J-Alex
Favorite Writers: Akwaeke Emezi and Cameron Awkward-Rich
Hidden Talent: Making up recipes on the spot
Bio: J-Alex is a Southern poet and queer justice advocate. Among many other interests, he is passionate about queer-affirming theology and the power of poetry as a tool for liberation. In their free time, they love cooking, reading, lifting weights, and napping in the grass when it’s warm.
Posts By: J-Alex B
Alabama Keeps Pushing Buttons, But We’ll Keep Pushing Back
On Thursday, March 7th, after weeks of public hearings and a vote through the Alabama Senate, the Alabama House made a final vote passing SB1 a.k.a. the “anti-absentee voters bill.” This bill makes it a felony to assist with “distributing, ordering, requesting, collecting, prefilling, completing, obtaining, or delivering” an absentee ballot for anyone apart from the absentee voter. Worse yet, the bill makes it a Class B felony to accept “gifts or payments” for assisting absentee voters. Do you know what else are considered Class B felonies in Alabama? Violent crimes such as statutory rape and first degree manslaughter. Yes, you read that correctly. SB 1 seeks to not only criminalize assistance with absentee voting, but it will place it in the same category as rape and murder. In other… Read more »
We Need To Give the “Bootstraps” Narrative the Boot
Since September 2023, I have been juggling three part-time jobs. I took on these responsibilities because I didn’t have another choice. After spending a year and a half churning out hundreds of job applications and preparing for hours of interviews, not getting any offers left me exasperated. I knew I had to earn income in some way while still searching for the right full-time job for me. I now make enough money to afford health insurance, a car note, and to maintain a savings account. However, if I wasn’t living with family, I would be living paycheck to paycheck at best. While I may not struggle to make ends meet, many Americans do. A press release from the Lending Club confirms that Americans from all tax brackets are increasingly living… Read more »
Weathering the Storm: Mutual Aid Amidst the Emerging Climate Crisis
In the early morning of January 8th, my mom warned me to be careful coming home from work that night. There was an 80% chance of severe thunderstorms and winds were expected to kick up to 25 MPH by the time my shift ended. Just over five minutes after I clocked in, I overheard my co-workers discussing how schools shut down in surrounding towns. I thought to myself that it must be serious, so work wouldn’t be too bad since people would be bunkering down at home. Eight hours later, it looked like the storm had literally and figuratively reached its hands through our back entrances and blew through our backroom as workers rushed to prepare over fifty last-minute orders for delivery and curbside pick-up. Everyone was yelling, everyone was… Read more »
