Georgiana is the subject of the movie "The Duchess" (currently on Netflix) and a relative of the young Prince and Princess of Cambridge. Get the Ultimate Fan Guide -- with plot points, history, and what happened to the historical characters -- for only 99 cents!
Green Party Peace Sign Bumper Sticker
Green Party Peace Sign Bumper Sticker
The Green Party has continually opposed entry into war and has consistently called for the immediate return of our troops, in stark contrast to the Democratic and Republican parties. Today we march, tomorrow we vote Green Party.
Occupy Wall Street: What Just Happened?
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Reflections on Occupy Wall Street, with photos, fun, and good wishes for the future. eBook, Occupy Wall Street: What Just Happened? (Only $.99 !) In the eBook, the Occupy movement is explored through original reporting, photographs, cartoons, poetry, essays, and reviews.The collection of essays and blog posts records the unfolding of Occupy into the culture from September 2011 to the present. Authors Kimberly Wilder and Ian Wilder were early supporters of Occupy, using their internet platforms to communicate the changes being created by the American Autumn.
The eBook is currently available on Amazon for Kindle;Barnes & Noble Nook ; Smashwords independent eBook seller; and a Kobo for 99 cents and anyone can read it using their Kindle/Nook Reader, smart phone, or computer.
A poetry play about diversity, white privilege, and racism in the Riverhead School community
No child is safe — not black children, not Latino children, not white children — from the consequences of the bullying, name calling, and conflict created as you press us down with your steady hands. -A Chorus of Riverhead Families cries out in this poetry theater performance
The video above is a live performance of “My Privilege”, a Poets Theater piece performed on September 12, 2023 at the BOOG City 17 Arts Festival. A three member troupe traveled from Long Island to Brooklyn to perform this piece.
“My Privilege” was written by Riverhead community activist Kimberly Wilder. This premier performance stars local actors Jim Navarre as “Wallis” and Alan Stewart as “Wallis’s True Heart.”
Kimberly Wilder is the parent of a student who resides in the Riverhead Central School District. Ms. Wilder coordinates a family business called Riverhead Area School Info/RASi which includes a circle of families trying to heal Riverhead schools.
The core of the piece is a found poem. “My Privilege” quotes and explores a speech made by a school leader at a school board meeting after a board member was convinced to resign. “Wallis” is the character who gives the speech. The board member — named “Lottie” in this piece — had made disparaging comments about Latinos to the press. In addition, the piece includes many direct quotes from “Tia”, the character name for a real life community activist who spoke out and spoke up at the meeting.
Unfortunately, the message about a diverse community in conflict and pain rings too true with current events. The Riverhead Central School District is in the news again. This time, it is about some Riverhead students who said the n-word and bullied younger children at a Riverhead School football game.
It is our hope that this poetry piece and the work of our Riverhead RASi families, might help to heal these wounds and make sure that more incidents like this one do not continue to happen.
No person’s rights, privileges, or access to public services may be diminished, compressed or denied simply because they are experiencing homelessness .
Suffolk County and the Town of Riverhead need to adopt a Homeless Bill of Rights. Just like our community understands the need to protect the rights of other vulnerable groups — such as children and seniors — we also need to pay attention to how people are treated when they are experiencing homelessness.
A group of concerned neighbors who are community organizers, workers at service organizations for unhoused people, and others who have recently awakened to problems encountered by unhoused people, have gathered together to appeal to community members and leaders to be more fair and helpful.
One of our first projects as a group has been to work on a draft document for what a “Homeless Bill of Rights” might look like for Suffolk County and our local towns.
Your thoughts and comments are welcome at this blog. In addition, we would be so pleased if you would start a dialogue with any of your public officials. Another way to help would be to discuss this topic with friends and colleagues you know whose work relates to unhoused people: Many of them may already be aware of this project. Some of them may want to join our committee.
You can also direct comments and words of support to our new and developing group: Long Island Legislative Committee in Support of our Unhoused Neighbors. Our email address (with letters that don’t quite match up) is: lilcsun.forunhousedneighbors@gmail.com
Homeless Bill of Rights: (A vision for Long Island governments. A proposal to Suffolk County and The Town of Riverhead)
No person’s rights, privileges, or access to public services may be diminished, compressed or denied simply because they are experiencing homelessness . For purposes of this section, “person experiencing homelessness” means any person who does not have a fixed or regular residence and who may live on the street or outdoors, in a homeless shelter or another temporary residence. Such a person has the same rights and privileges as any other resident of this state, and can expect these rights to be protected and respected. A person experiencing homelessness:
(1) Has the right to use and move freely in public spaces, including, but not limited to, public sidewalks, public parks, public transportation and public buildings, in the same manner as any other person, and without discrimination on the basis of their housing status and without intimidation or harassment from anyone, including law enforcement officers, in the same manner as other persons. Non-hostile approach to architectural plans and design that promotes inclusivity and accessibility for all shall be promoted to this end;
(2) Has the right to equal treatment by all state and municipal agencies as related, but not limited, access to housing, healthcare, childcare, education, and social services, without discrimination on the basis of housing status, and shall not be made to believe they cannot apply for programs based on housing status or denied reasonable accommodations that they would otherwise be eligible for;
(3) Has the right not to face discrimination while seeking or maintaining employment due to their lack of permanent mailing address, or their mailing address being that of a shelter or social service provider;
(4) Has the right to emergency medical care free from discrimination based on their housing status;
(5) Has the right to vote, register to vote, and receive documentation necessary to prove identity for voting without discrimination due to their housing status;
(6) Has the right to receive equal treatment by state and municipal agencies, including the right to protection from disclosure of their records and information provided to homeless shelters and service providers to state, municipal and private entities without appropriate legal authority; and the right to confidentiality of personal records and information in accordance with all limitations on disclosure established by the Federal Homeless Management Information Systems, the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and the Federal Violence Against Women Act;
(7) Has the right to a reasonable expectation of privacy in their personal property, including tents, encampments, and any other dwellings free from unwarranted surveillance or intrusion to the same extent as personal property in a permanent residence, as well as the right to protection against the seizure or destruction of personal property, especially government documents and medication;
(7a) Has the right, by extension of item 7, to protection against encampment sweeps or forced relocation from dwelling site if alternate shelter is unavailable, or if the person experiencing homelessness is ineligible for placement in shelter as determined by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (Martin v. City of Boise, 2019; Johnson v. City of Grants Pass, 2022);
(8) Has the right to access housing free from discrimination based on current housing status, to report and appeal housing discrimination including decisions related to shelter access. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has clarified that discrimination against individuals with no permanent address or those whose address is that of a shelter or social service provider may constitute violations of the Fair Housing Act.
-Draft proposal, updated and accurate as of July 4, 2023
Riverhead certainly holds some surprises. Our family was playing with another family at Stotzky Park yesterday, May 29th. Then, all of the sudden, several police vehicles appeared in the corners of the back parking lot. And, then there was a fire truck and a lot of excitement.
What we found out was that a helicopter was about to land. I took my little one and headed to a safe viewing area by a field where she would be fenced in. (I did not trust that her curiosity might not make her run towards the action and the blades of the helicopter.) Ironically, the helicopter needed to turn itself around…only a few feet from us…in the field we were fleeing to. It was quite the adventure.
When the helicopter touched down, we went very purposefully to the field and stood behind a big sports fence to watch.
I have some photos and short videos.
Gathering info from the people gathered and our friends who spoke to the emergency officials, we think that a baby was involved in a car crash nearby. And, the helicopter was taking the baby and the mom to the correct hospital.
We will try to put any updates here, if they appear in other, local media.
Wilderside Ltd., Kimberly Wilder, and some local parents have launched a new project called: Riverhead Area School Info or RASi. This project will draw attention to the strengths and weaknesses of local public and private schools; support families who have chosen alternative education; and try to make everything better and happier for students in the Town of Riverhead and its surrounds. The beginnings of our website is at riverheadrasi.wordpress.com . Or, contact us at: RiverheadRasi@gmail.com (Or, contact Kimberly Wilder).
We will post more in the next few days about ideas for improving some of the Riverhead Central School District schools, especially Roanoke Avenue and Pulaski.
Discussion about what it means that NY State has labeled some Riverhead schools as needing help
Three public schools in the Riverhead Central School District have been given designations by the New York State Education Department which mean that the schools are not doing well. The consequences are that the school must develop plans to improve fast; the school district will receive grants from the state; and…if the designation continues…could mean that students in those schools can choose to go to better performing schools in the district. (More on that in upcoming stories and research here and at the RASi website.)
RASi is disappointed with newspaper coverage of this story.
The Riverhead Local wrote a story about this situation — ie: New York State labeling three schools as “Improvement” schools. Yet, the Riverhead Local focused on that fact that the designation gave state aid to our district, and did little to explain that the designations reveal big problems. Nor, did the Riverhead Local explain that it could mean families might have the right to choose alternative schools if they are in the low performing schools.
The Riverhead News-Review also covered the story. The News-Review story explained the situation a little more clearly. They quoted a district official as saying, “We’re hoping that we make strides and we escape the notation that is here.” Though, The News-Review also failed to let parents know that the failures of the school district and the local schools may give parents rights about choosing alternative school choices.
It should also be noted that, as many people may feel “trapped” in a poorly performing school, there is already a kind of choice through the district. Riverhead Central School District students may attend the Riverhead Charter School free of charge. riverheadcharterschool.org (Though, there is a specific application process, some deadlines, and a lottery. You could check in with the Riverhead Charter School and/or follow research and updates from RASi.)
At the elementary level, where Riverhead Central School District has four different schools, parents have another possible option. Roanoke Avenue is designated a “Comprehensive Improvement School” that needs help. If your child goes there, you could write to the school board and ask them if your child can switch to a higher performing school. Depending on the state process and status right now, Riverhead Central School District might decide to say yes or be forced to say yes. It is a strategy for parents can try now.
Of course, parents can always choose options such as: Private School, Homeschool, or diving in to your local public school politics and/or the district politics to make waves and/or volunteer!
Background:
Riverhead Central School District School which have been labeled as needing help
Roanoke Avenue Elementary School Comprehensive Support and Improvement school
Riverhead Middle School Comprehensive Support and Improvement school
Pulaski Street School (an intermediary school) Targeted Support and Improvement school
Elementary School Ratings:
According to various school rating organizations, the elementary schools in Riverhead Central School District have various levels of success. The ratings do not match up perfectly. Though, the nonprofit Great Schools https://www.greatschools.org/ put the ratings at:
Pandemic Blues. What happens when a married couple is stuck together in a house for way too long? This poem premiered at Boog City 15.5 Arts Festival, 2022. Poets: Ian Wilder and Kimberly Wilder.
Our human rights were squashed. People measured and deliberated and reminded us that it has happened to other people before. Politicians, including Democratic officials, postured and bandaged the edges and left us here in our state of shock and oppression. Around the country, in little pockets, laws are being changed to hurt us more and faster. Innocent women are being prosecuted. Their mothers are being shamed, and prosecuted, and harassed. Bad guys and backwards, old fashioned patriarchs are testing what else they can possibly do to women, now that we are on the ground, foot on our necks, weakened.
It is not time to rest on laurels. It is not time to get one law passed, or distract America solving this little problem or that little problem.
It is time to stack the Supreme Court. It is time to impeach the cheaters on the Supreme Court. It is time to work each day on how to solve this simmering problem. It is time to listen to women, even when they are choking on fear and silence.
(First draft. A poem that is bubbling up in me this morning. -KW)
What Is Lost
Please help me. There is so much work to do. I am forgetting to assert my dignity each day. They have made a decree to take my rights away. I am tired. My dignity is fading away. My subjugation is melting into the fabric of America. Into the fabric of American injustice.
In order to bring attention to the 2022 tragic anti-Roe v Wade decision, and join with other calls for justice, Strike for America has called for a day of action on July 13th. You can stay home from work, buy-nothing, and/or wear black. Just let’s show how unhappy we are with the Supreme Court and the current state of affairs! Thanks Kimberly
Fighting for a woman’s right to her own, bodily autonomy.
My journal entry:
Roe Journal Kimberly Wilder July 1, 2022
I have a cold. I feel somewhat defeated.
I had wanted to do a real action in the real world each day. Though, that would have been very tough.
At least I took a bold, self-directed action. I started my own FaceBook Page: Roe Boycotts Go Nuclear. The goal is to try to make sure people know dates for proposed actions, boycotts, rallies, etc.
The FB group I joined which has more than 40,000 people is on pause. Basically, it has growing pains. I hope the admins can keep it together. Because, 40,000 of anything, no less human beings who agree on a political issue, is very good.
Let’s keep up the fight for women’s rights! (And, let’s be kind to each other in the process.)
One of the conversations at Roe v Wade events, is how we can’t believe we have all done so much – and felt so much – in so few days.
This morning, I woke up worrying first about Covid and then about The Supreme Court.
Last night (Wednesday, June 29th), I went to a rally at The Suffolk County Supreme Court here in Riverhead. It was good to be with other people. Though, as someone else noted, there was a little bit less energy and sense of satisfaction. Some of the reasons were: our group faced inward towards the court steps; the street was cordoned off, so very few passers by could see our numbers; it was heavy on speeches (many by candidates); and, it was organized by local Democratic Party committees. On the bright side for me: There was a small amount of heckling of what the Democratic Party has not done; We got to commune with like-minded people; We got to chant; And, we got to hold signs and yell about how bad The Supreme Court is.
In the morning, my little girl graduated from UPK, Universal (free) Pre-Kindergarten. There was so much happiness. Still, I decided I had to turn my back on the national anthem – no matter how festive the occasion and how much I wanted to see a child performer sing it. I just stood discretely near the back of the crowd and turned around. In that moment, I decided that I had to keep to my truth and I had to honor the women who I have been discussing these actions with online. We spent a lot of time debating if we would take a knee or turn our backs. I wasn’t going to let the whole conversation be for naught.
It is almost comical to me that the students sang “I am proud to be an American…” by Lee Greenwood. I have always sung it as, “I am proud to be an American, where at least I THINK I’m free.” This week, I have modified my satire to be, “I am proud to be an American, where at least WHITE MEN are free.” Oh, well.
Last night, the group of 43,000 plus women who have found each other on FaceBook made a big announcement. On July 13th, we will hold a boycott. It is something like “Buy Nothing Day.” Women and allies will do their best to spend no money and do no work.
I am glad to be part of a well-planned project. I am looking forward to July 13th and to seeing any results or media attention the next day.
I saw a headline about Ketanji Brown Jackson being inducted into The Supreme Court today. For a fleeting moment, I thought that Biden and The Democrats had started to pack the court. As you may know, they have not been that strong and brave yet.
My journal must include that one of my cousins passed away. She was 61 years old. I feel an extra sense of loss, because, our family is very matriarchal, and the women get to see each other for many weddings and baby showers. She was very good and kind, and will be remembered by a very big and loving family.
When the monster comes in your dreams what do you do? Do you run? Don’t run. The monster will catch you. Your life will be done.
When the monster comes in your dreams what do you do? Do you hide? Don’t hide. And, don’t try to speak. The monster destroys those who are weak.
When the monster comes should you fight? Don’t fight. The optics will not seem right. A glimpse of the monster spells out your end. Dead or alive, you will be condemned.
When the monster came what did you do? You left your bed. You started to run. You know how it ended. The monster won.
“I send you greetings from afar.” That is the opening salvo I have thought of to try to engage neighbors and unsuspecting strangers I encounter at the park during the current state of crisis and stay-at-home orders.
Health advisers and our government are telling us to stay in our homes and to avoid physical contact with other people. And, I am trying, dutifully, to do my part. Though, human beings are social creatures. It is so hard to go through the day with my only contact being my husband (who is often working from home) and my two-year-old.
In the past, at the supermarket, I might smile at someone who crossed my path. Or, I might even start a conversation with someone who was buying the same odd brand of bread as myself. Now, as soon as I encounter another shopper, there are so many questions and fears running through my mind, I often forget to even smile. How am I supposed to figure out the dance of which way to step aside, when I am thinking about if they could be sick, if they think I might be sick, if I should have put brighter lipstick on to look healthy and put people at ease, and how am I ever going to suppress this cough?
When I take my
daughter for a walk in our neighborhood, I have similar feelings,
sometimes made more awkward by the fact that there are some people
who you kind of know and usually stop to chat with. Is it safe to
talk now? How will they know that you are not going to foolheartedly
walk up to the beginning of their driveway (much closer than 6 feet
away from them) like you have in the past?
On neighborhood
walks, and at walks through the park, I started to notice a lot of
feelings when I saw someone approaching me. One feeling is just
desperation to connect and to chat with another human being. Another
feelings is not wanting to frighten that other person by taking a
step in his or her direction. How will she know, that I know, and
that I respect the fact, that I have to stay 6 feet away?
So,
as I encountered people, I started to feel words well up in me, and
an urgency to shout to them. It is like two boats passing in quiet
waters. You want to acknowledge their presence and to see if they
want to exchange pleasantries. The words I felt I needed were simple
words, to be shouted out in a hopeful manner. I was longing to say
something between “Land Ho” and the words of an Easter sermon I
heard, describing the back and forth call of Christians of old at
Easter.
So, I tried to see if I could figure out these
words and if they could be a useful, new, social contract for people
during the quarantine. When you are walking around at the
supermarket, or your block, or a park, you would call out to someone
from 7 feet away (a hint, that you know you have to stay far away):
“I send you greetings from afar”. And, the person, showing that
they, too, are interested in pleasantries – and that they, too,
understand the 6 foot social distancing rule and promise not to get
too close to you – could shout back, “I thank you and accept from
a distance…” followed by the start of a shouted
conversation.
Can you picture it? Could you do it? Or,
maybe the words need some refining before being put into general
use…
I send you greetings from afar!
I
thank you and accept from a distance!
To me, it sounds
like the start of the kind of warm, friendly exchange that we need
more of during quarantine. When I posted my idea to FaceBook, a
friend’s adult son said it sounded like the Vulcan salutation:
“Live long and prosper” which can be followed by the answer,
“Peace and long life.” I would not mind people going around
saying those words, either. I would just enjoy something to say to
ease the tension of life under quarantine and to reach out to the
other people stuck here in it with me.
COVID 19, The Coronavirus, has become part of our daily lives.
Like so many other people, I have decided to start writing and blogging again, as a result of all of my feelings and all of the time I have.Some things that have changed for me, due to the current crisis and quarantine…
So far, two of my friends have lost relatives. And, it is so sad to think that there cannot be a funeral at this time.
My mother and father are very “holed up” a few towns over. So, I can’t see them as much, celebrate family birthday parties, or take my toddler to see them.
I am not able to take my toddler to library classes or any special events.
I am not able to take my toddler to the Long Island Aquarium or the children’s bouncy play center we used to frequent.
I am stuck in the house a lot of the day with a bored toddler, trying to create activities and tasks, but also trying to create structure for our day and meaning for our daily life.
[For resources for supporting your toddler during quarantine, please see bottom of this post]
We have learned to do several kinds of video chatting, to try to catch virtual glimpses of family and old playmates. It works a little to feel connected. Though, at 2-and-a-half, there will be a few times during the call when she gets confused and asks to go to people’s homes. Sometimes crying.
Grocery shopping is frightening, even though we don’t take the toddler with us anymore. And, it is worse when there are ridiculous people with too many masks and gloves and vibes of utter fear.
I have become so desperate and needy for human company, that I pounce on any neighbors I see outside with very long, shouted conversations from across the street. When the local utility company sent a man in a van around to change our meters, I talked him up like he was a long lost friend.
One thing that has remained the same — but intensified to a frightening extent — is my love for pizza. Sure, our family used to have pizza one or two times a week, because there is a Sunday through Wednesday special. And, who doesn’t love a break from cooking? Though now, I think it is like pizza 3 times a week, and dinner on Fridays. And, if I go in to pick up the food, I gush over the owner and thank him over and over again for staying open.
I really can’t believe that I can’t buy paper towels and toilet paper, but I can buy pizza. At least that is something to be happy about.
Stay safe. Stay home (except to get fresh air on walks or outings to the park, using careful, social/physical distancing.)
Kind Regards,
Kimberly Wilder
Resources for families with toddlers during this COVID-19 crisis and quarantine:
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County http://ccesuffolk.org/ (Cornell Cooperative is where I found the other links below.)
“Five Tips to Make the Most of Video Chats” Zero to Three website The Zero to Three website had a wealth of information about very young children. A lot of other articles that say they address children and the Coronavirus seem to be aimed at four-year-olds and up, or even just school age children. I was so happy to find this site to help with questions relating to my two-year-old. It is very difficult to keep a 2-year-old interested in a video chat.
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