Two weeks ago we were wringing our hands with despair that the November elections might be upended by threats to voter certification in several states including Georgia, where recent rulings by a newly appointed pro-Trump majority state election board passed new rules that purport to legalize the blockage of certification of votes.

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! 

Sitting in the cafe of the Boston Public Library last Friday for the broadcast of Boston Public Radio Live, it was hard not to be excited when David Hogg Zoomed in for an interview with Jim Braude and guest host Andrea Cabral. Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland High School mass shooting of 2018, co-founder of March for Our Lives and Leaders We Deserve, spoke eloquently and convincingly of the importance of enlisting and working to elect a new generation of leaders in local, state, and federal government positions.

There is excitement in the air while a new figure takes center stage as the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. The race seems very close right now, and the results may likely hinge on voter turnout – specifically, on the turnout of women and young people in battleground states.

Whatever our reaction to the current state of affairs, we can’t complain of boredom! Every day seems to bring more surprises, some frightening, some exciting. Many, as we’ve noted before, totally out of our control.

By the time you read this letter, President Biden may still be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, or he may not. Whether that decision is still being made is likely a topic of many conversations among your family members and friends, but how you feel about it will have no effect on the ultimate decision. There will be no vote about whether or not Joseph Biden remains the Democrats’ nominee. That will be decided by Joseph Biden, his family, and his advisers, pushed by members of Congress and the media. We have absolutely no say and no recourse. That leaves many of us feeling at sea.

We’ve lost a lot of sleep during the last few days. Our anxiety levels have been high as we’ve struggled with feelings of helplessness about our country’s political situation. The post-debate angst and confusion made us even more frightened and nervous about our future.

We are nearing the ending of Pride Month, another celebration we wish we did not need. Like Black History Month and Women’s History Month, Pride Month recognizes the contributions and worthiness of a segment of our population that has, for too long and in too many ways, been overlooked. But Pride Month also commemorates the years of struggle for civil rights and equal justice for the LGBTQ+ community. Would that the civil rights of all LGBTQ+ people were protected. Would that all LGBTQ+ youth felt safe in their schools and communities. Would that LGBTQ+ were welcome in all houses of worship, retail establishments, health facilities, and families.

Lest you think otherwise, this is not really your weekly newsletter from us. It is merely a note to bring you up to date on three things.

There are less than five months, 145 days, or about 3,480 hours, until Election Day 2024: November 5. What are we each going to do until then to try to make a difference? How many of us are feeling energized by the latest developments, domestic and international? How many of us are bone tired and discouraged?

It was both ironic and serendipitous that Tuesday evening’s program about dealing with discrimination in our community was presented by the Beverly Department of Education and The Cabot Theater just three days after “The Dreyfuss Affair.”

“What is Gender? Why Does It Matter?” Alex Myers, author, educator, and transgender activist tackled this subject as he shared his personal story and welcomed questions and comments during the Community Conversation at The Cabot last week. His presentation was so riveting that we decided to share some of the takeaways for those of you who couldn’t make it – and as reminders for those of you who were there.

One of our favorite children’s books is a humorous guide to manners illustrated by Maurice Sendak of Where The Wild Things Are fame and published in the 1980s. The book, What Do You Say, Dear?, asks what to say when you bump into a crocodile on a crowded street? Or when a nice gentleman introduces you to a baby elephant? Or when the queen feeds you so much spaghetti that you can’t fit in your chair anymore? The answers are pretty straightforward. Say, “excuse me,” or “how do you do,” or “no thank you.”

We thought we had a handle on what Reproductive Rights means, only to realize it keeps changing.

This may not be on your Spring reading list, but it’s worth at least a few minutes of our time. The National Urban League’s 2024 report on the state of Black America focuses on The Civil Rights Act of 1964, 60 years later.

What do you think of when you hear about inequalities in education? Bare bones science equipment, out-of-date books, large class sizes, poorly trained teachers, lack of extracurricular activities? Computers? And when you think about computers and internet connectivity and apps and programs, do you just think about them in the schools? What about in the homes of students?

Most of us know who will get our vote in the presidential election, and, therefore, whose campaign we may contribute to. But what about the down ballot? Particularly in other states.

Last week, I watched the Oscar-nominated movie, Zone of Interest. It’s a Holocaust movie unlike any other Holocaust movie I’ve seen. And, trust me, I’ve watched more than my share of Holocaust movies. They are fodder for Jewish angst. What partially distinguishes this movie is that there are no images of concentration camp internees, no glimpses inside the gas chambers, no heart-wrenching cries of children torn from their mothers’ arms as they debark the trains upon arrival at Auschwitz.