Finding your perfect place in the world feels like coming home to yourself. In this powerful episode, I open by sharing my journey through small Pennsylvania towns to Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and finally New York City – where I've discovered that perfect balance of quiet neighborhood living with big-city opportunities just a subway ride away.
This sense of place becomes a metaphor for something much bigger as I dive into the disturbing situation unfolding in Texas. State Representative Nicole Collier was recently held hostage in the Texas Capitol building for refusing to participate in voter suppression tactics. While other Democrats signed "permission slips" allowing them to leave with police escorts, Collier stood firm, sleeping on the Capitol floor for two nights – a lone Black woman refusing to enable a system where five Black votes would equal one white vote.
The contrast is stark: finding my place in New York allows me freedom and joy, while Collier fights for basic democratic rights. This raises urgent questions about who's standing up while democracy crumbles. Why are Republicans allowed to break rules while Democrats try to follow them? Where are the white allies using their privilege to reach those who won't listen to Black voices?
My frustration reaches a crescendo when examining how Trump supporters vote against their own interests, seemingly allowing racism and misogyny to overcome common sense. I challenge us all to consider who's really fighting for democracy – and who needs to step up.
Join me for this raw, unfiltered conversation about finding your place – both in a city that feels like home and in a democracy that increasingly feels like it's slipping away. What will you do to stand up before it's too late?
