Tag Archives: socialcommentary

not right but better…

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Linnea Ashley

It wasn’t a happy conversation. My family gathered in the kitchen – a rare occurrence now that my sister and I are grown and gone from the house, her married with a family of her own. But there we were, … Continue reading →

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different kind of black folks

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Linnea Ashley

I wrote this back in 2003 and it still feels true to me now. The Black Experience. It sounds like a thrill ride at an amusement park. Strap yourself in and prepare to be amazed or dismayed, amused or abused. … Continue reading →

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the body of an accident

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

They were staring. Crowding and staring. When J was finally able to move from where he stood vigil over his cousin’s body, his view obstructed by a set of swinging doors and multiple rows of beds with people languishing in … Continue reading →

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mad mzungo

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

September 4, 2010 Iganga Town, Uganda I was fuming. My mind working out possible solutions to a work problem. The sun glaring down on me, perspiration filming salty and shiny on my top lip. The ground, uneven and muddy, passed … Continue reading →

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best of intentions

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

August 29, 2010 Iganga Town, Uganda Finding the balance is treacherous. Somewhere between apathy-inducing sympathy and hypocritical heartlessness I have to believe lays the way to help people help themselves. I have no delusions of grandeur. No belief that I … Continue reading →

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colonial me

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

August 21, 2010 Iganga Town, Uganda I haven’t mastered this pseudo post-colonial era in africa. In truth, this is my first true interaction with the way things probably were. I have a high fence with broken bottles glittering in the … Continue reading →

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in the name of…

Posted on August 1, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

“did you see the governor of Arizona? Don’t you just love her?! I joined her facebook page.” I’d been trying not to eavesdrop- for once. Trying not to hear the louder than necessary conversation going on behind me. I realized … Continue reading →

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generosity

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

She looked at me a little confused. Her nose, in the center of a clear teak complexion, crinkled slightly as she shook her head. “hair is something we do as friends, you don’t pay for it.” I had pulled out … Continue reading →

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remains of the day…

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

There are times when the generosity and kindness of Liberians makes it easy to forget that the country was ravaged by war – or the crisis, as it is often referred. But little things prick the memory and I am … Continue reading →

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goat soup and Orion

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

I thought he’d forgotten. I languished beneath my mosquito net half reading a poorly written novel but mostly succumbing to the brutal heat still lingering in the late afternoon. My morning had been fruitful. My lift into town dropped me … Continue reading →

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