Pittsburgh Radio Station 102.5 WDVE Running Anti-Trans Ads, Again.

Eight radio station ads

Got a tip yesterday about local radio station WDVE 102.5 airing an anti-trans commercial spot. I found this piece on Axios, confirming a large ad buy targeting Pennsylvania by a Trump loving Super PAC, Make America Great Again. According to Axios, this ad buy targets Black voters with the intent of swaying Black and Latino […]

If You See an ICE Raid, Police Stop, or Hate Crime via Casa San José Including Emergency Number

Via Casa San José¡Conozca sus derechos!¡Conozca su poder!Siempre pueden llamar a nuestro número de emergencia de Casa San José en esos momentos: (412) 736-7167.Know your rights.Know your power.You can always call Casa San Jose’s Emergency Number in those moments: (412) 736-7167.

What To Do If ICE Comes To Your Door via Casa San José

What to do if ICE comes to your door

Via Case San José. If you are looking for a way to combat family separation here in Pittsburgh, you can go here https://casasanjose.org/donate/ to donate to Fondo Solidario, which helps get people out on bond so that they can fight their case at home, with the loving support of their families. .

Two Problems with the HAIM Fundraiser for the Tree of Life Shooting in Pittsburgh

Pop rock band HAIM created a shirt on their playful Haimukkah ditty as a way to show support for the 3 Jewish congregations targeted by a white domestic terrorist in October in Pittsburgh. It is a lovely gesture.   Dreidels, Candels, Latkes oh my! All the things you need to get your Haimukkah celebration going! […]

I Unfriended You Because You Posted White Supremacist Nonsense and I’m Done

I have a few ‘legacy’ Facebook friends whose politics and personal statements I find difficult to understand, but whose personal actions reflect beliefs that I support. I’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to maintain those relationships out of respect for my partner, family, etc. I wanted to believe that the people who do the good works are the […]

How to Support Children & Families Impacted by the Immigration Separation Policies

Here’s a roundup of local opportunities to support the families impacted by the Trump Administration’s immigration separation policies. Advocacy Some want to offer supplies to be passed on to the children, but she said the most urgent need is for the kind of action that would change the stance of the policy-makers.  “The key is, what […]

Q&A with Kareem Kandil, Candidate for PA State House District 30

Kareem reached out to me in response to my call for Q&A’s with candidates challenging incumbents. This series is designed to highlight the folks who heeded the call to resist by running for elected office. Kareem is running for Pennsylvania State House in the 30th district, a North Hills District outlined in the image below. […]

An Essay About St. Patrick’s Day and My Not-So Irish-American Cultural Heritage

Irish American Pittsburgh

Growing up in a working class Pittsburgh suburb, I knew two things to be true about my family – we were Roman Catholic and we were Irish (with a little German.) We were Irish Catholics and celebrated St. Patrick’s Day robustly. St. Patrick’s Day is also my younger brother’s birthday. Robustly meant lots of green […]

My Family History Christmas Edition: Grandma’s Date Nut Pudding Recipe

Date Nut Pudding Handwritten Recipe

For most of my childhood and young adulthood, my paternal grandmother baked these puddings for Thanksgiving and Christmas. She made one per household for her three adult children, one for her own household, and one for the family meal. She may have baked more on occasion as a gift for a friend or hairdresser or […]

My Family’s Immigration Story

This was not something I thought about as a child in the 1970’s and 1980’s in suburban West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. I knew my living grandparents and their basic backstories and a little bit about their respective parents. I was raised to believe I was mostly an Irish Catholic/little bit of German kid which turned out […]