Greetings to all.

Like many other Americans, the tragic events that occurred Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia have impacted me deeply. While the violent protest featuring white supremacists, white nationalists, members of the Ku Klux Klan, and neo-Nazis was indeed a flashpoint that exposed a dark undercurrent of hatred within American society, I unfortunately cannot say that I found it surprising. For me, the extremely divisive rhetoric coming from the far right and from certain politicians during the 2016 election cycle served as prior warning that America was already turning down a dangerous path.

In the last 18 months, my art journal has often been the place in which I’ve gone to express my feelings of fear, sadness, disappointment, and disillusionment in regards to the current political and social climate in the United States. At this particular point in our nation’s history, it’s hard not to feel as though we’re taking huge steps backward instead of progressing forward, especially when it comes to how we as a nation deal with racial, ethnic, and religious diversity. Back in June I created the following page, and it happens to sum up exactly how I’m feeling this week. I’m truly ashamed of the bigoted beliefs held by some of my fellow citizens, and endless questions keep reverberating through my mind and heart, such as, how in the world is America still in this place–in the year 2017? How did we get to the point where hatred is actually tolerated and excused in some corners of our society? What’s happened to the country that I thought I knew?

This journal page was created with patterned paper, magazine images, a piece cut from a paint sample, found text, text generated on a vintage typewriter, and a white gel pen.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. God bless (and help) America.