Dayton937

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Bill Franz

Dayton at Work & Play: Busy Beaver Arts & Crafts

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Visit to Busy Beaver Arts & Crafts (3445 Dayton Xenia Road)
A friend recently suggested I visit this store. “I went to the store looking for buttons” she told me. “They had quite a few buttons and everything you’d need for any craft project – ribbons, beads, yarn, patterns, sequins, material, and stained glass supplies. They also have stained glass classes with a one year wait list.”
I remembered I’d visited the shop about eight years ago at the suggestion of an artist friend. She thought I’d find all the art supplies photogenic.
When I visited for the first time, “the yarn lady” showed me around. “This is the ribbon room. Here is the counted cross stitch room. Here are some of our yarns, including a lot of novelty yarns. These are our miniatures, and everything you need to build your own doll house. These are supplies for people who fix clocks, and here are quilting supplies. Our art supplies department is over there.”
I remember that the store was so packed that it was hard to back up far enough to get a photo. Now I can use my iPhone, which lets me take closer photos.
When I visited this time, I met Danielle and asked her if anything had changed since I last visited. She said that their fused glass classes and fused glass supplies were new. As we talked, Danielle was working on a fused glass craft. She said she’d paint a face on each of the small pieces she was cutting out. Then, after the pieces were fused, she’d glue them onto small magnets.
Danielle also told me the store had a new owner – the daughter of the couple who started the business over 30 years ago. She came back to Dayton over ten years ago to work in the business and then recently became the owner.

Dayton at Work and Play: Tony & Pete’s

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Visit to Tony & Pete’s (129 East Third)
This sandwich shop opened in 2022, but this was our first visit. I decided I wanted to try it when I heard that their business was growing so fast that they had rented the shop next door. They’ll bake bread and do some of their prep work and their catering work there while customers continue to order and eat at the original shop.
I ordered their Stretto’s spicy salami sandwich featuring salami, parmesan, arugula, spicy spread and Calabrian honey. My wife chose Turkey Pesto, which has turkey, mozzarella, house pesto, roasted red peppers and arugula. The sandwiches were delicious and large – more than we could finish. We decided that next time we’d split one sandwich and then walk to Val’s Bakery for a dessert.
There’s quite a bit of seating inside, but we chose the patio and watched a steady stream of customers enter. In addition to the sandwiches, they have salads and a few grocery items.

I read that Tony & Pete’s was started by a husband-and-wife team that met at Wright State. Like many of us they worked part-time during college. By the time they graduated they had moved up to food service management positions and decided to stay in that industry. They worked in well-known restaurants in Cincinnati, in New York and finally in Chicago. When the pandemic hit they moved back to Dayton and started planning their own business here.

The business has been growing rapidly, and Tony & Pete’s says they may soon be expanding to new locations.

Dayton at Work and Play: Val’s Bakery

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Our first visit to Val’s Bakery (25 S St Clair, Downtown)
People have suggested I try Val’s Bakery ever since they opened a few years ago. Val’s started out sharing space with Dished! in Kettering. After only 8 months, they opened their own location on Brown St. Just 6 months later, they had outgrown the space and are now in a larger space downtown.
A few days ago, Val’s Bakery won Best Bakery in the Best of Dayton competition, and I decided I really needed to try this place out. We went Saturday morning when downtown parking is free, and found a line outside waiting to get in. We used our time in line to talk to other patrons about what we should order. We opted for a plain croissant, an almond croissant, a blueberry-lime scone and a chocolate chip cookie.
We were glad to see that there was lots of seating, so we sat and tried two of our treats right away. My scone was amazing, and the plain croissant we ate that evening was as good as any I’ve ever had.
I don’t normally do food photography, but Val’s website talks about the importance of the laminations in making their European-style pastries. They say their treats have “hundreds of flaky layers that melt in your mouth,” so I thought I’d show a cross-section of one of their coconut chocolate croissants. I bought that at Val’s drive-through coffee bar (5707 Bigger) a few days after we went to the downtown location. I cut this one in half and shared it with my wife. We both licked our plate, so we’d get every crumb.
After people suggested Val’s Bakery, I waited a few years before I finally tried it. Then I bought their pastries twice in less than a week. That’s how good they are. I will be a regular.
Val’s Bakery

25 S St Clair St,
Dayton, OH 45402


Wed – Fri 7am – 2pm
Sat 9am – 2pm
Sun 10am – 2pm

Coffee Bar by Val’s Bakery

Drive-Thru

5707 Bigger Road,
Kettering OH 45440

Mon 7am to 6pm
Tues – Sat 7am to 3pm

Pastries come fresh from the bakery every:

Wednesday – Fri 7am to sold out

Saturday 9am to sold out

Dayton At Work and Play: Independence Day

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On July 4, 1776 the members of the Continental Congress put their lives and property at risk as they signed the Declaration of Independence. The second sentence of that document is one of the best known in the English language: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
To the 55 rich white men who signed the document, that sentence referred to the rights of people like themselves. They weren’t suggesting that women were created equal to men, or that Native Americans were created equal to those who came here from Europe. But their words inspired those and other groups to fight for equal rights.
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You can track the progress of these groups by looking at the dates when the group gained the right to vote. The history is complex because voting rules vary by state, but the progression goes something like this:
1828 all white men, not just property owners, can vote
1870 the constitution’s 15th amendment gives black men the right to vote. Some states comply
1890 Native Americans can vote
1920 Women can vote
1965 Voting Rights Act forces all states to follow the constitution and let Blacks vote
The struggle for voting rights continues. The current Supreme Court has weakened the Voting Rights Act, which allows the party in power to make voting more difficult for groups that tend to support the opposition. But much progress has been made since July 4, 1776.
Today we celebrate the brave men who signed the Declaration of Independence, and the millions of brave men and women who were inspired by their lofty words and worked to make the promise of equal rights come true for all Americans.

Dayton at Work and Play: Kokopelli Gift House

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Visit to Kokopelli Gift House (4125 Little York Road).

By chance, I saw a photo of this store online. It looked so interesting I was surprised I had never heard of it. From the sign I could see they have Native American jewelry and rocks and crystals. I didn’t see how a business like that could make it in Dayton.
“We’ve been here for 30 years” Lisa told me. She explained that she and her mother were rockhounds, and that they lived in the West quite a while. They started trading some of their stones to Native Americans for their jewelry and built a wholesale jewelry business.

Thirty years ago, Lisa and her mother returned to Dayton and opened this shop. Now she runs it with her daughter. She still deals with some of the same Native American families she first traded with.
I asked about the store’s name and Lisa explained that the figure on her sign (bent over playing a flute) is Kokopelli. He is a fertility figure in the tradition of some of the tribes in the Southwest. He’s also known as a trickster.
The store is packed with interesting items, and there are signs explaining things to a novice like me. For only $3.50 I might want to carry a piece of turquoise with me, to protect myself from depression, exhaustion and panic attacks. I’m sure that my wife would feel that the turquoise jewelry in the shop would be a better way to get that protection.

Dayton at Work and Play: Dayton Humane & Co

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Visit to Dayton Humane & Co. – A Resale Boutique (Crosspointe Shopping Center, Centerville).
Brian Weltge has been the Humane Society’s president for more than 20 years and I’ve enjoyed seeing all of the new things he’s done with the organization, things like opening a Veterinary Hospital or starting the MeowZa Cat Boutique at the Dayton Mall. I’ve been looking forward to checking out their new Resale Boutique.
Stephanie showed me around. She said they’ve been researching this move for more than a year. When they got this space – a former Marshall’s store – they saw they could create something unlike most thrift stores. With this layout you can see everything that’s currently available.
I asked one of the shoppers what she thought of the store. “I found a nice top for $4 and a word game for only $2. I’m hoping I can get my grandkids to try the game instead of doing everything on their phones. I like the way they’ve laid things out here so you can find everything. I’ll be back.”
I checked out their artwork and found a very broad range of price points – from a $20 framed print to a large piece for $500. I thought $500 was high for a thrift store until I checked out the artist online. Paintings by Michael Nisperos regularly sell for $2,000 and more.
I love the way they’re promoting the store “It’s more than just shopping – every purchase supports the lifesaving work of the Humane Society of Greater Dayton, a no-kill animal welfare organization.”
At my stage of life I’m donating a lot more items than I’m buying. I was glad to see that they offer a pickup service if you have large items to donate. Just email them at shophumane@hsdayton.org The store is open 10 to 6 Wednesday through Friday, 11 to 7 Saturday and 12 to 4 Sunday.

Dayton at Work And Play: Deepika Singh

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Conversation with Deepika Singh, co-owner (with her husband Jay) of Gulzar’s Indian Cuisine (across the street from the Dayton Dragons at 217 N. Patterson Blvd).

I love eating at Gulzar’s, and stopped in to check out the restaurant’s new space, which is adjacent to their old space. I asked Deepika how she came to be in the restaurant business.
“My husband Jay and I were both born in India and came here as children. When we married we decided to join Gulzar’s, Jay’s family business. The original Gulzar’s was started in Richmond, Indiana by my husband’s father. He named the restaurant Gulzar’s after his own father’s name. Now Jay’s older brother runs the restaurant in Richmond and we run this place in Dayton.”
“We opened downtown three years ago and are really happy with how well it’s gone. Some people who live or work downtown love Indian food and were glad to have us here. Others are new to this type of food but open to trying new things. We have a buffet for lunch every day so people can try all kinds of food and discover what they like the best.”
“When this space next to us opened up we decided to rent it and to give the restaurant a new look. As we designed this new space we asked our customers for ideas. Martin Pleiss, a customer who works at the Dayton Art Institute was a big help. The restaurant now seats 168, more than twice the seating they had before.”
“My husband and his father are the cooks here. You mentioned that you’ve enjoyed eating here, Bill. The dishes you ate were northern Indian food. In this new space we have a new menu. We’ve added some south Indian items you may want to try.”
I asked Deepika what she did before coming to Gulzar’s. “I was a teacher, and I loved it. I was born to be a teacher, and I feel like I still teach. Teaching is part of running a business.”

Dayton at Work and Play: Samaneh Faramarzi

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I met Samaneh (Sama) Faramarzi at the Second Street Market as she was selling her art and some of her baked goods. Then I visited one of the most versatile artists I’ve ever met.
When I arrived Sama was painting in her backyard. “I usually paint indoors but today was so beautiful I moved things outside” she told me.
We started with saffron tea and raisin cookies. Then I tried a slice of her cake. “The cakes are similar to those found in Europe” she explained. “They are less sweet than most American cakes and have layers of cream and fresh fruits. The cookies are a traditional Iranian recipe.”
“I’ve always enjoyed cooking, and I started baking my own pastries and cakes because I missed these flavors from my home country. I made cookies and a cake for my son’s 3rd birthday party and people enjoyed them. Now more and more people want me to bake for them. I call that business Sama’s Sweet Kitchen.“
“People especially like my decorated cakes, and I enjoy making them. They are not just desserts. They are edible artwork. When I’m not painting on canvas, I find great fulfillment in making these cakes, and I know they bring happiness to others.”
Then Sama showed me some of her artwork. “I work in many mediums and in many styles. I use acrylic and water colors and colored pencils and alcohol and ink. Sometimes I paint precisely and sometimes I do pour paintings that make an abstract pattern. Sometimes I even do hand building in clay. Unless I’m doing a commission for someone I just make the art that will make me the most happy at that time.”
Sama sent me home with a few slices of cake and some cookies. My wife absolutely loved the cake and when she saw photos of some of the decorated cakes I could see she was thinking about using them for some event. For myself, I liked the cake but may have become addicted to Sama’s raisin cookies. I think I’ll tell my daughters that’s what I want for Father’s Day.

Mateo is not a criminal

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Mateo is not a criminal


As I worked on this and the other pieces in this series I wondered if any gallery would want to exhibit them. This work is a direct criticism of the president, and he’s doing his best to make people afraid to criticize him.

In his first 100 days in power the president has gone after everyone who’s ever made him mad. When he doesn’t attack people or institutions directly he mentions something online and his most rabid fans do his dirty work. When judges rule against him, for example, they and their families get hundreds of threatening emails and phone calls.

In this political atmosphere many people and institutions are trying to avoid any confrontation with the administration. That’s a common reaction to a bully – keep your head down and hope he doesn’t notice you. Even if the bully targets you the temptation is not to complain because he could always make it worse.

That’s why I wasn’t sure if this work would be exhibited. But I applied to ArtPrize anyway. That’s a huge art competition and festival held in Grand Rapids annually. This year it will run from September 18 to October 4. Over 800,000 people come to ArtPrize each year.

Within days of applying I got an email from one of the 149 participating venues inviting me to exhibit. Last weekend I drove to Grand Rapids to make sure that the owner of the business where I’d been invited to exhibit was fully on board with work that was political. He told me he didn’t see my art as political, and he himself never gets involved in politics. He sees what is being done to these children and their parents as a human rights issue. To him my work was about human rights, not politics.

So the work will be seen in Michigan this fall. Now I need to finish the work, and find more places where someone likes the art and is not worried about irritating the president and his most rabid fans.

Dayton at Work and Play: Matthew R. Burgy Artworks

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Conversation with Matthew Burgy of Matthew R. Burgy Artworks (Front Street, Building 100, BC door, 3rd floor). Are you a full time artist now, Matthew?
“Well I was a part-time artist until recently. I was working full time at the Dayton Art Institute as a museum educator until they were forced to make some staff cuts. I am still teaching in some workshops at the Dayton Society of Artists but I’m primarily a working artist now.”
Are you selling here at Front Street? “I am. I’m working in this space and selling here too. I’m open for First Friday of course, but also every Saturday 11-4.”
Your booth has a lot of different types of art. “Yes, I do drawing, painting, print making, mixed media in addition to my kinetic work. It may seem to cover a broad range but I feel like it’s all related to nature.”
When I’m at Front Street I often stop by to look at your kinetic sculptures. How long have you been doing making mobiles?
“It goes back to my student days at Wright State. I was doing print making and I made a mistake and ruined a big sheet of aluminum. Rather than throw it away I cut it into parts and tried to make a mobile. A friend explained some of the physics of it, which helped, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I used to graph everything out, but now I have just a general idea and then see what happens. In fact rather than referring back to some drawing I’ve made I often just watch nature and see how things are balanced there.”
“In addition to mobiles that hang I’ve been making staybiles. They sit on a stationary pedestal and they have some moving parts . As I make them I’m trying to get motion without having the components hit the base. That gets a little tricky. Those with the red bead are part of a series – a seed series – based on the shape of helicopter seeds.”
As he talked with me Matthew was bending a piece of wire. Before I left he had made one of his face figures. “I need to get a name for these guys, because people seem to like them and I love making them.”
Matthew R. Burgy Artworks
Front Street, Building 100,
BC door, 3rd floor  Studio #3345
Dayton, OH, 45402

Dayton at Work and Play: Richard Lundin

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Conversation with Richard Lundin at Front Street (1001 East 2nd).
I know you came here from Chicago about 10 years ago. What brought you?
“One of the owners was getting ready to retire and I said I’d take a look at the place and give them my thoughts. I thought it would take me a few months, but 10 years later I’m still here. I became a part owner in 2020.”
“The three buildings here were built in the late 1800’s. There was a paper mill here once, with equipment powered by a canal that ran right by the place. Then it was the home of an envelope company. When they moved in 1965 the current ownership group bought the buildings and started renting space to entrepreneurs of all kinds.”
“There were a few artists who rented space back in 1965 – artists are always looking for inexpensive studio space – but it was mostly businesses. Over time the number of artists has grown. Now about 150 artists rent about 75% of the space. I think they see a benefit to being part of the community of artists here
I’ve always loved photographing here because I love taking pictures of people at work. At Front Street I’ve photographed boat builders, jewelry makers, glass blowers, painters, and many other kinds of workers. “I enjoy that too. I love to see people who are really good at the thing they do, and we have a lot of really talented people here.”

I’ve never seen a landlord get so involved in the success of his tenants. “We do what we can to support the artists here. We run a monthly party where everyone opens their studios and lots of people come. It’s the first Friday of the month and the following Saturday. And lots of people visit at other times, too. Our doors are open from 7am to 7pm and if you walk around the buildings during those hours you’ll always find some studios open and some artists who are happy to talk to you.”
“We’re doing something special here May 2 and May 3. It’s called ARTebration. We’ll have street artists from all over the country painting new murals on the walls at Front Street; plus there’s music and food and all of our art studios will be open.”

Dayton at Work and Play: Sandra Simi

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Conversation with Sandra Simi at Safari Treasures.  Sandra sometimes shops in Belmont at Anita Nzigiye’s Ikaze East African Market, which is how I got her name.
“I left Kenya 30 years ago but opened this shop just over 2 years ago. We sell many things from Africa but our main business is woven baskets.”
“Basket weaving is more than a craft in Africa. It represents tradition and the power of working together. Nothing shows that better than the baskets I have from Rwanda. That country suffered through a terrible genocide and in the aftermath the government started a reconciliation program. As part of that program Hutu women and Tutsi women weave baskets together.”
“I’ve traveled across Africa meeting weavers and talking about what designs might fit the U.S. market. Those baskets you’re photographing now are from Ghana and made out of elephant grass. It’s one of the strongest plants ever.”
“Those over there are from Uganda. They eat a lot of bananas in Uganda and make baskets out of banana leaves. Those are from Rwanda. They’re made from sisal. These are from Sierra Leone. They include recycled plastic to reinforce their baskets and to add color. That makes them durable, but nothing is as durable as the baskets made from elephant grass. Those can be used to carry heavy objects for decades.”
“I have been disappointed in sales at my shop, so on weekends I sell at art fairs and craft fairs. Those have been great for me. I also sell at the 2nd Street market on weekends when I’m in town. There is also one special kind of basket that I sell at the gift shop at The Contemporary Dayton. It’s difficult to make. The weaver tightens some of the strands to get a wave-like shape. Each of those baskets is special, truly one of a kind.”
Before leaving to talk with Sandra I showed the shop’s social media photos to my wife. She decided to go to the shop with me, and now there’s a basket made from elephant grass on our dining room table.
5785 Far Hills Ave
Dayton, Ohio 45429
937-608-2448

Sun – Fri 10am – 5pm
closed Saturday

Dayton At Work and Play: Zach Hensley

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Conversation with Zach Hensley, manager of Dayton Ohio Habitat for Humanity ReStore  How long have you had this job, Zeke?
“I’ve been here for four years. Before that I was a manager at the Dayton airport. Almost everything we sell here is donated, and the profits from our sales support Habitat for Humanity. They help people who need affordable housing and who are willing to invest hundreds of hours of work alongside volunteers.”
“We sell all kinds of household goods, appliances, furniture, cabinets, building supplies, books, TVs, flooring and more. We just got a big load of new furniture from a national chain that is moving locations. The Dayton Dragons have also been sending us quite a bit lately.”
I see a sign for volunteer check in. Do you use lots of volunteers? “We do. We couldn’t operate without volunteers. Right now, quite a few of our volunteers are students. We have people from U.D., Wright State, Sinclair and a few high schools.”
“I mentioned that almost everything we sell has been donated to us. The exception is paint and painting supplies. Reselling paint that was donated to us probably wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Even though it’s not donated, the paint we sell is recycled. It’s called EcoTone and it is supplied to us by a company in Van Wert. They take unused paint, sort it, triple-filter it and blend it into 18 different colors. We like offering recycled paint because it saves out customers money and it prevents unused paint from entering landfills and waterways.”

Dayton Ohio Habitat for Humanity ReStore
115 W Riverview Ave.
Dayton, Ohio 45405

Hours of Operation

Tuesday through Saturday
OPEN. 9:00 a.m.- Noon &
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
The Dayton ReStore is closed Noon- 1:00 p.m. daily for lunch

Dayton at Work and Play: Anita Nzigiye

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Conversation with Anita Nzigiye at Ikaze East African Market in Belmont. I’ve driven by this store at 2515 Smithville many times, but just stopped in for the first time and met Anita. I asked about the store and the people they serve.
“I am from Rwanda” she told me. “I left Rwanda for the U.S. in 2007 and became a citizen in 2014. I opened this store in March, 2020, just at the start of the pandemic. Most of our customers are from Africa, especially East Africa.”
“Much of the food we sell comes from East Africa. We even get our eggplants from Africa. They are similar to the eggplant you have here, but smaller. I personally think local eggplant taste the same, but people like to have the small African eggplant, the one they ate when they were growing up.”
“We sell a lot of staples like palm oil, rice, corn flour and Cassava flour. We sell most of these staples in large quantities. African people don’t like to go to a market every day. They want to buy enough when they are in the market so that they don’t need to shop again for two weeks or more, even if they have a large family.”
“Our corn flour and cassava flour is used to make fufu, which is an important part of our diet. When you’re done making fufu it looks kind of like mashed potatoes, but it’s thicker. We tear off pieces of it and use it to eat soups or stews.”
“We also carry many kinds of fish because people from the Congo especially love fish. We sell dried fish, salted fish, frozen fish, tilapia, all kinds of fish. They seem to eat fish every day.”
“We also sell green bananas here, which you call plantains. We boil them and then fry them. It’s good. We also sell a lot of ground peanuts, used to make soup.”
Anita told me about a restaurant called Soso Cuisine that recently opened in West Carrollton. The owner is from Rwanda. Anita suggested I try their sambusa. If we go to Soso Cuisine and love one of their African dishes and want to try making it at home, I now know where to buy the African ingredients.

Ikaze East African Market

2515 Smithville
Dayton, OH 45420
937) 567-0778
Mon – Sat 9:30am – 8pm
Sun 10am -8pm

Dayton at Work and Play: Chef Cece

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Conversation with Chef Cece of The Burger Bistro, one of the four restaurants at The Silos (801 East First). I asked Chef Cece about her food background.

“It seems like I’ve always been cooking” she told me. “My mother tells people that at age 7 I’d come home from school, open the refrigerator door, and then cook something creative out of whatever ingredients I found. But I didn’t think about cooking as a career. I worked for a large company in customer service. Sometimes at work we’d bring in food to share and people raved about my food. They said I should be selling it.”
“With that encouragement, I decided to start doing some catering on the side. Soon I was making more from catering than on my regular job. So 4 years ago I quit and started cooking full time. I call my business Cece’s Kitchen
The last 4 years have been crazy busy. In addition to our catering we now have a food truck that’s been very popular. I keep getting calls from people wondering when we’ll start it up again for the season. They especially miss our Taco Tuesday. And now we have a brick and mortar location – The Burger Bistro at the Silos. Business has been really good here at the Silos. I’m so glad my husband Antonio decided to jump on board. I really needed the help.”
What’s your most popular dish here at the Silos?
“Our Hot Honey Fried Chicken Deviled Eggs are our biggest seller. Our top burger is called Triple B. It’s a double smash burger with bacon, cheddar and provolone cheese, jalapeno, fried onions and maple bacon sauce.”
The last time I ate at the Burger Bistro I tried your glazed salmon sliders. They were so good I’ll have trouble ordering anything else.
“Those are a favorite for a lot of people, but before you get stuck in a rut you’ve got to try those eggs I told you about. And in May we’ll have some new menu items that might also tempt you.”

Bill Franz’s Hidden Figures: Miguel

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This series was inspired by words – President Trump’s lies about the Haitian immigrants in Springfield.    I’ve decided that I should try to include words in the images I’m creating.  I should use my words to combat those of the president.

 

Lies and slander are part of the president’s schtick, the comedic style he uses to entertain his followers.  Wikipedia lists more than 80 of his derogatory nicknames, like calling his predecessor “Crooked Joe.”   The president uses those nicknames to demean other powerful people.  It’s different when his slurs are directed at the most vulnerable.

When powerful people direct hate speech against the vulnerable I hear echoes of some of history’s worst events. Calling Haitians criminals who eat people’s dogs and cats makes me think of the Tutsis who were called cockroaches before the killings in Rwanda, or the Jews who were called vermin before their German citizenship was stripped away. Words aimed at dehumanizing the vulnerable can be a first step towards abuse. When we hear those words we need to shout them down.

Miguel’s parents brought him here to escape the violence in his native country.  He has no documentation, so the president labels him a criminal. We cannot let that label stand.  It can be used to justify abuses, claiming they were acceptable because they were directed only against criminals.

If the president wants to label some people as criminals, we should insist that he use the word accurately.  A criminal is a person who has been found guilty in a court of law of committing a crime.  The president is a criminal.  Miguel is not.