The term micro-aggression had a moment in the late 90s and early oughts. It spoke to the ways people of color, of religions other than Christianity, and cultures other than white Anglo-Saxon suffered indignities in small but hurtful ways every day. Systemic racism seems to be a more commonly used term today in considering the way discrimination is baked into our society and government, yet both terms are equally important in these times of rampant discrimination, unbridled hate, and unconscious and conscious bias. We, as individuals, have more control over micro-aggressions, since we can determine what we ourselves say and do, and we can respond to others when they speak or behave in a micro-aggressive manner.

Who doesn’t love the story of Robin Hood? How can we resist the image of a brave young man hiding out in Sherwood Forest with his merry band of outlaws as they stop the coaches on the road to Nottingham Castle to steal from the rich and give to the poor? As they make sure those in need are clothed, housed, and fed? Sure, Robin and crew were breaking the law, and it would have been nice if there were a few women in the bunch but, hey, you’d be hard put to find a more appealing hero.

One of our Leading Ladies decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather recently and gather her dog into the car for a trip to a nearby park for a romp. Once there, she and the dog bounded out of the car only to be confronted by an angry man in a pickup truck. He rolled down his window and yelled that dogs were not allowed in the park. Our friend tried to defuse his vitriol, telling the man that she was on her way to the part of the park where dogs are allowed and he need not speak to her that way. He would have none of it. Her efforts only made him angrier. He continued to harass her, ultimately vowing to make sure no one ever tried to bring a dog into the park again.

Attendance at the president’s birthday party, aka the 250th Birthday of the U.S. Army Grand Military Parade and Celebration, was well below the expected crowd of 200,000, according to the Associated Press. That is fewer than usually attend the annual Fourth of July festivities in Washington, DC.

At my college graduation, the class poet stepped up to the podium to speak and announced that he was gay. The school authorities immediately cut his microphone. That was decades ago and we have come a long way since then.

In America, we don’t do kings. This is the rallying cry for protests taking place across the country on Saturday, June 14. Leading Ladies will stand with many others that day to show our anger and frustration with how the Trump administration has “defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services.” (Nokings.org)

As activists committed to justice and equity, we attended Hands Off rallies across the country to stand united!

Many of us continue to struggle with how to stay informed without becoming so anxious we can no longer function. It is tempting to completely turn away from the news, but how can we when decisions are being made that might destroy our form of government and harm the lives of millions? Yet, when is it okay to cry uncle and say we have had enough? And, if we want to limit our exposure, what are the best sources of honest reporting?

The bad news keeps coming. Programs are ending. People are losing jobs. Vaccinations may no longer be available to children. We continue to feel vulnerable and fearful for ourselves and others.

Thirteen-year-old Anne Frank, hiding from the Nazis with her family in an attic in Amsterdam, wrote, “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” When I first read her words, I remember being filled with admiration for this young girl — for her courage, her ability to find joy in life as her world grew smaller and her future more bleak.

We find ourselves almost speechless as we watch the news and hear the heartless response of our president to the deaths of children on an airplane; to the deportation of immigrants; to the dismantling of programs meant to combat centuries of inequality; and to the dissolution of international alliances that protect our worldwide community.

Hate crimes and hate groups seem to be everywhere. We hear and read about them on a daily basis. While discrimination and prejudice against “the other” are nothing new, these current strains of venom seem to be striking dangerously and frighteningly close to home.

After last week’s letter about our 2025 Art as Activism contest inviting high school students to create posters expressing the importance of fighting book bannings and censorship in schools and libraries, and our plans for a forum on the same subject at the Cabot Theater in Beverly on March 26, we started thinking about what we might all do in our daily lives to spread awareness about this issue, increase knowledge, and make some tangible effect.

We are excited to announce our fourth annual Art as Activism contest for high school students. We believe that art is an effective form of activism, as well as an especially powerful way for students to find and express their voices.

Some of us are still licking our wounds. Some are still shocked and in disbelief. All of us are horrified that more than half the voters in our country chose for their leader a man who speaks vulgarly about women and veterans and immigrants and so many others. Horrified that the most powerful head of state in the world is a convicted felon who wants to rule with impunity, overrun the system of checks and balances in our federal system, and deny basic rights to many law-abiding citizens.

Tomorrow night is the night we have all been waiting for. Yet, it’s a little like having your senior prom postponed indefinitely because of a blizzard.

We’ve had a busy past few days, with voter registration drives at Beverly High School and Landmark School and our YOUth Votes Count event in partnership with the Cabot Theater.

We heard the call last week. Again and again. “Do something.”

Don’t get us wrong. We are as excited and encouraged as anybody about the new energy and joy in the presidential race. But let’s be clear. Winning the popular vote, and even the electoral vote, are not the only challenges. There may still be threats to the election process as one candidate attempts to upend the ballot count in crucial states and then cause an insurrection that could make January 6, 2021, look like a playground tiff.

Because of you, 2,500 postcards with images of the winning posters created by high school students for our Art as Activism contest are on their way to reluctant voters in battleground states!