Last night a bunch of men in Boulder got together for their book club to discuss “The Underground Railroad.” Oh, please! Bunch of white guys sitting in someone’s beautiful backyard on a perfect early summer night eating empanadas and drinking beer talking about slavery. I can’t make excuses for who we are, but the discussion was deep and powerful. Trying to understand brutality and evil, we started by reading Lebron’s statement from Wednesday on being black in 2017 - and ended by one of the father’s talking about keeping toy guns away from his Ethiopian adopted son. Underneath it all was trying to understand how humanity can be so inhumane.
First thing I read this morning was David Brooks. We had discussed how biased the NY Times can be - but this piece seems to get at the place where humanity, decency and community escape us as a nation. So many times I read David Brooks and think he is brilliant, then peruse the comments and think I have gotten it all wrong. I am going with my gut this time.
On Sunday I am going out into this country of ours to photograph it's soul via the emotional side of youth sports. Underneath all of the division is love. There is a place that we are all connected. I know that. I am going to tell that story.
President Trump at the White House on Thursday. Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times