MLK’s Dream and the Legacy of Vola Lawson

On this day, a day that our lawmakers have deemed be marked as a day of reverence for a great American, Martin Luther King Jr., I reflect on his legacy. But not his direct legacy, something which I will leave to the many who know it from their experience.  I instead reflect on the legacy of thought and inspiration he and his family left on others: others who went on to implement many of the changes and see through the work to begin to rectify many of the injustices that he and the movement he led brought to national attention. In particular, I reflect on one woman who to me embodied many of the same values I see associated with MLK. She too was not content with the status quo of the day or the daily injustices that others would pass off as just the way it was. She saw […]

Continue Reading

The Democratic Team of Rivals our Country Needs

A Democratic Team of Rivals, reminiscent of the cabinet Lincoln assembled to guide the USA through the tumult of the Civil War is needed again to guide America to face the crises today. These challenges must be addressed now. We have an opportunity with adept leadership, foresight, and thoughtfulness to stop the infighting and use the primary debate forum as an opportunity to have thorough policy discussions that can educate and help form our party’s platform with media contributing via thorough research and fact-checking. Use today’s technology and resources to make a new playbook for governance. President Trump has rewritten the communication and news cycle playbook. The candidates and self-described leaders of the Democratic Party have the opportunity to do the same. I present this slate: Joe Biden, President Cory Booker, VP Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Pete Buttigieg, Climate Change Czar overseeing EPA/DOT/HUD initiative to rebuild America to be […]

Continue Reading

Calls for Governor Northam’s Resignation Cast Light on Broader Problem

I believe these calls for the resignation of Governor Northam are premature. We do not yet know all of the facts regarding the circumstances of the disgusting and now infamous picture brought to light Saturday featured in the Eastern Virginia Medical School. Until all of those facts come to light regarding that photo, I believe we must show restraint and instead focus on the facts that we do know. We know that Governor Northam has spent a life in service. Whether it be to children as a pediatrician, fellow soldiers in the army, or to his constituents as a State Senator, Lieutenant Governor, and now as Governor. He has a public service record of standing up for and serving all Virginians regardless of race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation. A most recent example is Medicaid expansion, which went into effect at the beginning of the year, a credit to Governor […]

Continue Reading

Live Positively by Managing Your Ego

Living positively is a cornerstone to a good life. Whether you’re at work, the gym, or at home; having a positive mentality opens your world to happiness, opportunity, and success. Now as much as we want living positively to be as easy as remembering to look on the bright side of things, it’s not always that easy. Living positively requires an incredible amount of discipline, commitment, and often external support. Now assuming that all of that commitment doesn’t scare you off, let’s take a look at what’s in store when you decide it’s time to live positively. 1. You have to learn how to live positively. High-five for stating the obvious! But, seriously, living positively is a constant effort that requires a commitment to consistently learn and apply new techniques that work for you. Just as each of us changes as time goes on, so too must we adapt our […]

Continue Reading