Energy – Walk Into the Future

1,300 in 2022

Sunrise

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you will probably end up somewhere else”.

(Lawrence J. Peter)

I start each year by creating a set of goals for myself to ensure I continue to Walk into the Future.

Past years I created a goal to run a set number of miles during the year (example: 1,000 miles) but decided to eliminate this practice and concentrate on run quality instead of quantity.

My 2022 run goals centered around 3 quality runs weekly without the shadow of a set number of miles as the goal. I always found myself singularly focused on the end number instead of the impact each run had towards my goal and fitness level. Mentally I was always chasing a number I made up in January and that was not always a fun activity.

Fast forward and the 1,312 training miles I completed in 2022 is the most yearly mileage I have ever completed. Launching my full marathon training program in July helped me clock miles but I was well on my way toward a mileage personal record (PR). The marathon training process highlighted I needed to add training sessions and mileage to fully embrace the run challenge of a full marathon.

I routinely ran 3 days a week prior to my marathon training program and needed a 4^th day to continue to build my mileage base. I also needed to create a true run plan to identify the targeted mileage for each session.

Prior to 2022 I would just go out for a run and then determine how far I wanted to go during that session. Running in 2022 forced me to lay out a detailed weekly training program to identify how far I would run during each session. I know this sounds simple and I’m sure most folks do this, but my running program had structure but needed more focus to get me to the start line for the Palm Beaches marathon. I discovered putting a number on the training session (3 miles on Tuesday, 5 miles on Wednesday, 8 miles on Thursday, 10 miles on Saturday) made me hit my mile markers each session. Anything less than what I projected left me looking for ways to get my miles in. Weekly mileage numbers were critical to my running success in 2022.

Mile by mile, day by day allowed me to top 1,300 miles in 2022. I’m sure I could have surpassed that number if I put more focus on the mileage for each session prior to July 2022.

My 2023 run goal is to run 4 days weekly (25 – 30 miles total) with one day dedicated to speed work. I am registered for 10 races for 2023 with a combination of 5ks, 10ks and half marathons. I don’t know if I will tackle another full marathon in 2023 or ever but never say never. I will let my weekly running sessions determine how many total miles I run in 2023. Excited to track my progress and growth as I expand my running base and test myself with road work.

What goals do you have for 2023?

FYI: Clocked 127 miles in January 2023! 😊

Irie!

“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time”.

(Zig Ziglar)

Walking with a positive work environment (Repost)

(Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay)

“Positive work environments outperform negative work environments”.

(Daniel Goleman)

Positive people make positive things happen is one of my favorite sayings to inspire people in my world. I created this as a mantra when I enter a work environment to help my team understand the mindset, we need to get positive results.

I was introduced to Positive Psychology during my course work and it remains with me daily. One premise of Positive Psychology is people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. This could be on a personal or professional level. I like leveraging Positive Psychology within the work environment to show direct reports how our mindset influences work outcomes.

I mentioned in an earlier post, my daily response to how I am doing is to say fantastic. This is not a way to hide my true thoughts or feelings but a way to energize myself. I found by saying I am doing fantastic provides a new level of energy for myself and it can inspire others around me to join in on the fun. The word fantastic is not used very often in daily life so it makes people take notice and encourages them to get on The Energy Bus.

Now imagine if you had a leader who was always negative and never had anything nice to say. How would this person impact the work environment? I am sure this negative mindset would translate to everyone in the work environment and would not be a pleasant place to work.

Leaders must be cognizant how their energy (positive or negative) impacts the work environment. This knowledge will go a long way to build a positive work environment culture to ensure positive things get done daily. Sounds simple, huh?

It takes a while for this positive process to take hold within a new work environment. The speed of this process can be enhanced when everyone is ready to engage. One negative teammate can slow or aggravate the process, but this can be mitigated by the rest of the team pulling in the same direction. A new initiative for me is to follow Rule #6 from The Energy Bus—I have a sign posted that reads No Energy Vampires Allowed in my office in a prominent location. I will point to the sign when the tone of a conversation starts to become negative. I welcome different views and opinions but look to negate negative tone, language, or interactions. It takes time to eliminate the negative, but the goal is to move forward in a positive manner. I struggle sometimes because I want everything to head in a positive direction but also know things take time.

A positive work environment is a place where everyone can thrive, grow, and provide input. We spend a large amount of our lives in the work environment and I strive to create a space where we can work hard, laugh, and enjoy the process. Leaders who understand work does not have to be stressful create a space where productivity can be displayed daily. I have worked in places where people dreaded coming to work and I made a vow to never duplicate these types of environments when I reached the big seat. Well, I have been in the big seat for a while now and smile whenever one of my tree branches reach out and say they want to work with me again.

I am sure not everyone feels this way, but I have enough of these folks to form my own wolf pack. 😊 Still learning and growing but will continue to promote positive work environments because they are productive and fun. Imagine that, fun in the workplace! Guess Google, Microsoft and Apple understand what people want in the work environment. I do not have ping pong tables, yet, but play a lot of reggae in my office. Irie!

What do you see as the benefits of a positive work environment? How do you contribute to ensure your work environment remains positive?

“Positive anything is better than negative nothing”.

(Elbert Hubbard)

Always remember Rosewood, Florida (Repost)

Justice

(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.

(Nelson Mandela)

Happy to see the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement continue to draw attention to racial injustices. The momentum gained after the George Floyd murder continues to lead people worldwide to protest injustices. It feels real this time, but I thought that after Rodney King, Trayvon Martin, Eric Gardner, and Michael Brown. Too many instances where black people are killed, and the justice system does not provide justice. Not trying to be cute with words here but most of these examples were seen on video just like George Floyd but no justice for black victims could be found.

Would like to say these are just isolated examples and America really treats black people well. Yep, we all know that would be a huge lie and I could not say that with a straight face anyway. America’s majority has treated people of color horribly and then try to convince us everything is okay. It is not and has not been okay for a long time.

Decided to go back in history and introduce Walk into the Future readers to Rosewood, Florida. Most people have never heard about Rosewood or the horror the black families endured there. It does not get the same press as the Black Wall Street massacre but is closer to home for me.

Sadly, I did not learn about Rosewood until the 1997 movie directed by John Singleton was released. I grew up in Florida and never heard a word about the massacre in a history or civics class. Rosewood is less than a two-hour drive from my hometown Jasper, Florida so it is equally shocking how close this type of mob/Klan activity was to my family.

I watched the movie and remember thinking this happened right down the street from my hometown. How is it possible I did not know about this? How could an entire town get wiped off the face of the earth and nobody said a word? This appears to be the American way. We condemn other countries and regimes for their atrocities and then hide ours from the public.

The movie stirred me to visit Rosewood in 1997 so I could see the place for myself. Sadly, the only substantial thing to identify Rosewood is a placard to let you know you are in the place where the town of Rosewood use to be. There are a few buildings there now but most of the things in the area are incorporated to Cedar Key, Florida. Felt weird being at the site of a massacre of black people but believe this was an important lesson to never forget the past so these things do not repeat. Like what is happening now; we cannot just let these injustices occur without responding in kind.

The BLM movement is here to stay, and we will need to remain vigilant to ensure human rights are respected for all. Keep learning and growing tree branches—we need you to make this a better world!

Learn more about Rosewood, Florida here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/03/rosewood-florida-massacre-racial-violence-reparations

“The scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in the American society”.

(John Lewis)

Repost from August 20, 2020.

Walking with no new races in sight

(Image by David Mark from Pixabay)

“I am trying my hardest not to act how I feel”.

(Anonymous)

The COVID-19 pandemic hits just keep on stacking up! I have been bombarded with emails from the Rock N Roll marathon race organization identifying the cancellation for future races. Please note, I fully expected the remaining 2020 races to be cancelled but the Rock N Roll folks have begun cancelling races in 2021!

Oh, how we have failed society with our lame government response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I moved from Tallahassee to Fort Pierce in April with the full understanding this country would be in better shape in October. We are in worse shape today (8/20/2020) than we were in April. Shocked I had to write that last sentence, but it is unfortunately true.

Races lost so far

The first 2020 race I lost to COVID-19 was the 2020 Nashville Rock N Roll half marathon in April. This is my favorite race of the season and one of my favorite cities to visit. Love the Nashville course, culture, food, and country music on every corner. Always look forward to my country line dancing lessons at the Wild Horse Saloon, eating barbeque, and listening to new country artists playing. Wanted to visit the Ryman Auditorium for the first time and explore the historic venue.

- https://ryman.com/

Got the news the 2020 and 2021 Philly Rock N Roll half marathon races were cancelled two days ago. Fully expected the 2020 race to get axed but never thought the 2021 race would be on the chopping block due to COVID-19. Not sure the race organizers are predicting COVID-19 issues for 2021 but this may signal running tourists will have limited options in the future. I was looking forward to getting back to Philly and hang out with my friend, Lauren Apgar so we could explore the city and get some more of those cheesesteaks. We planned to explore the Reading Terminal Market in-depth this year to sample food from the different vendors there. We will have to put off our Philly cheesesteak adventures now.

- https://readingterminalmarket.org/

I signed up for the inaugural 2020 Clearwater Rock N Roll half marathon scheduled for October. This was going to be the first Rock n Roll race scheduled in my home state in years. The excitement for me was most of the race is run near the beach and I would not have to travel so far. I would get the opportunity to enjoy more sights and sounds and not have to rush back. The course is flat and would have produced a fast time and October in Florida would be cooler with less humidity. The race organizers cancelled the 2020 and 2021 Clearwater races. They project to run the race in October 2022, but we will see what happens that far out. I do not have a good feeling all the cancelled races will come back—some may but believe COVID-19 will eliminate how we travel, race, and interact for a long time.

The Orlando Utility Commission (OUC) 2020 half marathon scheduled for December is still on the books, but most races hosted by Track Shack have been converted to virtual races. Believe the OUC race will be virtual as well so I have not signed up.

The 2021 New Orleans Rock N Roll half marathon was cancelled today and now the race organizers project to run this event in February 2022. Turns out New Orleans was the only Rock N Roll race I was able to run in 2020. The race was completed in February right before the country realized how bad COVID-19 was and we started shutting down. Had a great time in New Orleans so guess it was only fitting this would be my only half marathon race of the year. We will see if this race ever comes back because of the close interactions of Bourbon and Canal Streets. Love the food and atmosphere but it may be hard to host large-scale events there and keep people safe.

Virtual options

Most running organizations are bridging the race gaps with virtual options. Runners can still race, compete, and receive race swag (t-shirt, medal, etc.) while running in their hometowns—just sign up and sync your running application to the race. I am sure this is a great option for some runners, but I enjoy the in-person interaction associated with the event. I joined the Rock N Roll Virtual Running club and signed up for my first virtual race—a 10k which I completed on 8/22/2020. My time was not great—I signed up on a Friday and ran the 10k the next day without additional mental or physical preparation. I may explore this option more especially when the weather gets a bit cooler. I need a competitive outlet for my running program so may reach out to my tree branches to join me on some of these virtual adventures (Apgar, Forges, Kume). 😊

Note: My first Virtual 5k was completed on 8/29/20.

https://www.runrocknrollvr.com/

Training

I still get out and train but not logging the same number of miles I put in last summer. I get my runs in on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays but not committing to extreme long runs with no races on the horizon. I run as a form of therapy and to keep my weight in the range I want. I have not done any speed work since early March, so my training goal is to keep my heart rate up and enjoy the views I get in Fort Pierce.

COVID-19 Training miles (run, bike, elliptical):

April 2020: 79.45 miles	May 2020: 90.57 miles	June 2020: 130.72 miles
July 2020: 78.15 miles	August 2020: 74.57	September 2020: 46.16

Realize there are more important things happening in the world than me not being able to be a running tourist. Hoping we can get the COVID-19 pandemic under control so we can all get back to the things we enjoy without worrying about the air we breathe. Look forward to bringing you reports from new travel locations when it is safe to do so again.

Until then, here is what happen in Nashville in 2019! 😊

https://walkintothefuture.blog/2019/05/23/nashville-and-the-wild-horse-saloon/

“Life equals running and when we stop running maybe that is how we know life is finally finished”.

(Patrick Ness)

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/17/some-marathon-races-may-not-survive-coronavirus-pandemic.html

The return to LA Fitness

(Image by Pexels from Pixabay)

“You are only one workout away from a good mood”.

(Unknown)

Decided to test the waters and get back into LA Fitness to jump start my weight training program again. I started putting extra emphasis on my running program in 2019 but I was still getting in four days of weight training while increasing my mileage. I still made it to Momentum Fitness in Tallahassee in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stopped going completely as the pandemic started to get worse in mid-March and switched to home body workouts until it was time to move to Fort Pierce, Florida in April.

I maintained my distance from the gym during my first two and a half months in Fort Pierce because I did not feel comfortable being around people in a confined space. Note, I am still not completely comfortable but have allowed for limited time around people with proper physical distancing.

My new workplace has a small workout room, but I do not consider it a gym. The weights and cardio equipment are in great condition but there are limited weightlifting options. I ventured to this location a few times on the weekends just for limited workouts (cardio, legs). Had this location to myself each time I went in so think I got a bit of confidence to explore a larger facility.

My new habit is to carry Clorox wipes with me everywhere I go so I can wipe down everything myself prior to touching it. Never thought I would be that guy, but yes, I have a pack of Clorox wipes in my gym bag and do not see this changing anytime soon. A new normal for the gym has been born. 😊

LA Fitness

My history with LA Fitness began during my time living in Oviedo, Florida. Really enjoyed the multiple cardio, weightlifting, basketball, spinning and yoga class options available at LA Fitness. All these things were part of the regular membership and made the facility popular with my folks in East Orlando. My experience prior to joining LA Fitness centered on fitness centers on military installations. Always had what I needed in these facilities and never had to pay to get in a workout.

I decided to test out LA Fitness because I felt limited with the other workout options in Orlando. Was able to get a great rate with a military discount and spent as much time in the facility as possible. Made some great friends in LA Fitness and got myself in fantastic shape with all the options there. So, as you can see, I have a fondness for the LA Fitness brand.

There are two LA Fitness locations in Port St. Lucie, Florida and I finally got comfortable enough to want to venture in to enhance my weight training. Went on-line and signed up for a free guest membership which gave me access to the facility without having to commit or join. Leveraged the pass to see how the facility was maintained and what protocols they had to combat COVID-19. Was a bit surprised how clean they kept the facility and was happy there were not large crowds working out. Made sure to only use equipment where physical distancing was possible and moved if anyone got too close to where I was working out. Felt funny doing that but decided to air on the side of caution.

Waited a couple weeks and signed up for another free guest pass for the second LA Fitness location. Wanted to see if there was a different vibe there and I was not eligible to get another guest past at the first location. You are supposed to wait 6 months between passes at the same location, so I just moved down the road a bit for my workouts. I liked the second location best because the shopping complex it is in has more options for me when I am done with my workout. The equipment was the same, but the setup was a bit different–both locations were maintained with an eye towards maintaining physical distancing and cleanliness.

Quickly found out my home pushup routine was not the same to lifting weights. Got a new level of soreness from lifting but it felt good to be back in a weightlifting routine. Do not think I will ever lift heavy weights again but want to keep lifting for definition and to feel good. Got several good workouts in utilizing the free passes and I am seriously thinking about joining the LA Fitness family again. Will evaluate each location again to see which one makes the most sense for me to join. I could sign up for a membership which gives me multiple location privileges but that may be a waste of money—we will see.

Look forward to sharing more of my workout journey in the future—back to LA Fitness and enjoying it! 😊

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going”.

(Jim Ryin)

Making a difference–the first 100 days!

(Image by Free Photos from Pixabay)

“If you are walking down the right path and you are willing to keep walking, eventually you will make progress”.

(Barack Obama)

Love starting Walk into the Future blog articles with quotes to introduce the topic for each week. The quotes are selected to get me into the right frame of mind to generate content my followers will enjoy. I try not to overdue my Barack Obama quotes but he provides inspiration on multiple levels and I can always find something generated by #44 to help me find the words to make a positive impact with my writing.

I am an avid reader and discovered author Robert Hargrave’s book, Your First 100 Days in a New Executive Job: Powerful First Steps on the Path to Greatness prior to taking my role in Fort Pierce. Decided to leverage my first 100 days in my new role to find ways to make a positive difference in our daily operations. The COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it has on normal operations was a huge challenge to me. I accepted my position at Indian River State College in March 2020 with hopes the pandemic would be mitigated during the summer and we would get back to what use to be normal workday activities. The COVID-19 numbers exploded over the summer and most of the country remained in a work from home mode out of necessity.

I did not let COVID-19 limit my focus on making a difference daily. Referred to President Obama’s quote daily and looked for ways to chip away towards the progress I sought. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you make workplace progress? One project at a time.

My first 100-day point at Indian River State College was 7/28/2020. The Career and Transfer Services (CTS) team was not briefed on my 100-day plan but were key players to ensure we got the results I wanted us to gain. I take a lot of pride in being able to organize and execute action plans and set about getting a lot of things completed in the first 100 days.

Vision

One of my first tasks was to create and then share a vision for the CTS team. This process allowed me to educate the team on how we would work together to help generate wins for our operation. Robert Hargrove advises to seek out as many wins as possible in the first 100 days—it builds positive energy.

I went on a listening tour (virtual, phone, in-person) to speak with staff, colleagues, students, and faculty to understand the best way to partner with each of them. I learned a lot during these conversations (good and bad) and discovered who I needed to mend fences with. It was not important when the fences broke but it was my responsibility to get things moving in a positive direction.

The team conducted a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis to identify what we did well, our weak areas, improvement opportunities and organizational threats. This was an eye-opening experience for the team because they had never analyzed the operation at this level. I needed a full view of our operation to make the first 100 days productive.

We created action plans to mitigate weaknesses and threats (wins) because we could not grow without addressing these two areas. This process led to improved training, better communication, and improved team interactions. The SWOT analysis is a living document and will extend beyond the first 100 days but is a positive step.

We leveraged multiple teambuilding activities during the first 100 days to ensure our continued growth. We leveraged the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), created team values statements, enhanced professional development training, and got on The Energy Bus. Each initiative built on the previous one to help us all grow as team members.

This teambuilding process allowed us to create additional wins:

Produced a Career Ready Infographic
Created and produced a Resume Guide
Created and produced a Resume Rubric
Created and produced a Mock Interview Rubric
Created CTS branded PowerPoint template
Developed a CTS workshop library
Developed employer specific marketing

These are a few examples of our wins in the first 100 days—excited to add a few more wins as the team continues to grow together.

We continue to walk on the right path and progress is evident daily!

How do you measure your progress? What steps do you leverage to continue to move forward?

“Little things make a big difference”.

(Picturequotes.com)

Walking with a positive work environment

(Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay)

“Positive work environments outperform negative work environments”.

(Daniel Goleman)

What do you see as the benefits of a positive work environment? How do you contribute to ensure your work environment remains positive?

“Positive anything is better than negative nothing”.

(Elbert Hubbard)

The Energy Bus—team building program!

(Image by Marek Studzinski from Pixabay)

“Thoughts are magnetic. What you think you attract”.

(John Gordon)

Dictionary.com defines teambuilding as the action or process of causing a group of people to work together effectively as a team, especially by means of activities and events designed to increase motivation and promote cooperation.

I have always been a fan of conducting teambuilding activities throughout the years to keep teams focused and pulling in the same direction. I have been fortunate to create teambuilding platforms at UCF and FSU to enhance our team dynamics and set us up to accomplish our work goals. Teambuilding is a critical component to organizational success and is necessary to remind each team member how interconnected we are daily.

I have leveraged the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) at every stop I have made since I left the Air Force. I find the MBTI an excellent way to understand team members’ communication style and allows us to adjust to how individuals prefer to communicate internally and externally.

My MBTI is ISTJ (Introverted/Sensing/Thinking/Judging) and is displayed on my desk to remind my team of my preferred communication style. Each team member gets a desk placard highlighting their MBTI to help them communicate with others and serves as a reminder we all have different preferences and work styles. One is not better than the other, simply different.

I was introduced to Clifton Strengths while at UCF. I was charged with building a teambuilding program for Career Center staff and Clifton Strengths provided us with a platform to build on the strengths of everyone on the team. We reached out and hired a certified consultant to come in and work with us to learn how to maximize team strengths so we could grow the organization. This was an eye-opening teambuilding experience for the group and has remained an integral tool for me when working to build my respective team dynamics.

Ice breaker activities are another great way to bring teams together and enhance socialization. The ice breakers used do not have to be elaborate but should have an element of fun while the team learns more about each other. The platform should enhance communication and help the team find ways to discover new things about teammates.

My latest teambuilding adventure was introduced to me by one of my new team members. She found out I am a huge reader and shared a leadership book from her library with me. I had never heard of the book but was intrigued by the concept after she explained the premise of the book. The full title, The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel your Life, Work and Team is an international best seller and the author, Jon Gordon is sought by organizations to share his Energy Bus knowledge and help people continue to grow. I watched several of his talks on YouTube to get a better understanding of his concept to determine if this was something I could utilize. He has a ton of stuff on YouTube so recommend taking some time to explore his work to see how it can help you and your team move forward.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jon+gordon++

The book is an extremely easy read and reminds me of the classic, Who Moved My Cheese but in an actual work environment. I was impressed with how his concepts could be applied to my current work situation as I had to find new and inventive ways to conduct teambuilding while maintaining physical distancing due to COVID-19. Never imagined 6 months ago I would be able to implement teambuilding activities with team members in 8 different locations via virtual platforms. I chose the Energy Bus because the 10 rules identified are easy to follow and fit where I wanted to take the team. We must get creative with our work products now and needed them to understand we must pull in the same direction.

Leveraging the https://www.theenergybus.com/ site, I was able to send each team member a bus ticket to invite them onto my bus. It felt funny generating the ticket, but it seemed to excite people when they received the invitation. Most of the team reached out to ask if they needed to present their ticket at our scheduled teambuilding session. It was not required but a lot of them had their ticket ready just in case. 😊

10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life

You are the driver of the Bus
Desire, vision, and focus move your bus in the right direction
Fuel your ride with positive energy
Invite people on your bus and share your vision for the road ahead
Do not waste energy on those who do not get on your bus
Post a sign that says “No Energy Vampires Allowed” on your bus
Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride
Love your passengers
Drive with purpose
Have fun and enjoy the ride

We were able to go through the 10 Rules and discuss the impact each had on our new team adventures. I gave the team my view of the 10 Rules and how I planned to leverage each of them. We went around the virtual room and had each team member provide their feedback on each rule and how they would incorporate the rule daily. I was pleasantly surprised when one of my teammates asked if she could give a full rundown for ALL the rules. She did a fantastic job summarizing each rule and how it would be incorporated in her daily interactions. This set the tone for the rest of the teambuilding session and let me know we are heading in the right direction.

I am always looking for ways to get the team to the next level. Will continue to research teambuilding activities but highly recommend The Energy Bus if you are looking for ways to bring a team together.

What teambuilding activities does your organization use? How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your team’s ability to gel?

“Your positive energy and vision must be greater than anyone’s and everyone’s negativity. Your certainty must be greater than everyone’s doubt”.

(John Gordon)

Poetic Fridays

Poetry album

(Image by Lolame from Pixabay)

Why wax poetic?

Why wax poetic?

Waxing poetic allows me to find the flow

I need to make it through the day

This process provides the therapy, don’t you know?

You cannot get if you pay

Why the need you might say?

Thoughts, sounds, lights

Are all around

They color life for us all to see

The poetry provides my outline, the margins I need

To continue to color within the lines

Without the lines you have abstracts

And confusion

So, do you see?

Waxing poetic is just for me

“Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility”.

(William Wadsworth)

Always remember Rosewood, Florida

Justice

(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.

(Nelson Mandela)

Learn more about Rosewood, Florida here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/03/rosewood-florida-massacre-racial-violence-reparations

“The scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in the American society”.

(John Lewis)

Repost from August 20, 2020.

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