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Vol. 41 | Issue 11 | Dec. 23-29, 2020
Publisher - Chris Keating Associate Publisher - Jim Cohen
News & Views Feedback ............................... 6 News ...................................... 7 Informed Dissent ................ 10
EDITORIAL Editor in Chief - Lee DeVito Music and Listings Editor - Jerilyn Jordan Investigative Reporter - Steve Neavling Dining Contributor - Biba Adams Copy Boy - Dave Mesrey
ADVERTISING Associate Publisher - Jim Cohen Regional Sales Director Danielle Smith-Elliott Multimedia Account Executive Jessica Frey Account Manager, Classifieds - Josh Cohen
BUSINESS/OPERATIONS
Feature
Business Support Specialist - Josh Cohen Controller - Kristy Dotson
Consider Kwanzaa .............. 12
CREATIVE SERVICES Graphic Designers Haimanti Germain, Evan Sult
CIRCULATION Circulation Manager - Annie O’Brien
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Arts & Culture Big Sean ............................... 16 Savage Love ......................... 20 Horoscopes .......................... 22
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On the cover: Shutterstock
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NEWS & VIEWS Feedback Wow, a recent M e t r o T i m e s piece sure made waves — and it seemed like a long shot. In an
Within days, someone created a change.org petition urging Amazon to save the bandshell. WX YZ-TV’s 7 Action News picked up the story, and Amazon even issued a response, saying it’s considering preservation.
essay published last week on metrotimes.com,
“Amazon appreciates the sentimental and
David ifford, a transit blogger and musician,
historic value of the bandshell to the Detroit
argued that Amazon should preserve Detroit’s
community,” a spokesperson told the station. “We
decrepit bandshell on the former Michigan State
are working closely with the developer to assess
Fairgrounds. The City of Detroit recently sold the
every possibility to try to preserve the structure.”
land to the retail titan to create a $400 million distribution center expected to bring 1,200 jobs to the city. But the site’s bandshell, which has been in
Of course, we won’t hold our breath. Amazon isn’t exactly known for its goodwill. It is, however, the world’s largest corporation, and owner Jeff Bezos is the world’s wealthiest man,
disrepair since 2009, has hosted a slew of musical
worth a staggering 1
acts throughout eight decades — ranging from
do anything. Maybe the Ghosts of Concerts Past can
. billion.
e can afford to
everyone like swing bandleader Benny Goodman
convince him to save Detroit’s bandshell. It would
in the 1930s to Detroit hip-hop duo Insane Clown
be a Christmas miracle. —L
e e D e V ito
Posse in the ‘ 90s. Readers got nostalgic, and the piece went viral.
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Sound off letters metrotimes.com.
NEWS & VIEWS
Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon died after getting COVID-19.
STEVE NEAVLING
RIP, Benny Napoleon
Heartbroken’ community leaders mourn the loss of the Wayne County Sheriff, dead at 65 after getting COVID-19 B y S te v e N e a v lin g
Wayne County Sheriff
Benny apoleon died last Thursday after spending three weeks in an intensive care unit at enry ord ospital with a ID-1 infection. e was . Beloved, charismatic, and devoted to law enforcement and his community, apoleon was a popular figure in metro Detroit. A lifetime Democrat, civil rights advocate, and native Detroiter, apoleon handily won a third full term as sheriff in ovember. After graduating from ass Tech igh chool, where he was a star basketball player, apoleon received a bachelor’s degree from the niversity of Detroit ercy and a juris doctor from the Detroit ollege of aw. e joined the Detroit olice Department in 1 and served as police chief from 1 to 1. oon after his death, community leaders with heavy hearts spoke out
about apoleon. Detroit ity ouncil resident Brenda Jones, who attended ass Tech with apoleon, said the sheriff’s death marks a dark time in our city. Benny made our city better and we will miss him, Jones said in a statement. is smile sparked and led us through rough times. is calm demeanor reassures us that, no matter the problem, we would make it through. Benny inspired all those around him and leaves scores of colleagues that he taught, guided and mentored. ayor ike Duggan, who defeated apoleon in the 1 mayoral election, said he was shocked and saddened at the loss of one of our city’s greatest public servants and native sons. I cannot think of a leader in this town who has been more loved and admired than Benny, Duggan said. e was born in the city, served our community courageously his entire
adult life, and loved Detroit as much as anyone I’ve ever known. ayne ounty rosecutor ym orthy said, I cannot even begin to imagine a world without Benny in it. e was a beloved, iconic, and respected law-enforcement o cial. e was progressive and he was old-school. e was tough, and he had a heart of gold. But most of all, he was a genuine, caring, and loyal friend and colleague. I will miss him forever. ayne ounty xecutive arren vans said metro Detroit lost a pillar in our community. Benny and I were more than colleagues. e were close friends, vans said. Benny shared a love for ayne ounty — especially for the city of Detroit — and that love showed in his passion for making our lives better and our community safer and fairer. ov. retchen hitmer said she was heartbroken.
heriff apoleon’s love for the people he served was returned many times over, hitmer said. is uick laugh, eager partnership, and candid counsel is what I will miss most. e was a truly special person. t. ov. arlin ilchrist said apoleon was a model public servant who led by example and selfless service. All throughout the ID-1 pandemic, heriff apoleon stood tall on the front lines alongside members of his department to ensure that our community had what it needed to get through this crisis together, ilchrist said. e was a progressive ally and champion for changing the justice system to better serve society. And he offered himself as a mentor at every opportunity, so that young leaders, like myself, can be, believe in, and become our greatest selves. Benny’s loss hits hard in the soul of so many people in southeast ichigan who had a chance to connect with him over his decades of service, and his legacy leaves our lives better because of his presence. ichigan ecretary of tate Jocelyn Benson said she was deeply saddened, adding that Detroit lost yet another giant to the coronavirus. hile we mourn his passing, I’m grateful for his grace, kindness, and steadfast commitment to serving and protecting the citizens of ayne ounty and Detroit, Benson said. As his family, like far too many across the state and nation, grieve the passing of a dear loved one this season, we are again reminded of the importance of staying home, staying safe, and wearing a mask. Timothy aters, special agent in charge of the BI’s Detroit ield ffice, said apoleon was a great leader in the law-enforcement community and a true partner to the BI. e performed that service with courage, passion, and a real dedication to making ayne ounty safe for all of its residents, aters said. The loss of heriff apoleon will be deeply felt by those of us who had the privilege of working alongside him. ay he rest in peace. avora Barnes, chairwoman of the ichigan Democratic arty, said apoleon was a man of great faith who believed that to whom much is given, much is expected. At a time when we need it more than ever, we have lost a voice that could calm the storm, Barnes said. e was a man that always did the right thing in the face of adversity, the one we could count on to keep us safe, the public servant that always answered his phone, and a friend that would take your concerns and make
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NEWS & VIEWS them his own. He was always respectful, and I am heartbroken that we will no longer be graced with his amazing smile that could light up a room and bring confidence to uncertainty. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she, too, was “heartbroken. “I have long admired his work at the department and was honored to have an opportunity to partner with him as a colleague, essel said. Benny was beloved by so many in the Wayne County community and around the state. We enjoyed a close relationship since the time I took o ce, including working feverishly together last spring to bring much-needed PPE to his department to protect his deputies, who he cared so deeply for. I could always count on Benny for his support, his input and his cooperation. He was a wonderful man, and his passing is a loss not only for his family but also for his many friends and co-workers. Benny had so much life yet to live our community has once again lost someone larger than life to this vicious pandemic. Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow said, I’m very sad to hear that heriff Benny apoleon has died of VID-19. He was an incredible man who loved Detroit and everyone he served in Wayne County. I’m thinking tonight of his family and his many friends and sending my love. At times, Napoleon was controversial. He was featured in a M e t r o T i m e s cover story in August for his use of campaign funds. In the past six years, Napoleon spent hundreds of thousands of dollars from his campaign account on upscale restaurants, flights, hotel stays, golf outings, taxis, home decor, sporting and concert tickets, and even a massage parlor in Sacramento, California, and a strip club in Chicago. The coronavirus swept through the ayne ounty heriff’s ce earlier this year, claiming the lives of Cmdr. Donafay Collins and two deputies. Nearly 100 county inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus. Public viewing is scheduled for 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Dec. 28 at Swanson uneral ome at . rand Blvd., Detroit. A second public viewing is set for 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Dec. 29 at Greater Grace Temple at 23500 W. Seven Mile Rd., Detroit. Masks and social distancing are required. The private funeral service will be livestreamed on the Swanson Funeral Home website.
Marathon’s oil refinery in Southwest Detroit.
STEVE NEAVLING
Marathon refinery offers to buy $5M worth of homes in southwest Detroit to create buffer B y S te v e N e a v lin g
For decades, residents in a predominantly Black neighborhood bordering Marathon Petroleum’s oil refinery in southwest Detroit have complained of high levels of air pollution and numerous health problems. ow residents may finally have a way out. Marathon Petroleum Corp. last Thursday announced it’s offering to spend up to $5 million buying homes in the Boynton neighborhood in 48217, the most polluted ZIP code in the state, to create a buffer between the refinery and residential areas closest to I-75. The company is also working with the Detroit and Bank Authority to buy or lease 38 abandoned homes and about 140 vacant lots, with plans to demolish the houses and maintain the vacant land. “We take great pride in being a part of Southwest Detroit, and we are committed to continuing our partnership with the community to improve the uality of life here, Dave eaver, general manager of the refinery, said in a statement. “We are happy to make this property purchase option available to accommodate those who would like to participate in the program. ur intent is to work with residents in the target
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area to secure property and create green space at the north end of the neighborhood. Marathon has contracted with Community Interaction Consulting (CIC), a real-estate services company, to administer the property purchase program. I plans to open an o ce in the neighborhood in January to help residents in the purchase process. In 1 , arathon offered abovemarket prices to buy homes in the mostly white neighborhood of akwood eights in northern 4 1 to make way for an expansion of its refinery. But the same offer wasn’t extended to Boynton. Residents protested in 2017, holding signs that read, Buy more homes. But arathon didn’t budge. In a cover story in January, M e t r o T i m e s explored the pitfalls of living in 48217, which is inundated with a toxic stew of chemicals wafting from steel mills, coal-fired power plants, gas flares, billowing smokestacks, towering piles of coal and petroleum coke, a salt mine, wastewater treatment plant, and Marathon, one of the nation’s largest oil refineries. A nauseating stench that smells like rotten eggs, burnt plastic, and gasoline permeates
the air. Heavy-duty trucks spewing harmful emissions rumble to and from factories all day and night, often carrying toxic chemicals and debris. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers the area a non-attainment zone because of dangerous levels of sulfur dioxide — a known contributor to asthma — and ozone that exceeds what’s permitted under the Clean Air Act. Toxic chemicals such as benzene, hydrogen cyanide, and chromium also permeate the air and can be deadly. Hydrogen cyanide, a byproduct of processing crude oil, was used in concentrated forms by the Nazis to kill prisoners in death camps. Even low levels of hydrogen cyanide can cause headaches, nausea, breathing trouble, and chest pain. Marathon has a history of noncompliance and excessive emissions. The refinery failed three A inspections since 2016 and received nine environmental violations from the state in 2018. In 2019, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) issued at least nine violations to Marathon for noxious odors and exceeding legal limits on toxic emissions.
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NEWS & VIEWS Informed Dissent
The Worst People of 2020 (Who Aren’t Trumps): Part 2 By Jeffrey C. Billman
Welcome to Part 2 of the Worst People of the Worst Year Ever (who aren’t named Trump). In part 1, we lifted our leg on the seditionists who undermined democracy and the authoritarians who made a mockery of the constitution. To cap off our rogues gallery, this installment raises a glass (of antifreeze) to the criminally negligent COVID deniers and a potpourri of shitheads we’d just as soon drop off the face of the earth.
Group 3. Deniers
DR. SCOTT ATLAS. Few people provided pseudo-scientific cover for Donald Trump’s sociopathic indifference to the pandemic like Atlas, a radiologist who fell into Trump’s orbit via (what else) appearances on Fox News and eventually became his special COVID adviser by telling Trump what he wanted to hear — herd immunity, open everything, masks don’t work, etc. Atlas had no training in infectious diseases or public health, yet the White House took his quackery seriously. We’ll never know how many people died because of it. FLORIDA GOV. RON DESANTIS. Nowhere has DeSantis’s leg-humping obsequiousness toward Trump been more apparent than with the coronavirus, which has killed more than 20,000 of his state’s residents. Following Trump’s lead, DeSantis dismissed the virus’s dangers. His health department stopped talking about it. He forbade local governments from enforcing mask mandates and capacity restrictions. He reopened businesses in early May and boasted of how he’d tamed the pandemic without “draconian orders.” (Two months later, Florida was the virus’s global epicenter.) His minions (allegedly) fired an analyst who refused to manipulate COVID numbers, then the state cops raided her house. He hired an Ohio sports blogger and COVID conspiracy theorist as a data analyst. He blocked newspapers and academics from accessing records and hid federal warnings ahead of Thanksgiving. And I’d be remiss not to mention that De-
Santis wants to give the state’s George Zimmermans license to kill anyone they think might vandalize a business. What could go wrong? PANDEMIC RESTAURANT DINERS. Sure, you’re fine — you sit outside, respect the waitstaff, tip well, and mask up. But you’re in the minority. A recent survey of hospitality workers in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., not only showed that food-service workers are at greater risk of COVID exposure, but 41% noticed a significant change “in the frequency of unwanted sexualized comments from customers,” and 25% said they “have experienced or witnessed” increased sexual harassment. Adding insult to injury, 83% said they’ve seen their tips decline, and 66% said they’ve seen their tips decline by at least half. Folks, this isn’t hard: If you can’t dine out in-person without being a cheapskate superspreader dick, get takeout. THE REOPEN ASSHOLES. For a brief moment this spring, we all seemed to understand that this new, unknown virus demanded a serious response despite the economic hardship. The consensus lasted about a month. By late April, the same rich assholes who ginned up the Tea Party were fomenting the ReOpen movement, an astroturf rebellion egged on by the president that aimed to turn a public health crisis into a political opportunity by charging swing-state Democratic governors with tyranny. In North Carolina, some ReOpeners marched through downtown Raleigh with rifles, then went to Subway. In Michigan, heavily armed protesters stormed the Capitol menacing lawmakers. Later, militia members plotted to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (Honorable mention: Though they cleared the low bar of not facilitating Trump’s coup, Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Hatfield refused to ban weapons in the Capitol, with Shirkey calling it “cowardly” to not want to be shot while doing your job. And
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The ReOpen Assholes.
hours after the kidnapping plot against Whitmer came to light, Shirkey and Hatfield appeared at an anti-Whitmer rally.)
Group 4. Shitheads
JEFF BEZOS. More than 20 million Americans are on unemployment assistance, and an eviction crisis looms. But in the first seven months of this national emergency, the net worth of America’s 614 billionaires grew by $931 billion, and none more than Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who added more than $90 billion to his fortune, nearly doubling his wealth. (The U.S. government spends $68 billion a year on food stamps.) At the same time, he hired Pinkerton spies to prevent his low-wage warehouse workers from organizing. Just because Trump hates him doesn’t mean he’s a good guy. (Honorable mention: Elon Musk, whose net worth jumped 277% during the pandemic, responded to California’s COVID restrictions by moving to Texas. Mark Zuckerberg’s wealth nearly doubled while his website facilitated right-wing disinformation. And the rich, who should be eaten.) U.S. SEN. RICHARD BURR. Being chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee means you know things before everyone else — and if you’re North Carolina’s Richard Burr, a chance to profit from other people’s misery. On Feb. 13, with his committee receiving top-secret coronavirus
STEVE NEAVLING
briefings — and just a few days after Burr co-authored an op-ed assuring Americans that the government had everything under control — Burr dumped up to $1.7 million in stock holdings, most of his net worth; that same day, his brother-in-law unloaded up to $280,000 in stocks. A week later, the market crashed. Burr is now under federal investigation. (Honorable mention: No list would be complete without Mitch McConnell, who broke his own made-up rule to ram through the Supreme Court confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett without blinking at the blinding hypocrisy.) PAULA WHITE. It’s only fitting that Donald Trump’s “spiritual adviser” is a private-jet-setting, prosperitypreaching charlatan who loves the Lord almost as much as the donation plate. Paula White earned her place on this list the day after the election when, in a live-streamed service at her Florida church, she babbled incoherently — sorry, “spoke in tongues” — while calling on “angelic reinforcements” to ensure Trump’s “victory.” “I hear a sound of victory,” she said. “The Lord says it is done. For angels have even been dispatched from Africa right now. ... In the name of Jesus from South America, they’re coming here.” Guess they got lost. Get more Informed Dissent delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today at billman.substack.com.
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FEATURE
Consider Kwanzaa We could all learn from Kwanzaa’s seven principles — especially this year By Lee DeVito
In downtown Detroit, you’ll find a 60-foot-tall
Christmas tree and a 26-foot-tall Hanukkah menorah towering over Campus Martius Park. But in the nation’s largest Black-majority city, there is no large kinara to celebrate Kwanzaa.
This year, however, the city is partnering with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, where you’ll find a more traditional and modest Kwanzaa display. In fact, its kinara belongs to Yolanda Jack, the museum’s educator and youth programs coordinator, who loaned it for this year’s celebration. “Habari gani,” Jack greets passersby as she leads us to the display. “That’s a common phrase we hear in Swahili,” she explains. “It’s kind of like, ‘what’s up?’ — it means ‘what’s the news?’” During the seven days of Kwanzaa, she says, which are from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, the appropriate response would be the corresponding principle being celebrated that day, of the seven Nguzo Saba. Since the celebration hasn’t started yet, Jack says the appropriate response is simply “Kwanzaa.” Jack’s kinara sits on top of a table on the stage of the museum’s General Motors Theater. Like many Kwanzaa
displays, it’s set up among other items arranged on a mat, which is symbolic of African tradition and history. There are fruits and vegetables, symbolic of the rewards of collective labor, and corn, symbolic of the future. There’s a bendera flag, and books about African art and culture. There’s also the Kikombe cha Umoja, a cup for offering thanks to the ancestors. And of course, there’s the kinara, which holds seven candles in the pan-African colors of red, green, and black. The candles symbolize the seven principles of Kwanzaa: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and
responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith). On the sixth day, the final day of the calendar year, is a feast, Karamu Ya Imani. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Wright can’t host a big Kwanzaa celebration like it normally would. However, this year, the celebration could be poised to reach a wider audience — and as advocates like Jack believe, perhaps it should. Even though Kwanzaa isn’t a religious holiday, Jack spreads the word about it with all the enthusiasm of an evangelist. “I want the energy and the excitement and enthusiasm about Kwanzaa to infect everybody,” she says. “Because I believe that everybody can benefit from it.” Video cameras are pointed at the display; as part of the partnership with the City of Detroit, the museum has been pre-taping short Schoolhouse Rock-style educational segments about Kwanzaa and the seven principles that will air on the city’s Channel 22 during each morning of the festival. In the evening, the programming will continue
with a celebration, including songs, dances, storytelling, poetry reading, and more. Kwanzaa is still a relatively young holiday, created in 1966 in the aftermath of the deadly Watts uprising in Los Angeles by Dr. Maulana Karenga, an activist and professor of Africana studies. Jack explains that Kwanzaa was always envisioned to have a broad appeal — Karenga used Swahili because it’s the most popular language in Africa, and gleaned the seven principles from across different African cultures. “In his studies and his work, he realized that there were certain aspects of behaviors and philosophies and values that kind of transcended ethnicity across the continent of Africa,” Jack says, “which have then been transplanted here as a result of enslavement of Africans in the United States.” Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruits,” since it was inspired by the first fruits festivals that exist in Southern Africa in December and January, including the Zulu festival Umkhosi Wokweshwama. (Karenga added an extra “a” to get “Kwanzaa,” so there
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would be seven letters to correspond with the seven principles.) The first Kwanzaa was celebrated in California, and soon spread throughout the diaspora in the U.S. and beyond. At first, Karenga envisioned Kwanzaa as an alternative to Christmas, to “give Blacks an alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society,” he said. He later walked it back so people could celebrate both holidays if they wanted to. “Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, but a cultural one with an inherent spiritual quality,” he wrote on the o cial Kwanzaa website. “Thus, Africans of all faiths can and do celebrate Kwanzaa, i.e. Muslims, Christians, Black Hebrews, Jews, Buddhists, Baha’i and Hindus, as well as those who follow the ancient traditions of Maat, Yoruba, Ashanti, Dogon, etc.” Kwanzaa’s popularity seems to have peaked in the 1980s and ’90s, and experts say it’s been declining since then. A 2012 poll from Public Policy Polling found that just 4% of Americans primarily celebrate Kwanzaa — slightly more than the 3% who primarily celebrate Hanukkah, but also the 3% who say they primarily celebrate Festivus, the holiday popularized by Frank Costanza on Seinfeld. That’s all dwarfed by the 90% of respondents who said they primarily celebrate Christmas. Karenga also has a controversial history that could have turned some off from the holiday. In 19 1, he was convicted of felony charges following
The Seven Principles of
KWANZAA UMOJA
NIA
(Unity)
(Purpose)
To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
KUJICHAGULIA (Self-Determination) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.
UJIMA (Collective Work and Responsibility) To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems and to solve them together.
KUUMBA (Creativity) To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
IMANI (Faith)
(Cooperative Economics)
To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
Source: officialkwanzaawebsite.org
UJAMAA
allegations that he and three other members of the US Organization, the Black nationalist group based in Los Angeles that he co-founded, imprisoned and tortured two women. Karenga has denied the allegations, and argued that he was imprisoned for political purposes. He was released on parole in 19 , earned a doctorate, and became a teacher.
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Despite Karenga’s controversial past, the seven principles have proved resilient. Perhaps 2020 — with the forced introspection due to the pandemic, and the Black Lives Matter movement becoming more embraced by the mainstream — is the year for more people to celebrate Kwanzaa. “It’s a cultural celebration that, while it originated with one culture
and it’s embraced by that culture, is something that can be embraced by everyone,” says Rochelle Riley, the City of Detroit’s director of arts and culture. “You’re talking about unity, self-determination, work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith — I mean, that makes up literally all of the reasons to live.” According to Riley, there have been Kwanzaa celebrations held at City Hall in the past. But the partnership with the Wright, she says, is a way to help celebrate and elevate all of the city’s cultures. The city also aired the Christmas tree lighting and Menorah in the D on its public channel. As to why Detroit didn’t previously have a large public Kwanzaa celebration the way it celebrates Christmas and Hanukkah, Riley cannot say. She surmises it could simply be due to the fact that for many years, culture frankly wasn’t a priority for the city government as it fended off numerous crises — including its 2013 bankruptcy filing, in which the state-appointed emergency manager even considered selling off some of the Detroit Institute of Arts’ collection. It could also be a simple matter of no corporate donors previously stepping up to make it happen. For the past 1 years, Detroit’s Christmas tree has been funded by the nonprofit Downtown Detroit Partnership, with the major funding coming from the DTE Foundation. (A spokesman for the DDP would not disclose how much Detroit’s Christmas tree costs.) A Christmas tree at Campus Martius Park has been tradition since the park’s grand opening in 2004, where it towers over an ice-skating rink modeled after the one at the Rockefeller Center in New York City; before that, Detroit celebrated with a much smaller tree in nearby Hart Plaza. In some form or another, the city has celebrated Christmas with a public-square tree since 1912, a DDP spokesman says. Meanwhile, Menorah in the D celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, with a long list of corporate and foundation sponsors. (A spokesman also declined to say how much Menorah in the D costs.) Riley says it could also be the simple fact that Detroit has been without a director of arts and culture for many years — which can be hard to believe considering that for many years now, Detroit’s top export has arguably been culture, not cars. Riley was appointed by Mayor Mike Duggan in May 2019 to lead the revived o ce after she took a buyout following a nearly 20-year-stint as a columnist for the Detroit Free Press. She says Duggan pretty much hired her on the spot when she announced her
retirement from journalism; reviving the position was something he long intended to do, she recalls him saying, but he just hadn’t yet found the right person to lead it. Once at the helm, it didn’t take much to convince Riley to help coordinate some sort of Kwanzaa celebration. “Somebody said, ‘Are we going to celebrate Kwanzaa?’ And I said yes,” she says. “Because if someone asks then that means it’s something that people want.” Riley says even though Detroit is facing new crises this year with the pandemic and its economic fallout, she believes her o ce is a way to use culture to help the city. When Duggan asked her to organize a memorial for the Detroiters lost to COVID-19 in May, Riley arranged a socially distanced motorcade on Belle Isle, where cars drove by large photos of the deceased, creating a powerful visual of the human toll of the virus but also a celebration of the lives of those who were lost. A televised, citywide Kwanzaa celebration could similarly help Detroiters heal, she says. “In this particular year, and this particular time, and with this particular horror that we’re living in, this was just a great way to celebrate these principles that mean the same thing to everyone — no matter what language, no matter what color, no matter what person,” she says. As far as why Kwanzaa isn’t more widely celebrated generally, it could be that unlike Christmas, Kwanzaa is inherently more introspective — so perhaps it’s harder for capitalism to subsume it the way it has nearly every other holiday. “Christmas is fun,” Jack says. “Christmas is easy. You just go shopping and open your presents and you’re done.” Plus, as Jack explains, celebrating Kwanzaa is actually hard work. Jack says she leaves her kinara up in her house all year long — to remind her and her children of the seven principles, and the daily work needed to cultivate them. Gifts are given during Kwanzaa, but “the gifts are a little bit more meaningful,” Jack says. “Often they’re handmade, or books, or they’re representative of the parents’ labor and love and care for the children.” The gifts can be a reward based on a commitment that the child made — like learning a new skill, or maybe something as simple as a promise to make their bed each morning. Jack says she only lights her kinara’s candles during Kwanzaa, and says she also celebrates Christmas with a tree, because she “likes the lights.” She didn’t celebrate Kwanzaa growing up. In fact, Jack says she had never really heard about it until she was about 12, when she was invited to a Kwanzaa party thrown by a family friend.
“Black people have a history that goes back millennia, but the historians didn’t tell us that. [I want children] to feel the beauty and the power of how our ancestors have gotten to this day. ... All of these things that our ancestors have done, that work, we are the recipients of that — the good, the bad, and everything.” “I remember that we all stood around the table and we spoke about what we were grateful for,” she says. “I remember we talked about what plans we have for the new year, we talked about these kinds of things that help ground a community or help ground a family together.” It wasn’t until she was an adult and moved into her own place that she officially adopted Kwanzaa into her life. “I had no idea what I was doing,” Jack admits. “I mean, I had a kinara, but I didn’t have a mat. I had seven candles. I had no harvest, no crops. I was poor and fresh out of school.” Jack says when Dr. Karenga visited the Charles H. Wright Museum in 2016 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Kwanzaa, she asked him what the first celebration was like. “He was like, ‘Man, we didn’t even have red, black, and
green candles — we just had candles,’” she remembers. The idea to make the candles different colors didn’t come until later, nor did the idea to have a feast, which didn’t come until 1971. The holiday is still evolving and growing. “African people are flexible, and creative, and inventive,” she says. “If you don’t have this thing right here like that, maybe we substitute it for this.” Jack hopes the holiday will remain a part of the culture of the diaspora to help reflect upon its struggles and accomplishments. “Black people have a history that goes back millennia, but the historians didn’t tell us that,” she says. “When my children were younger, I wanted them to feel the beauty and the power of how our ancestors have gotten to this day. ... All of these things that our ances-
tors have done, that work, we are the recipients of that — the good, the bad, and everything.” She gestures toward the kinara. “We’ve got something to work with, and now we have an opportunity to forward it to other generations — my children, and their children,” she says. “There are generations that I’m never going to meet, but they’re going to do the same thing that I’m doing here.” Jack says she welcomes non-Black people to join the celebration. “It’s not just ‘Black Christmas,’” she says. “Is it for Black people? Yes, absolutely. It was founded by a Black man in the middle of the Black civil rights movement.” However, she adds, “I don’t think that’s how the holiday was intended to be. If you are human, you are African. … It is for people who self-identify as African first. But if you understand your Africanness, or your adjacence to Africanness, then you should absolutely grab onto these Nguzo Saba and move forward.” No matter who chooses to celebrate, Jack says it’s important that they work on and reflect upon the principles yearround, not just during the seven days of Kwanzaa. But the reward, she says, is worth it. “I know they’ve saved my life,” she says of the principles. “I know they have. I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for the understanding of how I live my life through Kwanzaa.” Kwanzaa is celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. You can learn more at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, 315 E. Warren Ave., Detroit; 313494-5800; thewright.org.
metrotimes.com | December 23-29, 2020
15
MUSIC
Big Sean.
COURTESY PHOTO
Doing GOOD
Big Sean mentored an aspiring rapper and found a new purpose in himself B y B ib a A d a m s
Big Sean may be one of the most likable rappers in the world. He’s definitely beloved in his native Detroit. The Cass Tech graduate, along with his mother, yra Anderson, has been regularly giving back to Detroit in one form or another since the early days of his career. Whether through a partnership with Adidas that installed a studio in his alma mater, or the ean Anderson Foundation, which makes gifts throughout the city all year long, the D usic rapper enjoys doing good for others. I’m into giving back and doing it properly, doing it the right way, he said during a roundtable discussion with reporters earlier this week. Doing it in a way that it makes a difference — not just that it look good. e got to make a real difference and change some people’s lives and give them opportunities to go and do better and go further. hen he was approached to join cDonald’s for their Black ositively olden mentors program, he was impressed by the sincerity of the
multinational conglomerate. “I saw how much they wanted to be a part of changing someone’s life and changing other people’s lives ... they wanted to be so involved and uplifting the Black community, I just respected it, he said. Because a lot of big corporations are always like that, they usually like to do things very surface-level, the bare minimum, but I literally got the opposite. o I’m truly — for real, for real excited — and happy to be a part of it. cDonald’s introduced ean to his mentee, yla ewis — a ichigan native who wants to pursue a music career. During their mentoring session, the rammy-nominated rapper shared advice on navigating the music industry. yla was also surprised with a computer decked out with professional music-editing software, and was gifted another mentor session with Roc Nation’s digital, marketing, and artist management representatives, courtesy of Big ean, cDonald’s, and its franchisees.
16 December 23-29, 2020 | metrotimes.com
ewis said the experience has encouraged her and put her closer to a dream she’s had since elementary school. During the roundtable event, Big Sean talked about how being a part of the mentor program was significant for him, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. The message I would like to leave is that, in a year like we had, where we lost so much, not only do we lose family members, people we love, heroes, icons, too soon. We also lost a lot of our freedom to travel the world or to be able to maneuver, and some of us lost jobs, some of us lost careers, some of us lost our whole lives, he said. And when I say lives,’ I mean, you know, their whole life’s work. When you go through these moments, and you realize that, , where in a time like this, you got to wonder, like, is this a cocoon and we ready to come out of it and be bigger, brighter and brighter, and an elevated version of ourselves We got to understand that. When things like this happen for a reason, what is the
reason, and maybe the reason is to go explore the inner space a little bit, to see the things that you always wanted to do, like, to do them. Sean encouraged people to take what remains of this time to make changes in themselves for the better. The changes you wanted to make in your life, the habits you wanted to set, the habits you wanted to break, like, maybe this is your time to do that, he said. And we’ll never have a time like this again, probably, I don’t think so. I think once this is over, this will go down in history, and we’ll look back on it, you know, 4 , years from now, and our kids and grandkids … kids will have to be writing reports about it. e added, I think that stay strong, take care of yourself, get yourself right. And that’s what I would just say to anyone listening) you know, be you, be strong, and get your life together, man. uit playing around and get your life right. Big ean released his latest record, D e t r o i t 2 , earlier this year.
metrotimes.com | December 23-29, 2020
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18 December 23-29, 2020 | metrotimes.com
metrotimes.com | December 23-29, 2020
19
Savage Love
CULTURE We hosted our second Savage Love
Livestream last week, and it was a blast. I ran my mouth as fast as I could but couldn’t answer every question that came in — there were hundreds of you and only one of me — so I’m going to power through as many leftover questions as I can in this week’s column. …
Q:
I re m e m b e r th e d a y c o m e t o y o u r s h o w in p e r It s e e m s lik e y e a r s a g o n o m a in ta in y o u r s a n it y u n t g o to c o n c e rts , th e a te r, m d in n e r w ith fr ie n d s a g a in g o o d h u m a n b u t so stru g u p b e a t s e lf.
I w a s a so n . W w . H o w il w e a r u se u m ? I s t r iv g le t o s
b le t o h a t a jo y ! d o y o u e a b le t o s, a n d e to b e a ta y m y
A : I find it helps to remember that
concerts, theater, museums, dinners with friends, holidays with family, club nights, fetish parties, etc., are coming back — sadly, the same can’t be said for the people, jobs, and homes so many have lost. Helping others when and where you can is an excellent way to maintain your sanity, I’ve found, and your question prompted me to make another donation to Northwest Harvest, a wonderful organization that supports hundreds of food banks in my corner of the country, so thank you for that.
Q: H
o w w o u ld y o (s t i l l ! ) r e l a t i v e s l i v i n d e m ic ? M y m o th e r w ith n e w b o r n b a b y u p T r u m p is t ta lk in g T ru m p p e rm e a te s m th e p a n d e m ic , e tc .
u d e a l w ith T r u m p is t g w ith y o u d u r in g p a n in -la w is h e r e h e lp in g c a r e , a n d s h e b r in g s p o in t s c o n s ta n t ly a n d o s t o t h e r t o p ic s , lik e
A : If I didn’t need the childcare, I
would toss her ass out. If I needed the childcare but not so desperately that I couldn’t risk losing it, I would tell my mother-in-law to STFU or GTFO — and if my MIL complained or tried to play the victim after I told her off, I would print every photo I could find online of a Trump supporter in a “FUCK YOUR FEELINGS” T-shirt after the 2016 election and wallpaper the guest bedroom with them. But if I desperately needed the childcare and couldn’t risk losing it, I would smile and nod and keep my supply of edibles fully stocked.
Q: I
a s t im a lm C a
n e e d so m e o n e to i g n t h a t I s e e m y e x ’s e s a d a y, e v e ry d a y. H o st th re e y e a rs a g o a n y o u d o th a t fo r m e ?
t e l l m e t h a t i t i s n ’t n a m e a t le a s t fo u r e d u m p e d m e n d i t ’s r i d i c u l o u s .
A : If you see his name multiple times
a day, well, that’s most likely a sign your ex has an extremely common first name.
And if you attach meaning to those sightings, that’s a sign you’re human. We have a tendency to see patterns where none exist and to read meaning into random events. If your ex has a really uncommon name and you see it everywhere, well, that’s most likely a sign that your ex is fucking with you.
Q:
M y p a r t n e r is a lo v in g , s w e e t h u m a n , b u t h e h a s a s e r io u s p r e fe r e n c e fo r w o m e n in r a t h e r s m a ll b o d ie s , a n d I a m … w e ll, I a m n o t s m a ll. I w a n t h im t o h a v e w h a t h e w a n ts a n d w e a re n o n -m o n o g a m o u s, b u t i t ’s h a r d t o s h a k e t h e f e e l i n g t h a t I a m n o t — a n d c a n n e v e r b e — e n o u g h fo r h im . H e is u n a b le t o s a y t h a t h e ’ll d e s ir e m e n o m a t t e r m y s iz e . T h is is p a in f u l. I k n o w h e ’ll lo v e m e n o m a t te r w h a t , b u t I a ls o w a n t to feel desired. I’m finding it hard to find a m id d le g r o u n d w h e r e w e b o t h g e t w h a t w e n e e d . A n y a d v ic e t o b r id g e th e g a p ?
A : That your boyfriend couldn’t bring
himself to tell you what you wanted to hear … that he couldn’t tell you what he hoped would be true (that he would always desire you) even if he suspected it might not always be true (a day might come when he no longer desires you) … that all makes me wonder whether your boyfriend has the emotional intelligence that you — that anyone — would want in a partner. And while it’s no consolation, I realize, many couples struggle to sustain desire over time, as any regular reader of an advice column knows. Boredom is more often to blame than aging or changing bodies, I believe, but there’s no way to guarantee that the person we’re with now will always desire you the same way they do now — or that you will always desire them the same way. That said, the single best way to get over feeling like you’re not enough for someone is to accept that you aren’t. Trying to be everything to someone is not only exhausting, it’s always futile.
Q:
I ju s t w a n t e d t o s a y t h a n k y o u . I c a lle d in t o y o u r p o d c a s t a c o u p le y e a r s a g o b e c a u s e I ’m a s p a n k i n g f e t i s h i s t , a n d a m a r r ie d p a s t o r fo u n d m e o n F e t L ife a n d lie d t o m e a n d m a n ip u la te d m e ! I d id w h a t y o u s a i d a n d r e p o r t e d h i m , a n d h e d o e s n ’t w o rk a t th a t c h u rc h a n y m o re . I w a n te d to l e t y o u k n o w t h a t I ’m l i v i n g m y d r e a m l i f e in L .A . w it h a s p a n k o g u y I m e t a t a fe t is h g a th e r in g . H e h a s b e e n th e b e s t q u a r a n t in e a p e r s o n c o u ld a s k fo r !
A : Thanks for the update and congrats! Q: A
t s o m e p o in t , d u r in g o r a fte r, s h o u l d y o u t e l l (a n d h o w ) y o u r s e x p a r t n e r th a t h e h a s w a r t s in h is b u tt ?
20 December 23-29, 2020 | metrotimes.com
B y D a n S a v a g e
A : I’d go with “before” but if you didn’t A : I love Bloomington, Indiana, too notice them before you got started and couldn’t bring yourself to say something during, definitely say something after. If he reacts badly when you tell him something he needs to know about his health, well, then you’ve learned something important about him. Important and disqualifying.
much to write the whole state off — and I’ll take James Corden in The Prom over former Indiana governor Mike Pence in the White House. (For the record: I didn’t find orden’s performance any more offensive than Eric Stonestreet’s Cameron on M o d e r n F a m i l y … which I’ve never found offensive at all.)
Q:
A: I
M y h u s b a n d h a s a b ig d ic k a n d wants to try butt stuff. I’ve had anal in th e p a s t w ith o th e r p a r t n e r s w ith s m a lle r p e n i s e s . H o n e s t l y , I ’m a l i t t l e s c a r e d , s o I ’m n o t i n a r u s h h e r e b u t w a n t t o p l e a s e m y m a n e v e n t u a lly . H o w d o w e g o a b o u t p r im in g m y h o le ? T h a n k s !
A : Tongues, toys, lots of lube, and the
first time you get that monster in you, that’s all you’re going to do — get it in. He gets hard and lays back and you take charge of the pace and depth of penetration. And then it’s not about him fucking you, it’s about him staying still and you relaxing and breathing until that thing feels good in there. Even then, he doesn’t get to fuck you. Instead, you masturbate the first few times his dick is in there — you get to come, not him. Having a few orgasms with his cock in you — or having a dozen — will create the kind of pleasurable association that leaves your hole craving his cock. Then you fuck.
Q:
M y o ld e r b r o th e r is a 3 8 -y e a r -o ld s t r a ig h t m a le in N Y . W h e n C O V ID h it , his fianc e’s tendency to believe in cons p ir a c y th e o r ie s b e c a m e m o r e a p p a r e n t , a n d th e ir r e la t io n s h ip q u ic k ly d e c l i n e d . H e ’s a p r o g r e s s i v e , l i b e r a l - m i n d e d , d e e p l y m o r a l p e r s o n , a n d s h e ’s f r o m a fa m ily o f r ig h t-w in g , g u n -c o lle c t in g S c ie n t o lo g is t s . R e c e n t ly , th e y s e p a r a te d t o c o lle c t th e ir th o u g h t s . U lt im a te ly , t h e y a g r e e d t o s e p a r a t e . I t ’s n o w b e e n t w o w e e k s . T h e y s t ill liv e t o g e th e r a n d a re c o n fu s e d a b o u t w h a t to d o n e x t. M y q u e s t io n is , w h a t a d v ic e d o y o u g iv e to s o m e o n e w h o k n o w s w h a t th e y n e e d to d o b u t is t o o p a r a ly z e d t o d o it ?
A : Don’t give your brother advice; give him time. It’s only been two weeks! And you don’t need to give him advice if he starts to waver — you don’t need to tell him what to do — you just need to give him a pep talk. He knows what he has to do. Give him support, moral and practical, not advice.
Q:
I ’m f r o m I n d i a n a a n d I j u s t w a t c h e d The rom on Net ix. Have you watched it ? If s o , d id it m a k e y o u lik e In d ia n a m o r e o r le s s ?
h a v e a q u e s t io n a b o u t a d u lt in c e s t , a ls o c a lle d g e n e t ic s e x u a l a t t r a c t io n in t h e a d o p t i o n c o m m u n i t y (G S A ) . I s l e p t w it h m y b io lo g ic a l fa t h e r 3 0 y e a r s a g o . W e m e t w h e n I w a s a n a d u lt a fte r I h a d b e e n r a i s e d b y m y a d o p t i v e p a r e n t s . N o w i t ’s s o a w k w a r d t o a c t l i k e I ’m a s i s t e r t o t h e o t h e r c h ild r e n h e r a is e d . S h o u ld I e v e r te ll t h e m th a t o u r d a d is m y e x -b o y fr ie n d ?
A : No — if there’s no chance your sib-
lings will ever find out, take that I-fuckedour-father shit to the grave.
Q:
I b e c a m e “a c q u a in te d n e r ’s e x l a s t y e a r w h i l e w e w I w o u n d u p g h o s t in g h e r b e in te n s e s h e w a s , a n d n o w I a b o u t k e e p in g th is s e c r e t fr D o I n e e d to sp e a k u p ?
w it e re c a u fe e l o m
h ” m y o n a b se o f h a b it g m y p a
p a rtre a k . o w u ilt y rtn e r.
A : Yes, if there’s any chance your
partner will find out about this, better she hears that I-acquainted-myself-with-yourex shit from you than from someone else.
Q:
If offered, would you consider makin g a g u e s t a p p e a r a n c e a s y o u r s e lf o n a n e p is o d e o f B ig M o u th ?
A : YES. Q:
I ’m a 4 1 - y e a r - o l d w o m a n . D o a l l 3 0 -y e a r -o ld g u y s o n d a t in g a p p s t h a t s w ip e r ig h t o n m e ju s t w a n t t o fu c k ?
A : Assume they just wanna fuck, and
you won’t be disappointed — you might even be pleasantly surprised, e.g., you might get some hot sex out of it, and if a guy comes along who wants more than just sex, well, then you might get some hot sex out of it a n d a younger boyfriend, too. Thanks to everyone who attended our second Savage Love Livestream on Zoom! And here’s to getting together in person for a live show in 2021! K eep wearing your masks, keep washing your hands, keep keeping your distance, and get vaccinated as soon as you can! Q u e s t io D a n o n T w Lovecast… s a v a g e lo v e
n s : m a il@ s a v a g e lo v e .n e t . F o llo w itte r : @ F a k e D a n S a v a g e : O n th e S a r a h S ilv e r m a n ! c a s t .c o m .
metrotimes.com | December 23-29, 2020
21
CULTURE
Free Will Astrology B y R o b B re z s n y — you’ll need to be receptive to your heart’s messages.
ARIES: March 21 – April 19 Your capacity for pioneering feats and impressive accomplishments will be at a peak in 2021. So you could become the best human ever at balancing a ladder on your chin or typing with your nose or running long-distance while holding an egg on a spoon with your mouth. But I’d prefer it if you channeled your triumphal energy into more useful innovations and victories. How about making dramatic strides in fulfilling your most important goal r ascending to an unprecedented new level of inspiring people with your passionate idealism r setting a record for most illusions shed TAURUS: April 20 – May 20 Ark Encounter is a fundamentalist Christian theme park in K entucky. Its main attraction is a giant replica of Noah’s Ark. Constructed mostly from spruce and pine trees, it’s one of the world’s largest wooden structures. Even though I don’t believe that there was in fact such a boat in ancient times, I do admire how its builder, K en Ham, has been so fiercely devoted to making his fantasies real. I encourage you to cultivate an equally zealous commitment to manifesting your own visions and dreams in 2021. GEMINI: May 21 – June 20 Author and student Raquel Isabelle de Alderete writes wittily about her paradoxical desires and contradictory qualities. In accordance with current astrological omens, I encourage you to ruminate about your own. For inspiration, read her testimony: “I want to be untouchably beautiful but I also don’t want to care about how I look. I want to be at the top of my class but I also just want to do as best as I can without driving myself to the edge. I want to be a mystery that’s open to everybody. A romantic that never falls in love. Both the bird and the cat.” CANCER: June 21 – July 22 The year 2021 will contain 525,600 minutes. But I suspect you might enjoy the subjective sensation of having far more than 525,600 minutes at your disposal. That’s because I think you’ll be living a fuller life than usual, with greater intensity and more focus. It may sometimes seem to you as if you are drawing greater riches out of the daily rhythm — accomplishing more, seeing further, diving down deeper to capitalize on the privilege of being here on planet earth. Be grateful for this blessing — which is also a big responsibility! LEO: July 23 – August 22 ur lives are filled with puzzles
CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19 The birds known as red knots breed every year in the Arctic regions. Then they fly south — w a y south — down to the southern edge of South America, more than 9,000 miles away. A few months later they make the return trip to the far north. In 1995, ornithologists managed to put a monitoring band on one red knot’s leg, making it possible to periodically get a read on his adventures over the subsequent years. The bird’s nickname is Moonbird, because he has traveled so many miles in the course of his life that it’s equivalent to a jaunt to the moon. He’s known as “the toughest four ounces on the planet.” I nominate him to be your magical creature in 2021. I suspect you will have stamina, hardiness, persistence, and determination like his. JAMES NOELLERT
and enigmas and riddles. We all harbor aspects of ourselves that we don’t understand. I hope that in 2021, you will be on a mission to learn more about these parts of yourself. ne of your superpowers will be a capacity to uncover secrets and solve mysteries. Bonus: I suspect you’ll be able to make exceptional progress in getting to the root of confusing quandaries that have undermined you — and then fixing the problems so they no longer undermine you. VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22 When actor Gene Wilder was 8 years old, his mother began to have heart-related health issues. The doctor who treated her suggested he could help her out if he would try to make her laugh. From then on, Wilder cultivated an ability to tell jokes and got interested in becoming an actor. Ultimately he appeared in films and was nominated for two scars and two olden Globe Awards. I foresee a comparable development in your life in 2021: A challenging situation will inspire you in ways that generate a major blessing. LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22 In my astrological opinion, love won’t be predictable in 2021. It won’t be easily definable or comparable to what you’ve experienced before. But I also suspect that love will be delightfully enigmatic. It will be unexpectedly educational and fervently fertile and oddly comfortable. Your assignment, as I understand it, will be to shed your certainties about what love is and is not so that the wild, fresh challenges and
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opportunities of love can stream into your life in their wildest, freshest state. SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21 Until 1893, Hawaii was a sovereign nation. In January of that year, a group of wealthy foreigners, mostly Americans, overthrew the existing government with the help of the U.S. military. They established a fake temporary “republic” that excluded native Hawaiians from positions of power. Their goal, which was to be annexed by the nited tates, was fulfilled in July 1 . I propose that you use this sad series of events as a motivational story in 2021. ake it your goal to resist all efforts to be colonized and occupied. Commit yourself passionately to preserving your sovereignty and independence. Be a tower of power that can’t be owned. SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21 In 2021, you may be smarter than you have ever been. Not necessarily wiser, too, although I have reason to hope that you will leverage your smartness to also deepen your wisdom. But as I was saying, your intelligence could very well soar beyond its previous heights. Your ability to speak articulately, stir up original thoughts, and solve knotty riddles should be at a peak. Is there any potential downside to this outbreak of brilliance nly one that I can imagine: It’s possible that your brain will be working with such dominant e ciency that it will drown out messages from your heart. And that would be a shame. In order to do what I referred to earlier — leverage your smartness to deepen your wisdom
AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18 An Aquarian park ranger named Roy Sullivan was struck by lightning seven times in the course of his 71 years on the planet. (That’s a world record.) None of the electrostatic surges killed him, although they did leave a few burns. After studying your astrological potentials for 2021, I’ve concluded that you may be the recipient, on a regular basis, of a much more pleasurable and rewarding kind of lightning strike: the metaphorical kind. I advise you to prepare yourself to be alert for more epiphanies than usual: exciting insights, inspiring revelations, and useful ideas. PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20 Coral reefs are in danger all over the world. These “rainforests of the sea” are being decimated by ocean acidification, toxic runoff from rivers, rising temperatures, and careless tourists. hy should we care Because they’re beautiful! And also because they’re hotbeds of biodiversity, providing homes for 25 percent of all marine species. They also furnish protection for shorelines from erosion and storm damage, and are prime spots to harvest seafood. o I’m pleased people are finding ways to help reefs survive and recover. For example, a group in Thailand is having success using superglue to re-attach broken-off pieces to the main reefs. I hope this vignette inspires you to engage in metaphorically similar restorative and rejuvenating activities, Pisces. In 2021, you will have an enhanced power to heal. T h is w eek ’ s h omew ork : M a k e a b o l d p o s it iv e p r e d ic t io n fo r y o u r life in 2 0 2 1. F r e e W illA s t r o lo g y .c o m
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