Doesn’t it feel like lately we’re living in a dystopian world?

Humans have gotten so creative about the different forms of ‘ugly’ and hate we’ve been able to come up with – all intending to take power away from someone else. We’ve  really outdone ourselves. 
[Insert “slow clap” for us humans at this point.]   
Sexism, racism, ageism sizism!
Fascism!
Xenophobia and homophobia!
Religious discrimination, disability discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination!  
And that’s not even all.

The history of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance goes back to WWI.  (Maybe you know the poem with the line “In Flanders fields the poppies blow”.)  The poppy is a deeply symbolic flower but its inherent ability and its symbolism are at odds with each other. Poppies can dull the senses, making us forget but they also serve as a reminder of bravery, of those who stood up and fought. 

I did this mixed-media piece in 2018 when taking a stand against discrimination and  for truth became a necessity.  It was an imperative then as it is now to bear witness to these events. Those four long years have passed, and now, I remind myself not to let my senses be dulled; I hope I never forget where we could have ended up as a nation had we not remembered to fight.

(Article taken from The Man Behind the Trump Dossier in the March 12, 2018 issue of The New Yorker.)