katie howie

". . .I initially felt fortunate that the only thing the pandemic really changed for me was the location from which I worked, the additional precautions our family took to protect our immune-compromised youngest daughter, and a new side job supporting my artist spouse on a passion project when her business evaporated. Was any of this easy? No, but that's not the point...George Floyd's murder and its aftermath brought into acute clarity the magnitude to which privilege played a role in enabling me to adapt. . ."

". . . Show up however you are able. Listen. Learn. Think. Act. Engage. Advocate for BIPOC voices. Amplify both their anger & joy.

And VOTE. Vote like our life together depends upon it.

Because though it may be frayed and at times difficult to see, this thread is what connects & holds us all together. . ."

" . . .I feel like we live in a country where people feel that if we build up one group of people it is at the expense of another. This is just bad math. I worry that we will never as a country accept that when you build up one group of people you are building up everyone. . ."

The protest art following the murder of George Floyd is largely down in the areas I frequent. But. The messages remain relevant. Protest isn't a one-time action. It's a way of being. It's where you spend your money (and where you don't). It's voting (or not voting). It's wearing a mask in public spaces (or not). These small things add up to who we are.

So. Who are you?

" . . .America is still our country while we let tyrants and imbeciles lead it, and love is still our mission while the corporate ruling class tries to divide and tear us apart at every turn. I believe in the trajectory of expanding human consciousness, but not in the speed of it being quick enough to avoid immense suffering. It's not morning in America; it's the long night, the long emergency. . ."

Editor's note: David Huckfelt has a new album coming out in fall 2020. It's called "Room Enough, Time Enough".  It's available for pre-order on vinyl & CD: 

https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/davidhuckfelt 

" . . .My job is gone. Musicians spend their lives in one of the most fragile and uncertain professions; on a good day, in a good year, you almost never know where your next payday is coming from. In Covid Times, what that means is we were basically the first business to go away, and we'll be the last to return. . ."

Editor's note: David Huckfelt has a new album coming out in fall 2020. It's called "Room Enough, Time Enough".  It's available for pre-order on vinyl & CD: 

https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/davidhuckfelt 

" . . .I worry that my only child won’t get to go back to school in the fall. I worry about when I will see my mother and brother and grandparents again, and the risk to them when I do. I worry what another round of shutdowns might do to our clinic and employees and patients - Many people have more fear of losing their eyesight than dying of COVID-19. . ."

R.F. Moeller Jeweler storefront in Highland Park, St. Paul. Beautiful art by Juan T Parker

". . . I’ve felt a heavy responsibility, and guilt, as a privileged white man since the murder of George Floyd. As a retail store owner, I typically try to lay low and not offend anyone; but I can’t live like that anymore. We’ve been in our neighborhood for almost 70 years and I think people look to us for leadership. . ."

". . . Because I am a clinician, the pandemic is still occupying the majority of my brain, but it’s the killing of George Floyd that’s occupying most of my heart. I am hopeful that there is a shift in how we view and frame things, how we do things; perhaps a more cohesive and cooperative approach to humanity. I hope. . ."

I dreamed up the cake and the collaboration with fantastic pastry chef Francois Kiemde of @pjmurphysbakerymn (and his delightful wife, @melissakiemde).

"... This is a REVOLUTION. Things will hopefully only get better. We're fighting for our lives. People (mainly white) are realizing what we've been saying for hundreds of years. We matter. I think that it's opening eyes and opening hearts and I hope that it changes the world for the better. It has to..."

Honored to be a contributor, as well as featured in, the July/August 2020 issue of Minnesota Monthly Magazine. 

"...my challenge is to fight systemic racism by helping people correct these long-term health problems. At the same time, our pharmacy has become overwhelmed with people who need our services since most pharmacies in the area were either looted, or temporarily closed, or burned down. We are fortunate to have survived the riots with minimal looting at our pharmacy and we are back to doing whatever we can to help."

Learning. Listening.

"...my older colleagues were instrumental early in the pandemic in helping prepare me for how I would change as a pharmacist. I remember conversations on how it was becoming clear that the pandemic would be a life-changing event - an event that would change how we practice and lead in the community."

" ... Early on I worried most about getting sick and infecting my family. But as our society has moved through the pandemic and we continue to learn more about the virus, my worries have changed. My worry has shifted from a personal fear of the virus, to a fear of human behavior. Human behavior is often predictable, or even inevitable, and as a result human history often repeats itself."

" . . . It's still so difficult it is to keep both the clients and service providers comfortable and safe at this challenging time. My biggest fear is getting sick and not being with my family. I watched my brother in law pass at 39 after a 2.5 year battle with cancer and we held his hand as he left- I can’t imagine passing isolated and without loved ones."

" . . . I'm fearful of additional outbreaks stemming from people gathered at protests but feel justice and changes to a broken system can't wait for COVID-19 to pass. COVID-19 has forced everyone to reflect on the things that are most important in their lives. I don't see how anyone can go through this without coming out with an increased appreciation for every single school play, concert, holiday with family and happy hour with friends."

" . . . I am uncomfortable - and glad for it. For as long as I and millions of others feel this level of discomfort with the status quo, we will build a coalition for the future in which no demographic needlessly suffers and dies - by police weapon or pandemic - because of inequality and injustice."

And it's gonna be better. Because when you know better, you do better.

" . . . This is truly The Time for change. It has been wonderful seeing the young people come together to make a change. I have never seen so much giving from our community. It gives me hope that things will change."

" . . . I will continue to have "the talk" with my young son and grandsons. I hope we can get to a world where we won't have to do that anymore. But. I worry every day for the safety of my children. "

" . . . Everything you see and touch in your home, work, neighborhood, is shipped from somewhere. Moving cargo from Point A to Point B is not easy. Any point of inaccuracy can cost thousands of dollars, just like that. My job demands me to be a controller of everything. The Pandemic is such a hard lesson- we really can control only so much."

" . . . I was born and have lived in a place of privilege, that until the last decade of my life and the Black Lives Matter, and Me Too movement began, I wasn't really, truly, aware of. Even now, after so many people have suffered at the hands of those given the sacred duty of protecting all of us, I sit in a still space, in comfort and security, able to take my time and think about that. Unworried, unhurried, by the thought that it could be one of MY children or loved ones who suffer similarly."

" . . . We shut down our half of operations when the shelter in place order came down. I had a been supervising thirteen people and preparing for everyone to continue working while wearing P100 respirators on the worksites. For a month I was back to fixing units on my own. I was lucky. I kept working in empty apartments, but the rest of our staff were going into occupied apartments, and it scared me, but not in the way you might think."

Thank you to all the fantastic teachers, staff, kids and parents. The Pandemic has made my family realize how truly Essential school is to the fabric of our communities and to each child's success.

" . . . Sometime in April, I was talking to my friend who is African American about my fear of getting Covid-19 and the feeling that the carelessness of others was directly impacting my safety. She turned to me, laughed loudly, and said, 'Anna! This is what black people experience EVERY DAY! This is so good for all you white people - to be afraid for your lives!'  THIS is white privilege."

" . . . I’m in the service industry so I cannot avoid people. People are my livelihood. Since The Pandemic I’ve become more reclusive and OCD about being clean. It got even worse when my father contracted the Covid19 virus which eventually took his life in early May. It hits different when it hits home."

" . . . I feel the tenuousness of the system. George Floyd’s murder is so close for our family. I don’t know how to talk about it. My husband has been stopped by police for no reason. He is always so conscientious about his actions. I have teased him about his cautiousness myself. George Floyd died 4 blocks from where we used to live (a place we still own). His death turns the teasing into poison in my mouth. All the cautiousness and it still might not matter."

" . . . The bad, for me, is the overall lack of structure, additional unknowns, and the very real fact that I am at a higher risk should I contract Covid19. I also feel like everything is more raw - so aches, pains, etc. are extremely magnified right now. I think it’s important to remember that we’re collectively experiencing a trauma that none of us ever expected or experienced before.

If there was ever a time to be kind to one another and ourselves it’s now. "

Learning. Listening. Supporting. CHANGING.

" . . . I think we’ve seen a lot pride, resiliency and caring for one another. Most of us will emerge with a new sense of purpose, value and understanding."

It's Essential that we all show up for the Communities of Color in our Twin Cities and throughout our nation. White silence is violence.

Consider donating - Wait. Don't just consider it. DO IT. DONATE to the following:                                       

@blackvisionscollective

@mnfreedomfund 

@aclumn 

@blklivesmatter 

@mnfoodshare

" . . . Regardless of specific job title responsibilities, employees throughout Saint Paul have continuously adapted to new roles and responsibilities, especially front line workers. We have employees staffing homeless shelters, serving meals to the community, providing interpretation services, developing virtual programming and figuring out how we address community needs for summer. . . "

" . . .This pandemic has put a lot of things into perspective. I have always dreamed of putting my bread on every single plate in the family plate of all our neighborhood families. That was in New York back then, not knowing that my journey from New York city kitchen would take me to the Lexington- Hamline neighborhood by way of Wisconsin. . ."

" . . . I’m more tired than ever due to long stacked shifts and find it hard to engage when I’m at home due to exhaustion. There is not a good work/life balance right now. However, I’m incredibly grateful for my job and passionate about the work I do. Now, more than ever, I believe I was made to be a nurse. My current motto: 'A ship is safe in the harbor, but that’s not what a ship was built for.' . . ."