Beverly Scott's Blog

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“It was personal action that De Tocqueville mentioned as being characteristic of the American people. They were so generous, so kind, so charitably disposed.”

-Frances Perkins

SOCIAL SECURITY – SAFETY NET

Recently historian Heather Cox Richardson reviewed the history of the Social Security Act which President Roosevelt signed into law in 1935. It is a dramatic example of how community values and pooling resources can help take care of everyone. In her “Letters from an American” blog, Richardson describes how the Act

“established a federal system of old-age benefits; unemployment insurance; aid to homeless, dependent, and neglected children; funds to promote maternal and child welfare; and public health services. It was a sweeping reworking of the relationship between the government and its citizens, using the power of taxation to pool funds to provide a basic social safety net.”

FRANCES PERKINS

The driving force behind the law was Frances Perkins the first women to hold a cabinet position in the US Government. She had a vision which was vastly different from the dominant view of “rugged individualism” common at the time. Richardson reports that when asked about the origins of the Social Security Act, Frances Perkins quoted Alexis de Tocqueville who wrote that he thought Americans were uniquely “so generous, so kind and so charitably disposed.”  Perkins went on to say, “I don’t know anything about the times in which de Tocqueville visited America, but I do know that at the time I came into the field of social work, these feelings were real.”

AMERICA TURNS TO DARKNESS

What has happened to the America de Tocqueville saw as kind, generous, and charitable? Our current President and those who follow him spout rhetoric filled with hatred, lies and incendiary language. His administration has ended the American support for the poor and hungry in the world and eliminated the food programs, health care and financial support for the poor in our own country. That is not evidence of kindness, generosity, or charity. It is a return to the philosophy of “every man for himself” common in the early decades of the twentieth century.

Furthermore, our President is now clearly acting as an authoritarian, imposing his dominance over our institutions and citizens. He is ignoring conventions once taken for granted and is trying to break the judiciary. Congress has already largely ceded its power to him in its current configuration. It is no longer just a fear; it is now a reality. Project 2025 is being installed in our government as we watch cherished programs and whole government agencies being wrecked.

HUMAN VALUES ARE THE LIGHT WE NEED

My parents raised me with their traditional Christian values -- compassion, love, giving, caring about our neighbors, citizens, and fellow humans around the world. It meant we were in community with others in our neighborhood, our town, our country, and the world. It meant that we reached out to take care of those less fortunate. My father taught me that I could dislike or reject another’s behavior. But we must view others’ humanity with compassion and acceptance. He believed it was our job to learn from these situations.

Despite the rhetoric of the US President and the rants on social media, I am sure there are many other people in our country who hold those the same or similar values to mine. They are not unique; numerous spiritual and cultural traditions share and teach common human values. It is easy for me to slide into an apathetic attitude because I don’t see, read or hear about others who have those concerns and values. They are not promoted or covered in most media because those values don’t attract attention, viewers, or readers. Crime, disaster, and celebrity news boost the ratings. And it feels overwhelming!

IMMIGRANT SCAPEGOATS

Instead, we hear about Trump’s views of the immigrants as criminals and drug pushers. When I hear or read about the way immigrants are being snatched by ICE and taken away without due process, access to an attorney or even verification of wrong-doing, I am angry.  I feel compassion and understanding for the immigrants’ plight. Yes, they may have broken the law to come into our country illegally but, we have not provided a path to apply for citizenship that is efficient and available. We send mixed messages of invitation and welcoming while denying a straightforward process to citizenship. We offer opportunities to work to clean our homes, do our gardening, pick our strawberries, and fill other less desirable jobs. As a result, immigrants pay taxes and become valuable contributors to our economy.

A DIVERSE AND COMPASSIONATE WORLD

Gavin Newsom, governor of California, points out that California is the most diverse state with fourth largest economy in the world. He argues that it is our diversity that has made the state such an economic success. Indeed, research has shown that diverse teams that bring different views, perspectives and competencies are more successful than teams composed of members with similar views, perspectives, and competencies.

Appreciating such differences requires acceptance and understanding of difference and its value. It also leads to caring, compassion, and generosity when our neighbors or our work colleagues are suffering. As Americans, we have a history of recognizing the contributions of others who are different, acting with compassion and generosity when tragedy befalls our neighbors next door, across town or around the world.

The proclamation of “America first” erodes that sense of community and collaboration. It stereotypes and scapegoats brown and black people as criminals and undermines acceptance and compassion. It denies the undocumented people’s humanity and encourages hatred and violence. Even worse, “America first” promotes fear and isolation and emphasizes every person for him or herself: pursuing selfish desires rather than what supports the whole community and humanity.

HOW WE PUSH BACK AUTHORITARIAN RULE

I am proud of communities and citizens who protest ICE, walk children to school, or show up at the court when immigrants are following the law and procedures to pursue the tortuous path to gain citizenship. I am pleased that some elected officials are speaking out against the hatred and brutality that Trump promotes. But stopping this authoritarian avalanche of unlawful Executive Orders, firings, threats of retribution, and extortion of universities and law firms is overwhelming.

What the experts say is that we must mobilize large numbers of people to protest against Trump, his supporters, and their authoritarian actions. De Tocqueville also said, “The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.” Are there enough of us who want to repair our faults? Can we do that? Are there enough of us who are angry, worried, afraid and in despair? Are there enough of us willing to throw off our apathy and express our resistance? Are there enough of us who are willing to protest, to take a stand against authoritarianism? Are there enough of us who care, who have compassion, who believe in equality, justice, and freedom for everyone?

I believe there are.

CALL TO ACTION

Will you join me on Labor Day to show that we want to repair our faults and that we do not support a “king” or authoritarian rule?

Find an event here:  www.mobilize.us or www.indivisible.org

Photo by StockSnap via Pixabay

A World in Crisis

I begin this with a heavy heart as I witness the turmoil unfolding in our world: Israel has bombed Iran, escalating tensions into what may become a full-scale Middle East war. In Los Angeles, a California senator was unlawfully arrested while attempting to question the Secretary of Homeland Security. President Trump staged a show of authoritarian force with a military-style parade in Washington, D.C., and unlawfully called out the National Guard in Los Angeles. Immigrants are being arrested at work, and even small children are being detained. A Minnesota state legislator and her husband were assassinated.

Closer to home, here in San Francisco's Mission District, vandals broke into “Maney’s,” a cherished community gathering space, scrawling vile antisemitic graffiti—an ugly contradiction to the Bay Area’s legacy of acceptance and respect for diversity. These acts underscore a rising tide of hatred and division that threatens the very fabric of our society.

Rejecting Apathy

It would be easy to slide into despair—or to simply shrug and say, “This doesn’t concern me.” But I know neither response is right for me. I recently received a sticker from an organization I support. It reads: “Apathy is NOT an option.” That message resonates deeply. To be apathetic is to betray my belief in justice, equality, and the moral obligation to act in the face of discrimination and injustice.

Redefining Hope

I’ve just finished reading the updated edition of Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit. In it, she powerfully reframes hope—not as naïve optimism, but as a commitment to possibility, to action, and to the belief that our efforts matter, even when the outcomes remain unknown. She describes hope as grounded in uncertainty—not despite it, but because of it. It is uncertainty that opens the space for change.

The Power of Collective Resistance

Solnit reminds us that transformative victories have come from movements born out of this kind of hope. She insists that popular power has always been a force for change. Authoritarianism thrives in silence and complacency; it falters when it meets collective resistance. That’s why hope must fuel our participation in protests, our organizing, our advocacy—in all the ways we stand against injustice, from deportations and detentions to assaults on democracy itself.

Many of us protested on “No Kings Day.” Experts estimate that over five million people took to the streets across the country. This massive act of public resistance stood in stark contrast to Trump’s militarized spectacle—a show of power intended to instill fear and submission. But hope propelled us forward.

Learning from History

We don’t always know the outcome of our actions. But history shows us that even small efforts, sustained over time, can lead to powerful change. Women stood in the rain, endured prison, and agitated for more than seventy-five years before the 19th Amendment granted them the right to vote. Early efforts for LGBTQ rights seemed to make little headway until the riots at Stonewall in the late 1960s catalyzed a national movement that led, decades later, to marriage equality.

Grief and Hope Can Coexist

We grieve the erosion of our democracy, the silencing of dissent, the stripping away of protections for equality, justice, education, health, and the environment. We mourn the dismantling of federal support for vulnerable families and children. And yet, in this grief, hope gives us room to act. It reminds us that what we do still matters. It sustains our commitment to democracy and fuels resistance.

Stories That Light the Way

Change is never guaranteed to be for the better. But stories from our past give us strength: the Civil Rights Movement in the American South; the fall of the Berlin Wall; the victory of Polish dock workers; the end of apartheid in South Africa. These were not sudden or easy wins—they were hard-fought struggles led by people who acted with courage and hope, without certainty, and with unwavering commitment to a better future.

Change is rarely permanent or complete. It often comes in tiny or partial victories. But even dormant seeds of hope can rouse the sleeping giant of public will.

Carrying Hope Forward

In this uncertain time, let us carry hope as a lantern—lighting the way, however dimly, through the darkness of our shared future.

Image by garyee from Pixabay

As I reflect on the future, I find myself wondering: Is there anything I can truly count on? The stability of our democracy, the savings I’ve worked hard to preserve for my later years, the simple freedom of walking safely down the street, and the rights guaranteed in our Constitution—all feel as though they are floating in the fog of uncertainty, distorted by the whims of a single individual.

Yet even as I wrestle with this unsettling sense of instability, I recognize that my own concerns pale in comparison to the hardships many others face each day.

I think of the mothers who struggle to put food on the table for their children. Of friends mourning the recent loss of a beloved partner. Of immigrants—both documented and undocumented—who live in fear, hesitant to leave their homes or send their children to school. I think of the devoted caregivers tending to spouses who are slowly slipping into lives without words, of friends and colleagues battling life-threatening illnesses, and of those who live alone, burdened by loneliness and abandonment.

These are burdens I do not carry. I am privileged. I am fortunate.

My parents taught me to live with gratitude—to recognize the abundance in my life and to share it freely with others. Their example instilled in me a belief in generosity, service, and compassion. It’s why my spouse and I volunteer and give to organizations that provide food, support, lifelines, and legal aid. It’s why we visit friends in the throes of dementia, offer relief to weary caregivers, and run errands for those recovering from illness or medical treatment. These actions may seem small, and they are never enough. But perhaps, in some modest way, they bring reassurance, comfort, and a sense of stability to those who need it.

I find deep gratitude and sustenance in community—gatherings where I feel seen and valued. I treasure the friends who send messages, make phone calls, and would gladly carve time from their busy lives to support me if I ever reached out. I feel renewed when I receive expressions of love from my daughter and grandsons on Mother’s Day; when I witness the San Francisco Bay shimmering in the sun; when I walk through Golden Gate Park, surrounded by the lush, vibrant colors of life; and when neighbors greet me with warm smiles and a simple, sincere “Good morning.” Most of all, I am grateful for the enduring love of my spouse, whose presence is a constant source of strength and peace.

Still, I know that whatever I do—however much I give—will never be enough. At times, the enormity of need discourages me. I lose my bearings and feel adrift in the noise and chaos of the world. In those moments, I pause. I breathe deeply. I return to the quiet center of my heart and seek calm.

I remind myself that times of radical uncertainty can also be times of profound transformation. In the disarray, there is space for creativity, for new ideas, for growth. I strive to listen—especially to those whose views differ from my own. And I hold fast to this truth: even amid the confusion, there is so much good, so much hope, and so much beauty.

I am grateful for the abundance in my life—and for the joy that comes from sharing it.

Tags: compassion, emotional wellness, gratitude, mindfulness, navigating chaos, resilience, uncertainty

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

“Hey grandma! I’m writing to tell you I’ve finished reading Sarah’s Secret! I thought you did a great job with it. I’ve got a couple questions I would love to ask you about it some time. Maybe we make time for a call?" (e-mail from youngest grandson)

I was thrilled that he read it and liked it. He had tried to read it a few years ago but as he said it was “too old for me then.” We made time for a call to answer his questions.

“Which one of the boys is based on your father?” “Is Sarah your grandmother’s real name?” “Did she really take a wagon back to Nebraska from New Mexico?” “What part is true and what part is fiction?” “How did you find out about the facts that are true?”

I delighted in answering his questions. I did not use anyone’s real names in the story including my grandmother but I did create the characters in the image as I remember them of my grandmother, my father and his siblings. From the documents I uncovered, I learned that my grandmother and her children traveled from Tucumcari, New Mexico back to Thedford, Nebraska by wagon driven by her older sons. It was a potentially dangerous and risky venture by a woman “alone” with five children. Since the shadowy figure of my grandfather was unknown to me, his character and the section of his flight from the law from Texas to Wyoming is totally a work of fiction.

To those with curiosity about why I wrote the book, I have often spoken about the mystery of my grandfather. Few members of my generation, born as the United States entered and fought World War II, have a grandfather who was born in 1840 and fought in the Civil War. My own curiosity about this shadowy figure in my childhood, not only for me but for my cousins and other family members, led me to pursue the genealogy of the family. The documents I uncovered, especially in the National Archives and in the historical societies in rural Indiana and Nebraska provided many of the true incidents described in the book. However, much of my grandfather’s life remained hidden and unknown.

I have written that “the story is like finding a skeleton in a musty old trunk. The bones are real but the flesh is long gone and the circumstances of how it happened to be put in the trunk are mysteriously unknown. Thus, the bones of this story are true but the flushing out of the context, human emotions and the reasons for decisions and impulses are created from my imagination. These are my efforts to put myself in the time period and the lives of the primary characters. These are the creations from my imaginary excursions, quiet moments of intuition, dreams and flights of inspiration, efforts to weave a credible yet engaging story about my grandparents.” (From the Forward in Sarah’s Secret)

I was also thrilled that my grandson was interested in his family ancestry. I want him to know that he comes from hardy pioneer stock who crossed the prairie, took risks, cultivated the land, built houses and established towns and communities. Like many others who were pioneers, my grandmother worked hard, faced and overcame challenges with courage and persistence and found strength and resilience from her faith and her moral principles. The pride my grandson shared was expressed when he exclaimed about the book, “Wow! This is about my family!

Tags:  family history, pioneers, grandparents, covered wagon, Great Plains

Reviewed by Bev Scott

Kristin Hannah has written a gripping book titled The Nightingale. She takes the reader through the perils and dramatic moments of the French resistance and the Nazi occupation of France during WWII. Two sisters provide the contrast. Isabelle displays the rage and defiance of a resistance fighter. Vianne, a mother, cautiously protects her daughter while waiting for her husband to return from the war. Isabelle is youthful, impulsive and brash. She joins the resistance spontaneously and risks her life to rescue soldiers, pilots and others endangered by fighting the Nazis. But Vianne is mature, yet insecure, timid and gullible. Wanting to avoid conflict and any involvement, she is vulnerable to the disingenuous kindness of a Nazi officer.

Hannah’s masterful writing brings the reader right into the drama. Isabelle takes tense “life and death” risks defiantly. Meanwhile Vianne acts in ways that are chilling, troubling and cautious. Not only does Hannah take us deeply into the action but her descriptions are so vivid, as a reader I felt the emotional experience of the protagonists. She captures the tragic, harrowing vicious and poignant moments of the brutality of the Nazis. Her characters face serious ethical dilemmas that raise questions and provoke reflection in the reader. She demonstrates how her characters love differently and how love influences their actions in a fascinating and absorbing book.

The Nightingale is a great read and I highly recommend it.

The post Book Review: “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah appeared first on Bev Scott.

Reviewed by Bev Scott

Kristin Hannah has written a powerful historical novel with contemporary significance. Three members of the Martinelli family leave Texas during the Dust Bowl, which destroyed their farm and threatened their young son’s life. In search of a better life, they grab onto the California dream. Instead of the dream, they struggle to find any work to earn enough money to eat and to literally survive. Hannah paints a vivid picture of the emotional toll of judgement and narrow stereotypes as well as the cruel impact of practices which benefit the landowners and punish the desperate migrants.

Dust Bowl survival

But the story is not just about the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl or the challenges of finding work and acceptance in California. Hannah engages us with a story of Elsa, who faces with daunting challenges. She has a forced marriage and feels the insecurity and lack of self-worth from rejection and isolation by her parents. Then, her husband painfully abandons her, and even her daughter rejects her due to misplaced anger and blame of Elsa. Yet, she finds comfort and security from her in-laws and the friends she makes in the California migrant camps. They accept and love her, despite all of their trying circumstances.

Elsa digs deep to find her own strength, persistence, self-reliance and sense of fairness that enables her to keep struggling. The system holds migrants like her in constant debt. However, she manages to hold her family together and even shares what little she has with friends who have less. Through the eyes of Elsa and her daughter, Loreda, we see the brutality of a system which benefits land owners and exploits the vulnerable, poor and desperate. The migrants wait and hang on with only threads of hope for a better future.

Lessons for our times

It is a painful reminder of reality for people who are struggling today. We are learning the generational impact of racism, poverty, injustice, and lack of health care. Hannah paints a vivid picture of how we may pass judgement and benefit from systems that exploit others. It’s easy to ignore the very humanity that can lift others up and support them. But when we provide support, others can find their own courage, persistence and opportunities for a better life.

This book is a powerful and intense reminder of our responsibility to our community, to support those around us. We can share our humanity and uniqueness and tear down systems that benefit the few and oppress the less fortunate. I highly recommend it.

The post Book Review: “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah appeared first on Bev Scott.

Reviewed by Bev Scott

For historical fiction at its best and for a fabulous read, consider The Rose Code. As Britain prepares to fight Nazi Germany, three very different women enter the fray as codebreakers. Working from the mysterious country estate, Bletchley Park they are Osla, a beautiful, vivacious debutante; dominating Mab, a product of East End London poverty; and Beth, a brilliant but shy spinster. They use their wit, dedication, tenacity and grit impressively to help defeat the Nazis. Joining some of the best minds in Britain, they break the German military codes. Thus, they each commit to the top secret code of Bletchley Park. But the pressure of this secrecy and the loss and disruption of the war, ultimately destroys their friendship.

This engrossing story builds gripping tension in three threads: espionage, the delight and passion of a love story, and the betrayal of friendship. The sworn oath of secrecy demanded by the leadership and the culture of Bletchley Park exponentially increases the intensity and impact of these three threads.

Kate Quinn has researched in detail the experience and struggle of the citizens of Britain under siege from Nazi bombings. She tells us about the lives of women code breakers working at Bletchley Park with the demanding urgency of decoding German messages. The descriptions she provides create the context and contribute to the realism of this story. And, the main characters are complicated and unique. I carried them with me daily, reflecting on the challenges each one faced and wondering how she was going to handle it. When I reached the end of the book, I was sorry.

I highly recommend this engaging and beautifully written novel.

The post Book Review: “The Rose Code” by Kate Quinn appeared first on Bev Scott.

Reviewed by Bev Scott

In The Huntress, Kate Quinn has interwoven a spellbinding story of three characters. We find disciplined British war correspondent turned Nazi hunter, Ian Graham, with Nina Markova. Nina, a brazen Russian bomber pilot, joins the feared all-female Night Witches. Finally, young Jordan McBride is growing up in Boston shortly after World War II. Despite her father’s opposition, Jordan has decided to become a photographer. As Quinn deftly alternates the background stories of these three protagonists, she draws the reader into the mystery of Die Jagerin. 

As each story unfolds, we not only learn about the character but also learn the secrets each carries. Ultimately the secrets reveal the identity of the calculating Nazi murderess, known as the Huntress. Throughout, the author explores individual motivations in the Nazi hunters’ pursuit of truth, justice and retribution. I found it refreshing to see how Quinn centers this story on three women who defy the societal expectations of women in the post-war years. Their lives intersect richly in detailed descriptions, unpredictability and suspense.  

I highly recommend this masterful suspense story which also includes three delightful love stories.

The post Book Review: “The Huntress” by Kate Quinn appeared first on Bev Scott.

Reviewed by Bev Scott

We live in a culture of short-term thinking. Such as: When can we stop wearing our masks? When is the next election? When is the next quarterly report? This is the “tyranny of the now,” says Roman Krznaric in his book The Good Ancestor. He argues that to be a “good ancestor,” we need to think of future generations, the “Seventh Generation” as do some indigenous cultures. We must think decades, centuries, even millenniums into the future. Our lack of long-term thinking in planning and decision-making has led to the potential existential risk of not making it to the end of this century. Given digital distraction, political presentism, and pursuit of endless economic growth, we have little concern for the long term. We have “colonized the future,” exploiting our planet’s resources for current financial benefit. 

Why we should care about the long-term

Krznaric presents arguments for why we should “care” about future generations, such as taking responsibility for our own descendants. Do we acknowledge that expansion of future populations will need more resources than the present population? He questions whether or not we would choose for ourselves to live in a future generation and the ethical guideline of the intergenerational Golden Rule. I also appreciated his identification of rare but interesting examples of the results of long-term thinking. A cathedral in Germany was begun in 1377 and finished in 1890. A Japanese forest was razed between 1550 and 1750 and was on the verge of ecological collapse. It then became the first mass plantation forestry project between 1760-1860. The London sewer was built in the mid 1800’s to replace a practice of flushing into the River Thames and is still in use today. Short-term thinking, the “tyranny of the now,” would have doomed these projects.

Although he gives other examples of projects beyond our current horizon, our planning and decision-making is not commonly concerned with the impacts on the future. Instead, he argues convincingly that we must become “good ancestors.” This includes safe-guarding the interests of future generations, stewarding scarce planetary resources, involving the disenfranchised, and building systems that are equitable and just. As human beings we thrive on striving toward meaningful goals. Thus, he challenges:  What are the most powerful reasons for caring about future generations? What legacy do you want to leave for your family, your community, and for the living world? What long term projects could you pursue with others that extend beyond your own lifetime?

This is a book which will stimulate your thinking and perhaps your action to become a “good ancestor.” 

The post Book Review: “The Good Ancestor” by Roman Krznaric appeared first on Bev Scott.

Reviewed by Bev Scott

Do we have a class system or a caste system? When I studied sociology in college, I learned that we have a class system, and India has a rigid caste system. And, that the freedom of U.S. democracy gave opportunity for people in the lower class. They could work hard and raise themselves into the middle and maybe even the upper class. 

Isabel Wilkerson’s masterful book sheds light on what has hidden in the darkness. We face the horrific reality that we actually have a caste system in America. She shows us how this system, more powerful than class or race, ranks human beings. Distinct from India’s caste system, the U.S. maintains only two castes, white and black. In contrast, India has many levels of its caste system. So in that aspect, our system more resembles the Third Reich in Nazi Germany rather than India. Wilkerson point also to links among all three caste systems. In fact, the Germans studied American race laws as a model for theirs. 

Framework and History of Caste in U.S.

Using extensive research and stories about real people, Wilkerson shows us how the hidden phenomenon of caste has shaped American society from our early beginnings through to the present. She introduces eight pillars of caste by which society maintains the rigid hierarchy. Our hierarchy places African Americans at the bottom and white Americans of European heritage in the upper level. She explores how these pillars in detail. They are beliefs in the laws of nature and divine will, control of marriage, dehumanization and stigma, and terror as enforcement with cruelty as a means of control. 

Wilkerson describes origins of caste in the United States beginning in the American colonies in 1619, and how it has become solidified through the Civil War, Reconstruction and Jim Crow. Reading this history and her individual examples in present day United States, enables the reader to understand the insidious ways in which the pillars she has introduced maintain caste today. 

This is a painful book to read as Wilkerson reveals how superiority, privilege and dominance have intruded into our democratic beliefs. The hidden and insidious system is built into our institutions, systems, and way of life. She also points out that racism isn’t just the beliefs and actions of individuals. Rather, it is woven into every one of our institutions.  The eight pillars keep caste in place which in turn reinforces racism.

Wilkerson has written an exceptional book. She deconstructs a topic we need to understand in order to address our “race problem” and solve racial inequity.

The post Book Review: “Caste, The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson appeared first on Bev Scott.