On Delores, Cesar, and Doing It For "The Culture"

TW: Mentions of sexual abuse, predatory actions.

The Venn diagram of sexual abuse, power, and societal and cultural constructs of masculinity and “taking one for the culture/movement” dynamics always leaves me angry and sick to my stomach.

Dolores Huerta is 96 years old. Throughout her entire career of civil and human rights activism, she has had to hold sexual abuse in her body at the hands of Cesar Chavez. For over 50 years. She birthed two children from this sexual abuse and assault, both of whom she had to hide her relationship and connection to “for the culture.” Countless other women have carried similar experiences of abuse at the hands of Cesar Chavez in their bodies for decades. It all comes back to these women feeling they had to put the movement before themselves, because society and culture had ingrained in them that speaking out against a man who positioned himself as the movement’s figurehead in real time would’ve jeopardized the work.

One of the saddest parts of that notion is that there is likely some truth to it.

These women would’ve likely been discredited and possibly attacked and ostracized by folx in their community. Their plight would’ve been perverted and twisted by hate-filled white supremacists. They likely would’ve been treated as if they were trying to destroy the movement they tirelessly dedicated themselves to. White U.S. America at the time would’ve conjured up all sorts of stereotypes and bigoted narratives to discredit the work these women were doing and to fight against any civil rights advancements by characterizing Cesar as a monster, but not for the reasons he should be viewed as such.

And the fact that we can’t sit here and say this wouldn’t happen or isn’t happening today speaks volumes about how women are viewed and disrespected in movements, even when they are the ones showing up and doing the heavy lifting.

Women shouldn’t have to constantly sacrifice themselves, physically, mentally, and emotionally, for toxic, abusive men and “the culture.” They shouldn’t have to fear for their safety or face ostracization for speaking truth to power and seeking accountability. And most importantly, women shouldn’t always have to fight an uphill battle to be believed when a man has abused and harmed them and others in their community.

Believe Delores.

Believe women.

Believe that the culture and the movement will survive and thrive if we remove cancerous individuals from the equation, even if they’ve positioned themselves as figureheads.

And take some time to evaluate why it’s so hard for so many of y’all to believe that way too many “decent” men are using that facade to do the opposite of decent things to those they deem vulnerable and lacking credibility.

Doing all of that believing and taking action?

THAT is “for the culture.”

Anything else is cosigning harm and abuse.

Read Delores Huerta’s statement here.

Read the NYT article “Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years” here.

On Kansas, Transphobia, and Domestic Terrorism

TW: Transphobia.

A letter from the Kansas Division of Vehicles dated February 23, 2026, is being sent to the homes of transgender Kansans informing them that they must surrender their driver's licenses and that their current credentials will be considered invalid upon the House Substitute for Senate Bill 244’s publication in the Kansas Register on February 26.

House Substitute for Senate Bill 244 was passed on February 17, 2026, after the Kansas House overrode Governor Laura Kelly’s veto. Because of this, Kansas-issued driver's licenses and identification cards must now reflect the credential holder's “sex at birth.”

There is no grace period for updating credentials, and anyone operating a vehicle without a valid credential "may be subject to additional penalties." Those whose gender marker does not match their sex assigned at birth are directed to surrender their current credential to the Division of Vehicles for reissuance.

The consequences for noncompliance could escalate quickly. Under Kansas law, driving without a valid license is a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. A conviction triggers an automatic 90-day license suspension. If a person drives during that suspension, they face a charge of driving on a suspended license, which carries a mandatory minimum of five days in jail. Kansas requires county jails to house inmates by sex assigned at birth.

This "bill" is also essentially a "Bathroom Bill", meaning that it mandates that multi-occupancy, private spaces in public buildings (such as restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms) are restricted to use based on biological sex. This "law" also allows individuals "aggrieved" by a violation of these privacy rules to bring a civil action, with potential for damages up to $1,000.00.

And again, there was no grace period given. This "law" is effective immediately. Schools, public buildings, businesses, even Government facilities are now all expected to scramble to help the State of Kansas employ transphobic discriminatory practices to the citizenry.

Let's keep it 100. This "law" is not about "protecting children and families" like these raggedy conservatives in Kansas want to keep stating. This law is meant to target, antagonize, profile, and terrorize anyone who is trans, non-binary, or expressing themselves in ways that do not fit the nonsensical gender binary that white supremacist culture insists we all bend the knee to.

This "bill" will protect no one. People are going to be followed into restrooms, harassed, profiled by law enforcement, and harassed by "good citizens." Kansas courts will be inundated with frivolous lawsuits from weak-willed, fragile, transphobic people insisting trans folx have done them harm by just existing in a space with them and expecting some kind of financial restitution.

This is domestic terrorism, pure and simple. And if you see it as anything other than that?

I'll let you connect the dots and label yourself.

This Week's Opening Thought: February 23, 2026

This week’s opening thought: I find it very interesting that after what appears to be three instances of a particular Black-centric racial slur being shouted out by Tourette’s Syndrome activist John Davidson at this past weekend’s BAFTA Awards (when Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo stepped onstage to present an award, while Oscar-winning production designer Hannah Beachler was on her way to dinner after the show, and a third was aimed at another Black woman minding her Black business) that suddenly so many people of pallor are experts on Tourette Syndrome.

I’m not an expert on Tourette’s, but I do understand it. I understood it before these incidents happened this past weekend. Unlike the many “concerned citizens” out there who suddenly have an opinion on Tourette’s because Black folx are collectively side-eyeing John Davidson, I didn’t need to become a Google Scholar to understand how it manifests and the struggles that folx who have Tourette’s endure. Still, I know enough about the condition as well as white supremacy to understand that a word like the one John shouted out multiple times to multiple Black people has to be a regular part of your vocabulary to use it so effortlessly three times in one night, so clearly and pointedly during a tic.

Let’s not belittle those with Tourette’s like that.

Let’s not bolster stereotypes of people with Tourette’s as a cover for a person of pallor’s likely ingrained racist beliefs.

Tourette’s targets the neurological filters that restrain language, the same filters that allow people to make concerted decisions about how they word and say things. But Tourette’s is still governed by a person’s vocabulary: words they use casually, thoughts and ideas they routinely chat about with others, beliefs they have about people, race, gender, culture, you name it. Tourette’s affects inhibition, not whether or not saying racist things is something you have no issue with saying.

I’ve known people who have Tourette’s. I’ve known people of pallor who have Tourette’s. Some of them likely had Coprolalia as well. And none of them ever said to me or around me what John said to Michael B., Delroy, Hannah, or the other Black woman he verbally assaulted this past weekend.

John may or may not be racist. That ain’t for me to judge, regardless of how it feels in my brain and body. But let’s not use his disability status as a pass for absolution. He should still be held accountable, and BAFTA should’ve done better. As for the sudden experts? Don’t be hoppin’ online, trying to check Black folx for calling out what we see or act like we don’t understand Tourette’s Syndrome or other nervous system disorders. The majority of us speak truth to power based on facts.

And don’t expect Black folx to stop side-eyeing you if you want to keep throwing another racist apologist log on the fire.

On Dr. Davis, Domestic Terrorism, Misogynoir, and Wondering Where The Energy Went

TW: Mentions of murder, domestic terrorism, anti-Blackness, misogynoir, racism, xenophobia.

Dr. Linda Davis, a special education teacher in her first year at Herman W. Hesse K-8 School in Chatham County in Savannah, Georgia, was killed Monday morning on her commute to school by a person fleeing ICE agents in a high-speed chase. The Chatham County Police Department wasn’t part of—or aware of—the federal “immigration operation” happening in their county until after the crash.

Shocker.

This man, who crashed into and murdered Dr. Davis in an act obviously driven by fear and desperation, will bear the responsibility and burden of taking her life for the rest of his days. But this is not his burden and responsibility to carry alone. He shares that burden and responsibility equally with the ICE agents who initiated this high-speed chase and who have fomented over a year of violent domestic terrorism in this country disguised as immigration enforcement. But another group also bears some responsibility for this horrific incident: people who benefit from systems of pallor.

A whole bunch of y’all stormed the streets when ICE murdered Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Y’all marched and flooded your social media channels with every image and update you could muster.

But y’all are quiet as hell about Dr. Davis.

Where’s the outrage? Where’s the defiance, the marching in the streets? Where’s that “F--- ICE” energy now? Let me guess: most of y’all view Dr. Davis’ murder as something that was “ICE adjacent,” meaning that ICE didn’t directly kill her, so it “doesn’t count,” or you haven’t heard about Dr. Davis’ murder because your newscycle is somehow still centered on mainstream media outlets who have been practically silent about this incident.

Let’s say you didn’t know about Dr. Davis’ murder. Well, you know now. Where’s that anger you had when ICE murdered people of pallor? Does it not carry over to this? Is this not “directly ICE” enough for you to demand accountability like y’all did for Renee and Alex? Or is that your misogynoir and anti-Blackness talking?

Things that make you go hmm.

Rest well, Dr. Davis. I hope your family and community get the closure and justice they and you deserve.

[Image description: An image of Dr. Linda Davis, smiling while resting her face in her palms. A whimsical holiday wreath surrounds her.]

Image description: An image of Dr. Linda Davis, smiling while resting her face in her palms. A whimsical holiday wreath surrounds her.

This Week's Opening Thought: February 17, 2026

This week’s opening thought: I’ve spent this month trying to protect my peace, embrace rest, and take care of myself. That has primarily meant keeping my thoughts to myself, processing my feelings, and moving them out of my body. It’s gone fairly well, but honestly?

Being Black, legitimately trauma-informed, actively anti-racist, and actively anti-oppressive while working in HR is not helpful in my pursuit to prioritize all of the aforementioned things for myself.

Truth be told, the years I’ve spent developing and continually learning about my body, my brain, my emotions, my personal, professional, and generational traumas, and the weight of the world around me have lessened how much I end up carrying in my brain and body. But there are days where I watch Black and Brown folx, Black women, people of color, folx with disabilities, and folx from LGBTQIAA+ communities get mistreated or ignored and then get equally ignored, disregarded, or told I’m being “unprofessional” when I amplify their voices and stand with them in real time that literally make me want to punch the air like Tre in Boyz n’ the Hood. And some days it hits like a brick when I’m attacked or mistreated, and no one who witnesses my harm is willing to stand with me in solidarity.

Today has been one of those days.

Real talk? HR, when you’re not doing it “by the book” and upholding white supremacist workplace culture, is a lonely profession.

It’s doubly so when you’re doing it as an empathic, empathetic queer Black person.

If you’re marginalized, invisible, and/or melanated, and living authentically in a world where you don’t fit? I want you to know that I see you. I know there are many days when it’s hard, when this world seemingly finds glee in doing you harm. Please know you’re not alone. Please take care of yourself. Please do not prioritize these workplaces or anyone who claims to love and care about you over your health and well-being. You deserve to be able to be openly, verbally, and physically you. Don’t let them dim your light.

WHEW. Just needed to get that out of my system.

Back to mindin’ my Black business and resting as the ancestors would want me to rest.

Take care of yourselves and each other.