A few days ago I ran across one of my favorite Camden activists (hey Ronsha!) commenting on something written by another of my favorite Camden activists (hi Keith!) and it was tagged #TiredAsHell. I laughed when I saw it. I said yes, that. I shook my head. There’s so much work to do, and I admire so many of the folks who are #TiredAsHell doing it. That’s certainly where I am.

There are a lot of issues that deserve to be discussed further in Camden and I’ve been trying (and often failing) to find the time to write about them. I’m thinking about good news (such as excessive force complaints falling in the city), bad (such as Riletta Cream’s passing), and the constant drumbeat of musical chairs (such as our most recent elections, or the changes at Cooper’s Ferry). There’s the impending issues of affordability and gentrification, questions of how Camden will be treated by a new administration, and Rutgers place in all these debates (something that feels more pertinent to me all the time — and more challenging for me as a professor and resident). 

These challenges are all happening in a difficult national climate, where the increase in nativism is particularly hard on communities such as Camden’s (and many others). 

All of this is to say that we have so much to talk about and that needs to be balanced against self-care and being #TiredAsHell. This work can wear you out. In that spirit, I try to take some time off around the holidays to recharge. In the past year I’ve become involved with many more groups, I’ve started writing at Blue Jersey, and I’m in the run-up to tenure. I need a deep breath. 

Jared and I will be back January 16th at the start of Rutgers Spring Semester. Please consider joining us when we write in the Spring, and take the time you need to recharge over the holidays.