Hey Reader!

This week, I’ve been out of the country celebrating my 6th anniversary. 🥰 Wild how time FLIES. Like… it’s a mirage.

Stopping and smelling the roses is always necessary. (and also, running away, which I’ve been doing a lot but I ain’t got no more absences planned cuz now I gotta be responsible for real and be a useful citizen of the world 😩)

But yeah, let's talk about what else has been on my mind. 👇🏾

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RANT

Folks gotta stop saying "we need a coup."

I've been unplugged for a lot of the week, but I’m also tapped in on what’s happening. And after the madness of the meeting Pete Hegseth and Habanero Hitler had with the top officers of the US military, I’ve been seeing folks talk about how we need the military to rise up and take over the government. And now I’m like HAVE Y’ALL LOST YOUR EVER LOVING MINDS?! 😡 You have to have.

Cuz I know good and damb well you are not advocating for a military coup on United States soil. Americans saying that are white (of course) and it is reminding me of how anti-intellectualism and exceptionalism is actually beating the asses of our citizens.

A MILITARY COUP?!?! Do you know what that even means when it happens? Have you read a single history book? Do you understand what happens to countries after a military takeover?

I was born in a country that has had more than its’ share of military coups: Nigeria.

Because let me tell you what a coup actually means:

• Democracy? GONE.
• Civil liberties? GONE.
• Stability? GONE.
• The very freedoms you're trying to protect? OBLITERATED.

AND the military has so much at its disposal in terms of advanced weaponry and technology. A coup by them on this land is MASS DEATH. Are people daft? 🫣

Again, the people I see posting this nonsense are white. And that tracks. Because this reeks of privilege. This is peak "I've never experienced real instability, so I'm cosplaying revolution from my couch" energy.

Y'all want someone ELSE to save you. You want a dramatic movie moment where everything gets fixed by force. But you won't organize locally. You won't show up to town halls. You won't do the boring, necessary work of democracy.

Some of y'all talking about revolution but you melt down at McDonald's when they forget your fries. You are NOT built for what you're asking for. You won’t even organize a protest without whining about why there weren’t bouncy castles there.

MISS ME WITH IT. 😒😒😒

Here's the thing: coups destroy countries. They lead to decades of instability, human rights violations, and suffering that touches everyone, especially the most vulnerable. Go ask Chile. Go ask Nigeria. Go ask any nation that's lived through one.

Our current government is complete TRASH. BASURA. And we are absolutely in some unseen times on this land. But there are many other steps we should be taking or trying before asking for the military to take over.

If you truly want change? Use your actual power. Vote. Organize. Support candidates who align with your values. Hold your representatives accountable. Build coalitions. Do the WORK.

But stop with this reckless, uneducated, performative coup talk. Cut it out. Go read a history book. Then come back when you're ready to do the real work of citizenship.

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REFLECTION

When you read the history books, who you are now is who you would have been then.

I think about how I used to read history books and wonder, Man, I don't know how people handled it during that time. How did they live through that? What would I have done?

The truth is, how you're acting today is exactly how you would have acted during the Holocaust if you were in Germany. How you're showing up in hard conversations right now? That's how you'd have been during slavery.

The folks I see whining on Threads (a lot of white people, once again) would have been the person saying "Dang, that sucks" while doing absolutely nothing to help fix it. They wouldn't be hiding anybody. They wouldn't be giving people maps to escape the plantation. They wouldn't be risking a thing, and just waiting for someone else to be the hero.

Let me repeat: how you show up today is exactly how you would have shown up at any point in history that was treacherous. 👀

I need us to really sit with this. To interrogate whether we are proud of how we're showing up right now. What we're actually DOING, not just what we're saying.

You don't get to claim you would have been brave "back then" if you're not brave right now. 🗣️

This moment feels overwhelming. The government shutdown, the constant chaos, the feeling that everything is falling apart. It's A LOT. I'm not saying you have to save the world single-handedly.

But I AM saying: what are you actually doing with what you have?

If you have money, are you giving mutual aid and donating to local communities or families who are in need?

If you have a business, are you creating jobs or opportunities for people who need them?

If you have a platform, are you using it to amplify marginalized voices or saying something that matters?

If you have privilege, are you leveraging it to protect those who don't?

History is being written right now. Who you are in this moment is who you would have been in every other moment of crisis.

Because here's what history shows us: most people weren't actively enacting the evil. Most people during the worst moments in history were just… passive. They saw injustice and said "that's terrible" and then went about their day. They didn't actively participate in harm, but they also didn't do anything to stop it.

And that passivity? That "thoughts and prayers" energy? That "someone should do something" mentality? That's what allowed atrocities to happen.

So when you read about people who hid Jewish families during the Holocaust, or ran the Underground Railroad, or risked everything to stand up for what was right, don't romanticize them as some special breed of human you could never be.

They were regular people who made a choice. 🗣️

They chose action over passivity. They chose risk over comfort. They chose to DO something instead of just feeling bad about things.

And that choice? It's available to you right now. Today. In this moment.

You get to decide what side of history you're on by what you DO, not by what you post. Not by how passionately you rant in the group chat. Not by how many protest signs you make if you never actually show up to the protest.

By your actions. Period.

We have to be honest about where we are right now. We have to look in the mirror and ask: Am I proud of how I'm showing up? Would I be proud to have my grandchildren read about what I did in this moment?

Let's be people we can be proud of. Let's be the ones who actually showed up. Who did the hard, uncomfortable work of creating change instead of just complaining about the lack of it.

That's the only way we earn the right to say we would have been on the right side of history. By being on the right side TODAY. 🙌🏾

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RECOMMENDATION

This fall, I'm taking these conversations to the stage. I want you there.

I have a few speaking engagements coming up this fall. Each one is a chance to gather, learn, and figure out how we actually USE our power instead of just talking about it.

If you're a corporate board leader, I'll be keynoting at the Women Corporate Directors Global Institute next week. 💪🏾

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL with GIRL SCOUTS RIVER VALLEY - Minneapolis - October 11

Join me October 11 for International Day of the Girl with Girl Scouts River Valleys in the Twin Cities. I’ll be spending the day, first with the babies, as I read LITTLE TROUBLEMAKER DEFENDS HER NAME to the Brownies and Daisies. I love storytime with these little ones. 🥰

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And then that afternoon, I’ll be doing a keynote on leadership and courage for the RISING TROUBLEMAKERS (young adults). Bring your daughters, your nieces, your students. Tickets are $30 and include an exclusive Rising Troublemaker patch. 🙌🏾

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If you're in Chicago, I have THREE conversations you don't wanna miss:

IN CONVERSATION WITH ABBY PHILLIP - Chicago - October 20th

October 20: I'm moderating Abby Phillip's book tour for A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power. Abby steps in front of CNN's cameras every day refusing to let misinformation slide, asking hard questions, speaking truth. Her book tells the story of Jesse Jackson, who reshaped Black political power in America starting right here in Chicago. This is OUR history. 🤌🏾

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IN CONVERSATION WITH JEN HATMAKER - Chicago - October 25

I'm in conversation with NYT bestselling author Jen Hatmaker about her book Awake. In the book, she talks about her divorce and how it turned her life upside down, navigating midlife transformation when everything changes. Jen explores what it means to grieve what's lost and rebuild what matters.

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IN CONVERSATION WITH MALALA YOUSAFZAI - Chicago - November 9

I'm in conversation with the brilliant Malala Yousafzai about her newest book Finding My Way. She nearly lost her life for speaking up for girls' education and she's STILL speaking. Her new book is about being human, making mistakes, discovering who you really are beyond the role model narrative.🗣️

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I hope y’all can stop by at least one of these, if you’re in the area. 🫶🏾

So here's my question: What's one action you're taking this week that your grandchildren will be proud to read about?

With love and conviction,

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P.S. Dropped a voicenote in my Patreon this week, that I sent to my friends during sabbatical. And dropped a picture that I need you to tell me what you see in there. Whew. That sabbatical was something. I’m still processing. 🥹

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