Welcome to the DAM Digest
Dear DAM Readers,
Y’all, we have been THROUGH IT over the last several years. Our nerves are frayed and our faith has been challenged. We have lived through a once-in-a-lifetime (or so we hope) global health pandemic, survived 4 years of Donald J. Trump, have experienced two wars, the banning of books, 500+ anti-LGBT bills, the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Affirmative Action, attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion, hazardous air quality, historic climate crises and that's just off the top of my dome. In all of my years in politics and policy I have never experienced anything like this.
When I entered the political arena some two decades ago, I was young, naive and ambitious. I wanted to work at the center of power because I wanted to bring as many underrepresented people to a table–the American table–that had only ever been set with white, straight, cis, rich men in mind. I started my career interning at the National Organization of Women where I learned about the depth and complexity of women’s rights–and received a real world lesson in racism in the workplace. I left that experience like singer Joss Stone left a bad relationship, bruised but not broken. After a few years I decided to get my M.Ed and chart out a path in education policy. For me, education has always been the bedrock of our democracy. The more educated the citizenry the better our country–sadly, this view is no longer held by both parties.
Throughout the years, I have worked in the classroom, on Capitol Hill, lobbied at legacy non-profit organizations and for NYC, launched an initiative at an esteemed think tank, became a spokesperson for marriage equality and a vice president at a top PR and communications firm. It’s fair to say I have done a lot–but nothing, and I mean nothing that I listed above prepared me for the last several years in America. Armed with a microphone and a high tolerance for bullshit I have tried my best to make sense of nonsense and stay sane during the process. A tall order when each buzz and ding on my phone can send me into a tailspin if I’m not careful. It’s just become TOO MUCH to stay tapped in all the time. Enter the DAM DIGEST!
I wanted to create a newsletter that could keep you abreast of all the happenings you need to be woke to while also helping you to maintain a sense of grounding in this upside down universe. I know the guilt some of you feel when not being “tapped in”, but the truth is if we don’t create the space to tap out we’re going to f***ing lose it! The DAM DIGEST will come to you twice a month and provide you three fabulous sections to keep you Thoughtful AF, Engaged AF and Inspired AF with keen analysis, links to articles I’m reading, original thought pieces, videos, mediation and more. We’re all going through a lot, but we don’t have to go through any of it alone! We’ll get through it–TOGETHER.
XOXO,
DAM
