Credit: primipil It has been awhile.  What I had hoped to do in 2025:   posting weekly….then bi-monthly…..then monthly…is not what I had the inner strength to sustain.  Simply put:  I was overwhelmed. Since January, every day there has been some change spearheaded by the Executive Branch that has been more shocking than the day before.  I wanted to look away, but found myself scouring various platforms on policy changes that were announced.  By late spring and summer, I was e

The Myth and the Moment of Localization Localization has long been a buzzword in humanitarian spaces—touted as the antidote to neo-colonial aid structures. Yet, in practice, it too often replicates the very power it claims to dismantle. True localization requires more than subcontracting: it demands humility, patience, shared power, and community-rooted design—or at least a true understanding of how that community functions. The U.S. retreat from aid has created a vacuum—but

wildpixel The Rotten Roots of the U.S. Immigration Policy Many policy briefs on U.S. immigration have begun with the phrase:  Our immigration system is  broken.  It was never broken, it was built on rot.  Since its inception it has focused on controlling the labor supply through restriction and punishment, while ignoring the economic systems that rely on and profit from undocumented workers.  Namely, it was developed on the heels of slavery, and has roots with a colonial powe

Jorm Sangsorn What I have come to understand—from conflict zones abroad to policy shifts here at home—is that attacks on women’s rights are not coincidental. They are connected. From Cabo Delgado to California, we are witnessing a playbook of control: restrict education, erode autonomy, and dismantle the systems that help girls and women rise. Different methods, same intent My last duty station was in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, a place that is in the midst of internal conflict

wildpixel I wouldn’t be where I am without a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) program—though we didn’t call it that back then. I was a high-achieving kid growing up in a working-class Italian and Irish American neighborhood where I was constantly reminded that I didn’t belong. I often felt ugly, stupid, and other. That otherness made me stand out—and eventually, for some time,  made me shrink. One turning point came in middle school. I had raised my hand again and again

Image from Governor Desantis' website Florida is not just a state—it’s a nation unto itself.  If I had to choose anywhere to live in the world, Florida would not have been my first choice.  Starting over, personally and professionally, I needed a place to call home, and due to various factors related to family circumstances, Florida was the best temporary option.  Almost two years later, I am becoming accustomed to its sociopolitical landscape.  At first I thought the dynamic

Bulgnn One of my favorite tees in high school was the “They Were Here First” T-shirt.  My passion for engaging and preserving the environment had its start in Ms. Anfora’s biology class.  Her fervor for biology inspired me to love it just as much.  It seemed natural—along with Ms. Anfora—to start our school’s environmental club. I was also its only member. Back then caring about the environment was viewed as bohemian and niche, not yet the global crisis it is today.   We push

Before I ever knew the word "Reaganomics," I felt its weight.  That weight hit home when in the early 1980s my family moved from Brooklyn to Long Island, NY and it was just one of many decisions shaped by U.S. economic policies—policies that disproportionately impacted working class people, especially women, then, and continue to do so now.   Our move was triggered by crack-cocaine sweeping into our tight knit Afro-diasporic neighborhood.  We also began to see the early signs

The Cuts Are Real—But So Is the History The United States government in a political move that has enraged, devastated and frustrated many in the U.S. and abroad, has either cancelled or severely scaled down its foreign aid assistance. In the last weeks since the administration’s announcement, media outlets have been good at highlighting how countless individuals, communities and countries are suffering and will continue to do so with access to these essential services.We must

Why I’m Speaking Up Now BLU Print  is a space for thinking out loud—strategically, personally, and politically. It’s where I share lessons learned and real-time reflections from my work in gender equity, social justice, and community-driven development, alongside partners advancing the rights of women, girls, and marginalized communities around the world. But it’s also deeply human. The work of program design, inclusive policy, and movement strategy unfolds in the everyday—in