Building a Substack Village
Why We Must Wake Up
Because of the thoughtful comments I received last week, I have decided to create a Substack Village. In this space, I will recommend other writers who have covered the week’s events, drawing attention to stories that demand our collective focus.
Many of you have enjoyed my posts about Lithuania and my book, Ona’s Tears. As I work on my second book, I find myself constantly struck by how today’s events mirror the history my characters lived through. History does repeat itself. As Americans, we must wake up to ensure we do not repeat the devastating mistakes of the past.
Ona’s Tears is based on the lives of my grandparents. My grandfather was a quiet man who passed away when I was only five. My grandmother, however, lived a life shadowed by fear. I remember feeling her spirit pass through me as a college freshman, moments before I received the call that she had died. She lived with paranoid delusions, petrified of being found by Tsar Nicholas’s Okhrana—the Russian secret police. To her, they were the equivalent of today’s ICE agents.
When she passed in 1968, the world didn’t even know the truth of the Romanov’s fate. She and my grandfather complied faithfully with the 1940 Alien Registration Act, yet they could never apply for citizenship because they were never taught to read English.
If she were alive in America today, she would be just as petrified. This is why I cannot remain indifferent to the death of Renee Nicole Good and the many immigrants suffering under the incompetence of figures like Kristi Noem—an appointee of Donald Trump, a man who seems to follow only his own morality. When will we finally wake up?
In my October 20, 2025 Substack I wrote:
When we remember how to listen and discuss we may find common ground against a true enemy. Maybe the enemy within all sides of any discussion is the ability to lie. Lying has not only lost its stigma — it’s become a viable strategy for success.
How many lies were told last week?
The day before Nicole Renee Good was killed I spent the day watching PBS hearing WATCH LIVE: House Democrats hold special Jan. 6th hearing on five-year anniversary
The beauty of YouTube is that you can watch on your schedule. Stop and start when you need a break. There was one jarring question from the audience, “why are there no Republicans present?” The answer was because they did not want to come.
Adam Kinzinger (January 6, 2026) His words helped me wake up. “We lose this fight for our country only if we get discouraged and we get exhausted…Our battle is to stay engaged through the exhaustion.”
Newsweek PUBLISHED an article you should read. Mike Johnson Gives Update On Jan 6 Plaque
We have work to do to save our democracy. Before an investigation began Trump posted on Truth Social “ … the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer” By now you have seen enough videos to know what happened to Jonathan Ross and what he said when he shot Renee Nicole Good.
The Village Writes
I encourage you to read these full Substack posts whose words I quote to echo my feelings.
Elizabeth Dana Yofee wrote:
We’re supposed to see Renee Nicole Good’s actions as punishable by death. We’re supposed to see non-compliance, mockery, pushing back or protesting inhumane actions as punishable by death. Because if we don’t…well, the threat is implicit.
Marisol Muñoz-Kiehne wrote:
Power-mongering... Peace-making Possible?
For this we can do…
witness, weep, work for we-world.
Stay… kind, linked, willing.
News, overwhelming.
May we be/act deliberate.
Protect our minds, hearts.
Sources, deceiving.
May we be/act discerning.
Defend what’s real, truth.
Volume, loud, heavy.
May we be/act determined.
Find quiet, share load.
In Conclusion
I want to end by sharing a note from yesterday’s sermon that resonated with me: We can create a village that overcomes indifference with justice. That path requires both character and courage.
Please join me in discussing this and how you responded to the events of last week. Let’s have a conversation.
This is my response to Stephanie Raffelock's post today "We are all Good." I recoment you read it.
How right you are, Stephanie. Nicole Renee Good should be remembered as a martyr for all of us. May she be the catalyst for action.
"Sexism is broader prejudice/discrimination based on gender roles and beliefs in male superiority, while misogyny is a deeper, specific hatred, contempt, or ingrained dislike of women, often manifesting as hostility toward women who challenge patriarchal norms."
May we remember the men who understand that sexism and misogony are signs of weak men who live as bullies. May we shame the bullies and stand up to them and remember they are flawed little boys who were not loved. We cannot remain silent. Turn grief into the anger needed to save "america."
Resistance to the murderous, criminal, GOP is our duty.