Crys

We all need some encouragement from time to time. Thank you, Grover, for reminding us that we are strong and capable. 💙

Kerry Washington “we might have to work twice as hard, but we are twice as strong. Supreme Court decision explained… And what we can do about it“ Vote in overwhelming numbers in the November midterms‼️

Alphabet hugs are simply THE best! 💙

For all the “I just don’t like her laugh, people,” please tell me if these high gas prices, lawless losing war, high unemployment, blatant corruption, or racist assault on representation by the confederate south was worth not having to hear her laugh?

Michelle and I can’t wait for you to visit the Obama Presidential Center! Starting on June 19, the Center will be open to the public, and you’ll be able to check out the Museum along with public spaces like a new branch of the Chicago Public Library with a reading room, a two-acre playground, a fruit and vegetable garden, and more. Tickets available at tickets.obama.org.

The Church interprets history through the lens of the Gospel and speaks decisively against all evil, as the pilgrim People of God. At the same time, she acknowledges the need for continual conversion so she may properly fulfill her mission. As members of the same Body, we are called to renewal. #GeneralAudience

@NBCOneChicago Happy birthday LaRoyce!!

A very happy birthday to LaRoyce Hawkins! ❤️

Black people in America need to be registered to vote, all of us. Full Fk’n Stop. In states like Georgia, Maryland, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, turning to vote can shift outcomes in House, Senate, and gubernatorial races. Look at Georgia. About 3.5 million Black residents live here. Roughly 2.5 million of us are eligible to vote, yet only around 1.4 million of us actually do. That leaves between 900,000 and 1.1 million eligible Black voters not participating. Now compare that to the margins of the last two Ga: governor’s races. In 2018, the race was decided by about 54,000 votes. In 2022, about 191,000 votes. The number of eligible Black voters not participating is between 7 and 10x larger than those margins. This isn’t about theory, it’s about MATH. If we show up consistently, outcomes change. The shift starts with registration, and it is sustained by turnout. Register and VOTE.

Two years ago, Senior Airman Roger Fortson was killed in his own home by a deputy who knocked on the wrong door. He served this country with pride and deserved to be safe in his own home. We stand with his family and continue to demand justice and full accountability. Say His Name: Roger Fortson!

Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities - so long as they do it under the guise of “partisanship” rather than explicit “racial bias.” And it serves as just one more example of how a majority of the current Court seems intent on abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach. The good news is that such setbacks can be overcome. But that will only happen if citizens across the country who cherish our democratic ideals continue to mobilize and vote in record numbers - not just in the upcoming midterms or in high profile races, but in every election and every level.

Wishing all of our friends a great start to the week! You’ve got this! 💛💚

With deep sorrow, we say farewell to one of the final sentinels of the Tuskegee Airmen. George E. Hardy, who once danced across the skies of Europe in his Mustang has taken his final flight at the age of 100. Leaving behind a legacy forged in courage, resilience, and unwavering dignity. It began in a quiet room in Philadelphia. A 16-year-old boy hunched over his homework as the radio crackled with the news of Pearl Harbor. In that instant, the world fractured, and George’s childhood evaporated. He didn't wait for history to call; he went to meet it. Denied entry because of the color of his skin, he didn't retreat. He leaned into the wind. He joined the U.S. Army Air Forces, arriving at Tuskegee not just to learn the mechanics of flight, but to dismantle the mechanics of prejudice. By 19, George was a "Red Tail," a guardian of the clouds. While the world below was segregated, the flak in the European theater was indifferent. He flew 21 combat missions over Nazi-occupied territory, a teenager in a cockpit proving that valor has no pedigree. Most men would have seen enough of war. George was not most men. - World War II: 21 combat missions in the P-51 Mustang. - Korea: 45 combat missions, braving the dawn of the jet age. - Vietnam: 70 combat missions, a veteran hand guiding a new generation. For nearly thirty years, he wore the uniform of a country that didn't always love him back, yet he protected it with a devotion that shames the very idea of hate. When he finally climbed out of the cockpit, he didn't stop serving. As a Lieutenant Colonel, he helped architect the military’s first global communication systems. He spent his sunset years ensuring that those who followed him would never be out of reach, never be truly alone in the dark. "He rose above the clouds so we could finally see the light." Today, we don't just salute a pilot. We salute a man who endured the sting of Jim Crow to earn the silver wings of a hero. He was the quiet defiance in the face of "no," the steady hand in the cockpit, and the humble heart in the room. The "Red Tails" are thinning now, their formation heading into the eternal sunset. But as George E. Hardy crosses the ultimate horizon, he leaves behind a legacy etched not in ink, but in the very air we breathe. Rest well, Colonel. The watch is ours. The sky is yours.

It's our home. This Earth Day, see our planet as our Artemis II astronauts saw it with these new images from the mission.

Our. Home.

I thought it would be nice to see Emmett Till in another light...(pictured on the left) 🕊

Two years ago, Frank Tyson took his last breath crying "I can't breathe" under police restraint in Canton, Ohio. He should still be here. His family has carried this pain for two years and they are still standing, still demanding justice. Frank will not be forgotten. Rest in Power, Frank.

100% appropriate and necessary!

This is the gospel truth. Enough said. #MLK #PopeLeo #BelovedCommunity

At the end of Mass in Bamenda on Thursday, as Pope Leo XIV was about to get his car to return to the airport, a little Cameroonian girl ran up to the Pope, and he hugged her, paused for a photo, and gave her a Rosary.