|
ellie krug
writer, lawyer, human
Human Inspiration Works, LLC
The Ripple
June 2018 Vol 3 No. 6
Inspired by the words and actions of Robert F. Kennedy
|
|
"How Things Have Changed"
|
|
Dear Friends:
I was in New York City late last month for the annual Book Expo with my professional book-reviewer daughter Kate (whose “Kate’s Picks” always appears in the Odds & Ends section of this newsletter). We were in NYC for three nights, which meant seeing Broadway plays and musicals.
On the last night, we saw
Come from Away
, a musical about 9/11 and how when the FAA grounded all air traffic in the United States, 38 international flights entering the U.S. were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, nearly doubling the town’s population of 8,000 overnight. The musical recounts how the people of Gander welcomed and comforted strangers from all over the world.
With a phenomenal cast,
Come from Away
was funny and touching. I wrote in my journal afterward that the musical was “uplifting about the human spirit and how humans can be good to each other in times of great fear.” The musical had an electric ending with the “orchestra” (an ensemble of just four or five musicians) playing on stage while the audience (on their feet) clapped along.
As we walked out of the theater ecstatic over the performance and underlying message, a woman behind me said out loud, “How things have changed,” about today’s political and other divisions. I understood why she said what she did, but I respectfully disagree—we still are the same people we were on 9/11.
I am traveling across America to train and speak regularly, from coast to coast, north and south, before urban and rural audiences. I’m finding that people are, for the most part, good-hearted and willing to extend a hand to a stranger. Yes, we have our differences and yes, fear of change incites tribalism, but when push comes to shove—when there’s a need for compassion—I’m seeing people show up in droves regardless of tribes or political parties.
That’s the case whether it’s 600 “step-in dads” for a “Breakfast with Dads” event in Dallas or 4,000 people donating to “Philando Feeds the Children” to retire student lunch debt (which is a source of great shame for many) at all of St. Paul’s 59 schools. Or, as I’ve written here before, a group of co-workers who chip in buy a colleague a car (when the colleague used to walk many miles to work).
The goodness of humans is there if you look for it. I am convinced that our collective goodness ultimately will be what gets us through all the “crap” that seems to dominate today. I’m just sure of it!
Please, look around and notice the goodness of other humans. Then, share about it. We can all do this. Together.
ellie
|
|
Harvard-Bound: Persistence Pays Off for a Homeless Youth
|
|
Richard Jenkins, III, nineteen years old, is headed to Harvard. That would have been an improbable statement a half dozen years ago when Richard and his family lived in a homeless shelter in Philadelphia. All told, the family was homeless for two years.
As
CNN reported
, Richard remembers living in a shelter during the sixth grade and realizing academics could become his way out. As Richard put it, “That was what triggered me that I needed to chase something…No matter what, I can’t allow myself to go through that anymore. I can’t allow my brother or my mother to go through that when they’re older.”
That insight led Richard to applying himself in school. He raised his hand so much in the classroom that other kids called him “Harvard.” He earned excellent grades despite suffering severe migraines that put him in the hospital his high school freshman year.
The story doesn’t end with Richard’s Harvard acceptance and full-ride offer. Richard’s godfather, Donald Kinsey, Jr., created a
GoFundMe
page to pay the cost of Richard’s living expenses and to buy him a computer. As of the morning of June 16, 964 people (I’m sure mostly strangers) had given $42,000—the goal had been $40,000. By the time I finished reading about Richard, number 965 had donated as well—moi.
As I often say, education is the great leveler: it’s the one sure-fire way for a human to lift themselves out of poverty or distress. We need to support anyone who has the insight and persistence to succeed at getting an education.
|
|
“Their” Children Are “Our” Children
|
|
Now let me shift from how America is helping one child succeed to how it’s harming thousands of other children.
I view myself as a unifier, not a divider. I make it a point not to be “political” with this newsletter because I don’t want the positive messages clouded by rancor. However, when it comes to protecting children, I don’t think anyone can legitimately claim a “red” or “blue” or “Bernie” position. Protecting kids is a universal value. A child knows no political affiliations and has no allegiance to a political party or leader. They simply want to be with their parents. Further, for those who’ve gone through my Gray Area Thinking® human inclusivity training, you may recall the Four Commonalities: Commonality No. 1 is that we all want our children to succeed. Everyone wants this.
Thus, it is with great distress that I read and hear about how our government is separating children—some as young as just months old—from their parents when the parent and child enter the U.S. illegally (and often, it is a very visible entry where the parent-child present themselves to border agents asking for asylum to escape horrific violence in their native countries). In just six weeks, nearly 2000 children have been separated from their parents.
My heart hurts for these families, and particularly for these children. Is there anyone reading this newsletter who would voluntarily give up their child to a faceless governmental entity?
Apart from giving of your resources, what can you do, if like me, you are appalled by this? I think the best thing is to talk about it—share your objections to this practice—on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. And yes of course, let your elected representative know.
This is not what America represents, this is not
us.
If you need proof that we’ve lost our way, this is it.
|
|
Inclusivity Tip of the Month
Pride Month Facts
|
|
For many locations in the U.S., it’s Pride Month. As I teach with my Allyship 101 course, it’s important for allies to take the time to learn the history of marginalized groups—in fact, I assign audience members the task of coming up with “three facts about the history of the marginalized group; three marginalization facts about the group; and three heroes of the group.”
Room allows for only one each of the above, but here it goes for LGBTQ people:
Historical fact: Pride Month is often in June is because the seminal event for modern LGBTQ recognition—the Stonewall Inn riots in New York City—occurred in June 1969.
Marginalization fact: LGBTQ people have legal rights in only 21 states; think about that—in more than half the states, a landlord can legally refuse to rent to someone who identifies as LGBTQ. In 2018.
Hero: Among the many heroes of the LGBTQ community, Harvey Milk (the first openly gay man to hold elected office) may be best known. Milk was murdered in his County Commissioner office in San Francisco in November 1978. (For more on Milk, click
here to listen
to my Ellie 2.0 radio podcast about his life.)
A bonus fact: the “Q” in “LGBTQ” stands for “queer” or “questioning” (e.g. attempting to determine if you might in fact be something other than heterosexual or cisgender [persons whose brains match their bodies]). “Queer” sparks negative reactions in some older gay and lesbian folks (because historically, it’s been used as a weapon to demean people); for younger folks and some older persons—I’m really good with the phrase because it’s a catchall for people who don’t neatly fit into a category—“queer” isn’t a tripwire. Still, it’s probably not a word that straight persons should be using. Just saying…
|
Odds and Ends
Last month’s Odds & Ends was a real hit with readers; let’s see what you think of June’s edition.
Darn Wonderful:
I am ecstatic that Gerber has chosen Lucas Warren, a one-year-old from Dalton, Georgia, as its first child with Down Syndrome to be named a Gerber Baby. See the story
here
. Now that’s true diversity and inclusivity at work!
Second Darn Wonderful:
I dare you to not laugh at this
bedroom monitor video
of a toddler escaping from his bed with the help of two very happy golden retrievers. Go ahead, take the challenge!
History Made with a Kiss:
Check out
this ad
of the Democrat candidate for governor, Richard Madaleno, kissing his husband Mark Hodge in a political advertising first.
Empathy on Steroids:
Two women—strangers—sit next to each other on a plane. One woman, single and eight months pregnant, shares doubts about keeping the baby versus placing it for adoption. The other woman, 42-years-old and single, shares her number in case the mom-to-be ever needs someone to listen. A month later, mom asks the stranger to adopt her newborn! How our empathetic hearts show up. Read more
here
.
One More Empathy Item:
Did you see the picture of the senior waiting for a bus in his cap and gown to take him to his high school graduation? And then, did you see the car that a complete stranger bought for him afterward? Check it out
here
.
Remembering RFK 50 Years Ago:
Many know that Robert F. Kennedy is a personal hero of mine. This month marks the 50
th
anniversary of his assassination. Here is an
NPR piece
on Juan Romero, 67, who was a busboy at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, the site of the murder. RFK—Bobby—had just shaken Romero’s hand when he was shot. In a very famous picture, we see Romero holding Bobby’s head as he lay on the floor, mortally wounded. Bobby’s words to Romero: “Is everybody okay?” That was my hero—concerned about others above himself. What a tragedy for Bobby’s family and our country.
The Ripple
Cub Reporter Michelle Cohen Give Us Two Stories:
One story,
“All in One Piece,
” is about Linden Crawford, a transgender man who shared his surgical transition of undergoing a double mastectomy and chest reconstruction on his journey to feeling whole. The second story, “
My Son Loves Elsa from ‘Frozen.’ I Had to Learn to Love Her, Too,”
is about a dad struggling with his 3-year-old son’s desire to wear a princess dress and preoccupation with wanting to be Elsa from “Frozen.” Both stories challenge traditional perceptions about gender. Thank you for these, Michelle!
Kate’s Picks
:
My 28-year-old daughter Kate, a writer like me, is a freelancer for
Book Riot
where she reviews books. She also has an entertainment-review website that’s fun and smart,
Snarky Yet Satisfying.
She regularly reviews books on her blog; check it out! Her book pick for this month is
Drum Roll, Please
by Lisa Jenn Bigelow. The book is a middle grade novel about 12-year-old, Melly, whose parents announce their divorce and then send her off to band camp for the summer. While at camp, Melly finds herself hanging out less and less with her best friend, Olivia, as Olivia develops a crush on a boy in her group. But Melly is developing a crush too...on a girl named Adeline.
“Hidden Edges Radio” and “Ellie 2.0” Shows:
My
June 3 Hidden Edges Radio
show featured Stephen Nelson, M.D., who is with Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis, and who spoke of racial bias in the medical profession and how it adversely affects patients of color. That was the last interview I’ll do in the Hidden Edges Radio format; after a year and a half, that show is coming to an end. Beginning July 9, my other AM950 show, Ellie 2.0, will expand to an hour (7:00-8:00 a.m. on Mondays). Ellie 2.0 highlights various idealists and my work as a “practical idealist” trying to change the world for the better.
My Writings:
With this month’s
Lavender Magazine piece, “Three Years
,”
I write about how Pride 2015 was the last time I had an alcoholic drink. If I make it to June 28 without drinking, I’ll have three years of sobriety under my belt. With my family genes, even I will acknowledge that would be quite the accomplishment. (I talk about being sober because we are a society of story tellers and story listeners; for those struggling with an addiction, it can be impactful to hear that even one person is holding their addiction at bay one day at a time.)
Job Opening:
I’m in search of a full-time Director of Inspiration who can cover my social media needs and fulfill various administrative duties. I believe in paying a living wage; in a perfect world, I will find someone who’s an idealist like me and willing to invest in making the world a better place. Please share this shout-out with people whom you think might fit the bill (they do not need to live in the Twin Cities).
Past and Upcoming Talks/Trainings and General Stuff:
I head back to NYC at the end of the month to train at Ropes & Gray. After that, I’ll have a bit of a break, but still there will be two keynotes in July—one at a conference for youth in foster care and the other to community action professionals who fight poverty. All good stuff. I’m not even going to tell you to check out my calendar because it’s way outdated, something I hope to fix in my down time.
By the Numbers:
So far in 2018, I’ve conducted 84 trainings or events. The number of total trainings /events I conducted in 2017 was 107 and it appears I will surpass that number sometime in late August or early September. I am very lucky that people like my work and want to hear my message about compassion for others and for one’s self—thank you dear gentle readers! And, one other number: 4490, the number of subscribers to
The Ripple.
More than 800 names have been added to the recipient list since May 1.
Summer Reading with Getting to Ellen:
My memoir,
Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change
, makes for a fantastic beach read. You can order it through Amazon, Kindle, Nook or iBook or better yet, contact me to get a personally inscribed copy.
elliejkrug@gmail.com
|
Finally....
The Ripple
is a work in progress, so please, I welcome your suggestions and comments! Please share this newsletter with others, too!
Thank you for helping to make the world a better place! I'm at your side, cheering you on, I promise! Please have compassion for yourself and for others.
ellie
Encouraging Open Hearts and Thriving Human Spirits
Human Inspiration Works, LLC: We make "inclusion" an action word
|
Ellen (Ellie) Krug
319-360-1692
|
|
|
|
|
|
|