It may be the wrong time for advice, Ray, but it's never the wrong time for neatness.

Today's Tumblr collection is Tuesday, August 26: Due South (part five in an unending series). If you need more dS today than just that, you can check out the previous dS collections:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

I don't think I have any repeat posts. If I do, they're rare.

And that's all I have energy for right now. I am physically and emotionally wrung out. Oof.

Relief

I spent a lot of yesterday afternoon, evening, and parts of this morning wondering if I did the right thing by stepping forward to speak at yesterday's demonstration for Michael Brown. At the time, I felt a little awkward about it because I strongly feel that there are not enough black voices being heard in this conversation and I am concerned that too many white people are making this about them and their feelings about race--even if they're sympathetic, there are just...a lot of white voices talking. A lot of them were talking yesterday. And that's one of the things I (ironically) pointed out when I spoke up at the event.

Then I went back to my spot and wondered if I'd been out of line. But if I'm going to regret something, I'd rather regret what I did than what I didn't, even if it did lead to moments later in the day when I literally cringed at myself (yes, I do this, too, just like everyone else).

But just now, one of our black graduate students stopped by my office to thank me. He said of all the non-POCs who spoke, I was the only one whose remarks didn't irritate or upset him in some way. He told me that he turned to another black grad student and said "She gets it."

I can't tell you the relief.

I don't want or expect ally cookies. I don't deserve special thanks for simply being a decent human being. But wow it feels good to know I'm generally on the right track. I hope he takes my request to call me on my shit when/if I ever do fuck up.