Historical February–March 2021 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Like many people I know, this year has been a more complicated path of growth, guilt, and ownership. Trying to get routine medical care for my daughter, whose job does not offer insurance and is on the ACA plan, has been really eye opening.
If she picks a plan that includes our doctors, her medications are literally 10 times the cost, whereas if she chooses a plan that doesn’t have our doctors, she has very few choices to see doctors on the other plan.
My sister has a degenerative disk disorder and is disabled. Trying to find her medical care and a safe, clean, affordable place to live in the city has been a myriad of confusing, confounding information with little to no choices.
My youngest daughter, who is in the LGBTQ+ spectrum, moves around the country and the world with schooling and work, and is always cautious as to whether she can be her authentic self in new places because of how she will be received. Watching our neighbors of color being treated totally differently by law enforcement, employers, and the military has been painful.
In addition, listening to friends, relatives, and strangers who will not follow science and who believe in unfounded conspiracy theories is anguishing. Even those of us who just have different political opinions seem to have been divided into ‘us’ and ‘them’. And the worst for me, people who commit crimes and perpetuate lies that harm others with no consequences. Years ago, I discussed with a friend whose daughter was going through the high school application process about her interview with the principal.
She was proud of her daughter who had answered the question ‘What makes you really mad?’ with ‘Injustice. Injustice makes me really mad’. That answer has stuck with me for over 15 years. How wise for a 14-yearold girl to encapsulate my feelings so succinctly. And then there is my guilt. How can I help or even understand when I am not directly living these injustices?
In observing racial, social, and economic injustice while having this new platform, I have been striving to add different points of view to this paper to reach more of the neighbors that live in our neighborhood and have discovered that is a more difficult path than I thought.
While reaching out to people with voices different than my own, I find that I have done a poor job in my presentation. What seems like an opportunity for growth for me and our neighbors, is just more frustrating work for those that I am asking to help.
However, in all of this, I still have hope.
I have wonderful family and friends that will have these conversations with me as we all strive to learn.
I live in one of the best and most politically active neighborhoods in the city.
The constant drum beat for justice from this place is inspiring.
In fact, I have some friends that exhaust me just reading their Facebook page.
They talk the talk and walk the walk! I, like everyone I know, am a work in progress.
I have had a lot of humble pie this year being reminded that what I say sometimes comes off very differently than what I intended.
With this said, call me out when I screw up, but also anyone who wants to share a voice other than my own is always welcome.
If you have ideas for stories or issues that we can cover that would be relevant to our neighbors, please let me know.
I am hopeful that we are now moving in a direction for a more just world.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February–March 2021.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2021_02.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
