may 16, 2013: i talk about the struggle for justice pretty much non-stop at home. politics is what drives my work, even my artwork. my kids don’t participate a whole lot but i keep hoping that they’re listening. yesterday was my son’s 18th birthday. crucial moment in our lives. after all the food and celebrations, he shared his english homework with me. he was supposed to write a poem about racism but he decided he’d rather rap about it. he wrote this searing critique of capitalism and what it’s like to be black/brown/muslim in america. he didn’t mince his words. hard-edged, keenly felt, real. a saturation of words and emotions that he hadn’t expressed before. it blew my mind. i am the mother of a thinking adult. wow.