Kevin D. Hendricks's Blog, page 13

George Floyd Aftermath

This morning our family went down to Minneapolis where George Floyd was killed. There’s basically a shrine at the corner of Chicago and 38th that’s blossoming with art and signs and flowers. It felt like visiting the Lynching Memorial, somber and quiet.

We also drove down Lake Street and saw the devastation from the looters.

It’s been a bit wild to see the near-universal condemnation of Floyd’s death and seeing protests erupt in hundreds of cities and all 50 states. It’s like we might ac...

Better Politics, Please: Last Day

Today is the last day of my Kickstarter project for Better Politics, Please.

It’s also been one week since a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd. We’ve had a week of protest, looting, and violence.

And, oh yeah, we’re in the middle of a pandemic.

So it’s been a rough week. I have no words. It’s hard to end this project strong, when so many have greater needs.

I also think this project is more necessary than ever.

So today is your last chance to pre-order my book. I’...

Oh, Minneapolis

What a crap week. It’s bad enough dealing with a pandemic and all the stress and worry that entails. Then police violence and the murder of George Floyd. Then tear gas and more violence and more death and Minneapolis burning. I don’t have the words.

(Speaking of words, people like to quote Martin Luther King Jr. about non-violence, but he also spoke about riots. Some context on those comments is especially helpful.)

Since I don’t have words, two songs come to mind this week.

Let the Pe...

Better Politics, Please: UPdate

In the midst of a pandemic, I launched a Kickstarter for a new project. I’m pleasantly surprised to see people responding. We hit the initial goal last week, so the project is happening. Now we’re working on stretch goals to make it even better.

Launching a project like this is always a scary undertaking. You never know if this is a good idea that people will support or if you’re about to crash and burn.

It’s also scary because I’m talking about politics. That can be such a hot-button top...

Better Politics Please

Im launching a new project.

The Pitch

Politics can be pretty divisive and depressing. What happened to hope? Too often, politics feels like a battleground where we lob accusations back and forth. And thats not likely to change after Novembers presidential election, no matter who wins or loses.

Politics have long been divisive and people will always disagree. But I have hope that we can do better.

So Im launching a new project. It will be a book of political profiles, titled Better Politics, ...

Nick: 2013-2020

We had to say goodbye to Nick today. He had a heart condition and we knew he didnt have long, but it still feels sudden.

Nick was always very much Abbys dog. She was the center of his universe. Where Abby went, Nick went. Abbys lap was his lap. I was just the guy who took him outside and gave him food. I was the one home with Nick all day, but he looked at me like a roommate.

He spent most of his days sleeping on the couch in my office, waiting for Abby to come home. Hed hear the garage...

Coronavirus: One Month In

About three weeks ago I wrote a coronavirus checkin post, trying to capture where things were at mid-stream, as I called it. Of course that was March 16, and hardly seems mid-stream now. That was just the beginning.

Milestones

Last time I shared milestones. Big news items that made this feel big. Now? I dont know. Everything is shut down?

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz just extended our stay-at-home order to May 4. School is happening via distance learning through at least May 4. I expect it...

Coronavirus Check In

This is a weird time. Coronavirus has spread across the world and infections are exploding in the U.S., prompting changes in day-to-day life like Ive never seen before. I wanted to document a bit of what this is like mid-stream.

Which means its probably a little pessimistic. Im an idealist by nature, but this whole thing has me feeling kind of bleak. Darkness aside, seems important to document the moment, so here goes.

Milestones Today the Dow had the second worst percentage drop in U.S....

Super TuesDay 2020 Thoughts

It’s Presidential Primary Day here in Minnesota. I like to capture my thoughts in the moment, because sometimes things change so much and so fast it’s hard to remember what we actually thought.

And sometimes it’s funny to see how wrong we are.

Back in November I shared my thoughts on the Democratic Presidential Primary. Folks have actually voted since then, and everything has changed. Pete Buttigieg dropped out Sunday and Amy Klobuchar dropped out yesterday, making this a simpler race.

I’m...

Black Suffrage in Minnesota

When Minnesota became a state in 1858, we failed to give black men the right to vote.

The legislator tried to fix that in 1865. It failed.

So they tried again in 1866. It failed.

So they tried again in 1867. It failed.

They tried once again in 1868, and this time it finally passed.

Two years later it became law across the nation with the ratification of the 15th amendment in 1870.

Progress is slow and full of failure.

So keep trying.

And when you do achieve progress, keep going. Don’t rest on...