Dan Kimbrough - Educator

Creative.

As much as I want to destroy, create I must. Maybe we can make new, better memories.

"It's an artist's duty to reflect the times in which we live."

---Nina Simone

2025 was a year of lessons.

And as we learned from Malice this year, "...there's an L in every lesson."
(L = loss, if you didn't know).

There was a lot of loss.

Rights were lost. Families were lost. Dignity was lost. Pride was lost. Power was lost.

I lost money. I lost business. I lost friends. I lost family. I lost sight. I lost hope.

The lessons...

The lesson was that with a simple signature, you'll learn the difference between allies and all lies.

The lesson was to vet your circles. Friends, family, business, all of them. Have the hard conversations and believe people.

The lesson was that words apparently do matter. Watch carefully who changed which ones.

The lesson was that there are no safe zones, and we need to proceed accordingly.

The lesson was rest, because this isn't a sprint. It's a never-ending marathon. The notion that the end was ever in sight now feels as foolish as it sounds. I thought one day we'd live in some post-racial, gender, homophobic, ableist (you get it) society where respect for identity and space exist, and we see each other as whole humans, and that's the norm. We'd look back on the war and violence and lack of humanity we have today and wonder how we survived.

Then I drove to Selma, and I witnessed the burial of a civil rights foot soldier, a foot soldier who literally put her life on the line for many of the rights we're being stripped of today. In her lifetime... In my aunt's, mother's, and so many others' who already fought these battles in their lifetime.

I dreamed of a world where the battles and victories of the past were the pillars of a better society, a world where Stevie Wonder's "One Day at Christmas" actually came true.

2025 killed that dream/hope. A lot of what I lost in 2025, I'll find a way to recover, but not the hope, or at least that hope.

2025 left me tired, tired in a way I wish on no one. The weight of working toward an idyllic, read - perfect, society is heavy, and doing so when the foundation is being ripped from under you is insane.

So I'm not. That work, that work can be someone else's burden.
While in Selma, I also saw what it was like to bear witness to history and say we won't be forgotten. You won't sweep us under the rug. You don't get to forget what you've done. You won't forget that our story is your history, too.

I saw that while this fight is long and frankly may never end, there's more than one way to fight. That when you get tired, look around, and remember your why. That the work you put in today is what others will use to keep the fight going.

In the end, what I take from 2025 is the goal of this fight, if you choose to take it up, isn't to end injustice. The goal isn't to see equality reign supreme. It's not some post-identity society. And so the hope of that future, its death and loss, hurts less. Because why mourn what never was?

The real goal is and always was to be able to maintain the fight. To always stand up. To always speak out. To always show up. For each other, always. Because no matter how far we go, no matter how much progress we make. Even if we ever make it to that idyllic society... the goal is to simply hold the line. Remind us, constantly, of where we've been and what it took to get to where we are. Even if it isn't far. To always tell the truth of history and to protect what we've fought and lost so much for. We have to hold the line. We have to be able to hold the line. Because if we don't...

I'm sure there will be plenty of lessons and thus losses in 2026. But realizing that this is the fight, this is what we're called to do. Not winning the battle, but making sure we never stop fighting, makes it a little easier to swallow.

"To know how it ends
And still begin to sing it again
As if it might turn out this time..."
--Hadestown

Here's to 2026.
Be Better.

The lack of emotions I feel for this woman, her husband, or anyone who offers then any iota of anything.

Said what I said.

When I think of Christmas, this movie. In my household, and many Black ones, this is what a "Classic" Christmas movie was. Whenever I came home for holiday breaks, this was a must watch and the soundtrack was on repeat.

The Cast - Black Royalty.
The Soundtrack - A classic.

Dated, sure; overtly religious, yes; somewhat problematic messaging, yup; but most classics suffer that analysis.

That said, this is what Christmas felt like. I rewatch and listen to the soundtrack all season long. If you've never seen it, give it a go. I guarantee you'll have a few new favorite Whitney Houston favorites if nothing else.

The Preacher's Wife (1996) A desperate reverend prays to God for help, but instead gets a charismatic, awkward angel, who soon falls for the holy man’s lovely wife.

"The National Park Service is set to implement a controversial new policy that includes offering free admission to U.S. residents on President Donald Trump’s birthday, June 14, 2026, coinciding with Flag Day. However, this policy change also marks the removal of free admission for two significant civil rights holidays: Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth. This decision has generated widespread criticism and concern among civil rights advocates and lawmakers.

The new list of designated free admission days was announced by the National Park Service and will come into effect on January 1, 2026. In addition to Trump’s birthday, the free admission days will include Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Constitution Day, Veterans Day, Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday on October 27, and the anniversary of the creation of the Park Service on August 25."

For more like this and deeper analysis, join the conversation on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/c/systemic

National Park Service Eliminates Free Admission for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, Adds Trump’s Birthday - SSBCrack News The National Park Service is set to implement a controversial new policy that includes offering free admission to U.S. residents on President Donald Trump’s

"Parks was a 42-year-old seamstress and a respected NAACP secretary. Her character and standing made her an ideal symbol for the campaign. According to historical accounts from the Associated Press, local activists saw her case as a strong legal test.

The boycott was organized immediately after her arrest. It lasted for 381 days. The protest crippled the city’s bus system and drew national attention.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as a leader during this time. The boycott demonstrated the power of nonviolent, mass protest. It unified the Black community in Montgomery."

For more like this and deeper analysis, join the conversation on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/c/systemic

Rosa Parks Montgomery Bus Boycott: The Spark That Lit a Movement Rosa Parks Montgomery Bus Boycott began in 1955 after her arrest, sparking a 381-day protest that ended bus segregation and fueled the

"For decades, campaigners have rightly made the moral case for tackling health inequality. This report now adds an unignorable financial argument.

Professor John Appleby of the Observatory states that further research will reveal “not only the value of health losses to individuals, but the monetary losses to the NHS and the economy.”

The conclusion is clear: failing to address the health costs of racism places a significant economic burden on the healthcare system and hinders the nation’s broader economic growth.

Investing in equity is an investment in a more efficient, sustainable, and effective NHS."

For more like this and deeper analysis, join the conversation on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/c/systemic

The Hidden Cost: How Racism Drains the NHS and Harms Us All - KLTV We all rely on the National Health Service (NHS) in our times of need. It’s a beloved institution built on the principle of care for all.

For Insecure White Men, Everything Will Never Be Enough

"Even though White men make up about 29 percent of the population, many in positions of power seem to think that everyone needs to make everything everywhere about them. They make up almost 90 percent of the Fortune 500 CEOs, 76 percent of the millionaires, and own the six media companies that control 90 percent of the media outlets. Over 73 percent of White people own homes and have amassed over 85 percent of the nation’s wealth. And the list of disproportionate control and wealth goes on.

Despite their dominance in so many areas of our society it’s not enough for them. They want to take up even more space — both mental and physical. Benefit from all of the opportunities. Enjoy all of the attention. Because they clearly believe positions of power and influence belong to them only and everyone else who achieves anything of note got there due to special treatment versus talent. They seem to think that the role for everyone else is to serve, comfort or entertain them"

For Insecure White Men, Everything Will Never Be Enough - Rebellious Magazine One day, when insecure White men learn how to collaborate and not dominate, the Disunited States will become “one nation, under God."