Washington DC is a particularly cynical place and I’ve become numb to four-plus years of the Trump regime’s theatrics and tantrums. So my visceral reaction to images of Trump cultists mobbing the United States Capitol caught me off-guard last week. While watching such familiar corridors ransacked by group of delusional white nationalists, I was filled with anger and sadness. A week or so later, I am reminded of hope.

For more than two years, while working for Senator Harry Reid, I walked the halls of the U.S Capitol almost every day. As an intern, I gave dozens of tours of…

Many lovely and important tributes have been shared in the days since the passing of Rep. John Lewis (here is one, here is another). And rightfully so. He was a bonafide hero and selfless public servant. It’s extraordinary for a prominent Black hero of the civil rights movement to survive the era, let alone live a long life and achieve a seat of power in our nation’s Congress.

I worry, however, that the death of Lewis puts greater distance between America and the racial equality and justice he spent his days fighting for. It’s easier to convince the comfortable that…

We did this project on Medium at the end of 2017 called Words That Matter. It was a neat thing. We asked writers to select a single word that encapsulated something meaningful or important to them about 2017, and then reflect on the year through the lens of that word. Read some of the essays, if you haven’t already. (If you only read four, read: Roxane Gay, Eve Ewing, Carmen Machado, Dominique Matti, and porochista khakpour)

If I had contributed a post, I would have picked the word “Ratio’d”.

In a year where substance and thoughtfulness suffocated under a constant…

I want to write more in 2018. Not because I am good at it. I am not. I am mediocre+ (dibs on Mediocre+ for my new Ska band name). But I wrote very little in 2017 and a void was felt. Also, I want to get better at writing and at life. I miss sitting with my own thoughts. The restlessness and FOMO induced pin-balling around the internet I put myself through in 2017 was tiresome. I am resolute to digest more information, rather than be consumed with consumption, in 2018.

So I’m gonna try this: I’m going to write…

This is a speculative post of very little consequence about the new Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, and the origins of one of the ostensibly new key characters, Rose Tico. (I don’t know who Rey’s parents are)

I think Jyn Erso saved the life of a young Rose Tico in the film Rogue One.

While in Jedha City in search of Saw Gererra, Jyn and Cassian stumble upon a fight between Imperial Troopers hauling a shipment of Kyber Crystals, and a band of Saw Gererra’s rebel fighters. In the midst of the fight, a young girl with a distinct…

Judging from yesterday’s exchange during his unconventional (?) press conference, Donald Trump doesn’t know what the Congressional Black Caucus is. And apparently, Donald Trump sycophant Jeffery Lord, thinks the CBC is a problem akin to KKK leader David Duke launching a Congressional White Caucus, Lord stated:

I used to think the Congressional Black Caucus, when it was first formed, was a good thing. I changed my mind on this. I don’t think there should be any caucuses in the House of Representatives that are divided by race. I mean, heaven forbid if David Duke got elected and wanted to form…

Words matter. They’re critical tools for debate, inspiration, and understanding. We take them seriously at Medium. We know you take them seriously, too — 200 million words were published in January, Medium’s biggest month in history. Driving that growth are people well-known and unknown, sharing their insight into what’s happening in American politics and the world at-large. Your posts reveal that substance, candor, and credibility more than ever, from people who can deepen our perspectives and challenge our biases, are paramount.

To get you started, here are five top important topics rounded-up from January:

1. The travel ban for refugees and immigrants

Donald Trump issued a flurry of…

Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, including the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq., and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and to protect the American people from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals admitted to the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Purpose.

The visa-issuance process plays a crucial role in detecting individuals with terrorist ties and stopping them from entering the United States. Perhaps in no instance was that more apparent than the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001…