Get Out the Vote!

Go Slow?

After President Buhari’s resounding victory and impressive inaugural ceremony in Nigeria on May 29 many people, myself included, expected quick action, at least visible action, against Boko Haram. We also thought he would announce his ministerial appointments within a few weeks.

But it’s now mid-July, and he has made no senior appointments to the government. Some in the Nigeria press are calling him, “Baba Go Slow.” “Go Slow” is the name given to severe traffic jams in Nigeria. Baba means Father or senior man.

Boko Haram has carried out several attacks over the last few weeks, including in cities that have not been major targets before.

He has no foreign minister, equal to the U.S. Secretary of State, so who will he bring to Washington for his meeting with President Obama on July 20?

In the last couple of days he did fire the heads of the different branches of the military and put in new people. According to the BBC, “Both the new head of the army, Maj Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai, and the National Security Adviser, Maj Gen Babagana Monguno, are from Borno State which is at the heart of the conflict.

“BBC Nigeria correspondent Will Ross says the hope is they have a good grasp of what is needed to end the violence.”

I join in that hope!

Part Three of Using White Privilege

In the past two posts, I’ve shared Wiley Reading’s advice from the online magazine Everyday Feminism on using white privilege to support racial justice. He suggests ways we who are white can help, first by watching and recording, second by speaking to other white people.

His third piece of advice is to fight voter discrimination. Methods of discrimination against voters of color range from gerrymandering to restricting voting times to requiring voter ID. Local officials make the rules.

He says, “One of the first ways racist lawmakers tried to keep black voters away was to administer ‘literacy tests,’ where a white official decided whether the black person applying to vote was or wasn’t ‘literate.'”

Today, he says, “Use your power as a white person to fight against racist voter disenfranchisement laws. One good way to do this is to volunteer to register people to vote.”

I have volunteered in recent years. But my very first time was in 1957-58. I volunteered with the NAACP for house-to-house voter registration in black neighborhoods in Covington, Kentucky.

I Discuss Americanah with Westport Book Group 

On Monday I joined Shelly Kassen’s book group for a lively discussion of Adichie’s novel Americanah. Shelly had prepared a delicious lunch of salmon, salad, and jollof rice, which we ate while we talked. It was a fascinating group of women. I learned that several are also bloggers.

Everyone liked Adichie’s book, though two women didn’t care for the main character Ifemelu, thinking she was too self-centered, only looking out for her own interests. Two thought Obinze, the main male character, was too passive.

They all thought Adichie’s presentation of the outsider’s view of American racism was realistic. A few felt they learned something new about how racism is experienced by black people through Ifemelu’s blog, though two didn’t care for the blog as a literary device.

Several had also read my memoir Nigeria Revisited My Life and Loves Abroad, and recommended it to the others. I’m so glad Shelly invited me to take part.

And Speak to Trumbull Moms and Friends

That evening I gave a presentation at the Trumbull Library. The program was initiated by Christine Marr of Trumbull Moms. Jackie, the Library’s Program Director, Christine, my publicist Aline and I had done lots of publicity, and we had 30 people in the audience, including three friends from church who found the event on social media.

I’m between Christine’s mom in the orange, and Christine in the black, in the picture of the Trumbull Moms.

I’ve worn this dress for three talks. I bought the fabric and found a Ghanaian seamstress in Bridgeport, Connecticut. last December, before going to Nigeria for Christmas.

And Finally Westport Writers

Gabi Coatsworth has been organizing get-togethers for writers in Westport and Fairfield for a couple of years at least. Today I went to Westport’s Barnes and Noble Bookstore for the meeting with about 15 other writers at varying stages in their work.

I like what Gabi does at the end of these monthly meetings: she asks everyone to name a specific goal to accomplish before the next meeting. Then at the next meeting, she asks how everyone has done in achieving their goal. So there is some accountability!

Do you set goals for yourself – at work, at home, in your volunteer activities? Do you hold yourself accountable? Does anyone help you?