History does not repeat itself, but it sometimes rhymes. Unknown I’ve been thinking of some local history of late, one thing recent and personal, the other from Richmond’s darkest days. ’Twas a picture-perfect day in May 2017 when the parade went by. I have lived a life short on parades…

American history relevant to this national moment, in about 1,500 words. And what we can do next. “This morning I woke up in a curfew O God, I was a prisoner, too — yeah Could not recognize the faces standing over me They were all dressed in uniforms of brutality. …

“Isn’t it a pity, isn’t it a shame How we break each other’s hearts And cause each other pain How we take each other’s love Without thinking anymore Forgetting to give back Isn’t it a pity” Isn’t it a Pity, by George Harrison My Facebook feed is again a study…

“To walk with a gun is to walk with power.” David Benioff, from his novel 25th Hour A portion of my Facebook feed has suddenly started imploring me to “wake up!” One Facebook friend, for instance, is incensed that the Virginia General Assembly is considering a bill to limit the…

“Well, darkness has a hunger that’s insatiable. And lightness has a call that’s hard to hear.” Closer to Fine, by the Indigo Girls A simple nicety may prompt a perfunctory response, but a great weight may be looming behind those four letters of “fine.” Long long ago, in a Citgo…

“Figure out what you want, and learn how to ask for it.” Psychiatrist, How Do You Know. Screenplay by James Brooks Looking closer at America as I see it, and thinking about America as I wish us to be, I encourage you to take the following, adapt it however you…

“It ain’t easy living… I want to be as deep as the ocean, Mother ocean, yeah!” Ocean Size, by Jane’s Addiction. Lyrics by Perry Farrell Ten Days in Late August Day 1 — The corn was getting high and green when we last drove this country road two months ago…

“Ok guys, one more thing, this summer when you’re being inundated by all this American bicentennial Fourth of July brouhaha, don’t forget what you’re celebrating, and that’s the fact that a bunch of slave-owning, aristocratic white males didn’t want to pay their taxes.” From the film Dazed and Confused, screenplay…

“Citizenship: the character of an individual viewed as a member of society; behavior of the terms of the duties, obligations, and functions of a citizen.” Dictionary.com I am no one. I get up and go to work. I eat supper with my family and listen to details of their day…