmistakable — a wise, serene, stillness that on the surface is in direct contrast to the often outwardly passionate and emotional way he played basketball.
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Flint’s water has too often been used by outsiders as a catchy meme to score social justice points.
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Co-parenting under any circumstance has difficult moments, but in one household, even when parenting styles are misaligned, there is usually motivation by each parent to occasionally bend on at least some values in the name of preserving a semblance of a peaceful and united parenting front. When marriages end, a parade of therapists, court system…
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I was 12-years-old the first time I fought with my dad about sports. He grew up in rural Michigan, rose every day at 4 a.m. to head into his maintenance job for a General Motors parts supplier, and rarely missed a day until he became too physically weak to turn a wrench. He proudly boasted…
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“… Are you funny?” I’ve always loved standup comedy. I’ve also always been timid and risk averse, which has led to varying levels of regrets from every period of my life for things I’ve been interested in but talked myself out of trying. I’ve spent the better part of the last three years trying to…
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Writing in Rolling Stone this week, Tre Johnson had the following line about Black Panther: Like anything black in America, Black Panther will be politicized for being black, which is to say for being and for announcing itself as a having a right to be here and to be heard. Johnson is right, of course. There are dozens of Google search results…
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A couple of weeks ago, I took my kids to play and swim at our apartment pool. As we got closer, something fairly … uh … conspicuous caught my eye: a giant swastika tattoo on the chest of a man in the pool. I grew up in and spent a lot of my life in…
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President Obama wrote an essay for Glamour, proudly proclaiming why he is a feminist. The entire thing is beautifully written and worth reading, but this particular passage really stood out to me: Michelle and I have raised our daughters to speak up when they see a double standard or feel unfairly judged based on their…
Patrick Hayes 