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Loved Ones,
Two months until we vote in the USA. In two months, we exercise a right that has been fought for, trampled over, given, and taken away. Yet, many of us choose to close our eyes to it – we choose not to Vote. Yet, ironically, that’s what voting is, a right to choose. Some bills can affect every aspect of our being, and every one of our Contributors has a clear vision of what must ensue to see our way to true democracy—the right to choose.
What does this mean when you have a disease that has the potential to cripple your life? Fortunately, some codes identify laws supporting illnesses, such as epilepsy, the condition with which our Guest Contributor, Aria Lott, lived. Garden Spices dedicates this issue to Aria, our Stepping Stone, who left us in August 2022. We honor and feature Aria not because of her political leanings but because she chose life. She voted never to succumb to the definitions of epilepsy, and she advocated for those who lived with this condition.
This issue turns Vote into a fiery song: Voting Issues (Liz LaRue), Choice of Candidate (Susan Peters), Ensuring our right to vote (Dr. Joyce Brown), Securing democracy (Barbara Tubbs Hill), Strategic Planning (Guest Contributor, and Candidate for AL State Democratic Executive Committee, District 1), Audrey Mitchell, Contemplating freedom, (Jonathan Cain), Vigilance, (William Leroy Kennedy), Vibrational Voting, (Marquetta LaRae), and finally, some good old fashion pleading from Rev. Bobby Yarbrough and Yours Truly. While we know we are singing to the choir, much of our song is a direction for how we can go beyond our collective walls to engage those who might not otherwise listen.
As usual, we expand our consciousness through art with Guest Contributors Evans Nyarko Badohu, Udeagha Chidindu, Rhonda Hardy, and Rosemary Summers. And never leave without eating. This time with Guest Contributors Laura Senecal’s Sweetwater Bakery for delectable delights and the soul-filled Carla Renae’s Sugar Pearl’s.
Thanks for choosing us.
Vicki Goldston, aka Victorine
Founder, Editor-in-Chief
GARDEN SPICES MAGAZINE
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