7/16/2020

My dear Friend & POTUS, DJT,

            I have a heavy heart today because our sweet little Tabitha died last night. She was our 15-year old Chi/terrier mix who served as tolerant sister to numerous foster dogs. Her presence is still here in the house so it’s hard to shake the sadness. Ya feel me?

            Are you familiar with that phrase? I learned about the phrase when reading a qualifying exam paper by Ijeoma Ononuju (IEO) in which he meticulously analyzed how crossover youth used the phrase when they were talking to him about their experiences in foster care and the juvenile justice system. They used the phrase in lots of different ways to signify their resistance to the white supremacy of those systems. As IEO writes, “language is inherently political and masks deeper social issues that plague society.” We have a lot to learn from him & the kids he was talking to. Perhaps it’s time for us to learn to speak their language.

            I find “ya feel me” to be quite a useful phrase & I may start using it. Maybe you should, too.

I’m not feeling you today, because I’m too caught up in my own concerns. Perhaps I’ll have the bandwidth to see what you’re up to, tomorrow.

HYITL,