(Images: Angie Erdrich)
It’s May, when spring finally happens in Minnesota, and we try to see things through a fresh lens and find hope — no easy task when every headline could be from The Onion. But the last few weeks offered some surprises.
Artemis II
Who knew that going to the moon, again, could pack such an emotional wallop? It reminded us of the astonishing beauty of the universe and the fragility of our tiny home planet. It was a demonstration in real time of the power of science — something pushed to a back burner by this administration.
And for a younger generation that has been raised to believe that government is nothing more than a bumbling bureaucracy, it showed that NASA’s engineers have the right stuff to loop the moon and stick the landing off the coast of San Diego with exact precision. It reminded us of the pride that comes from taking on great challenges as a nation.
The Crew
It would be hard to find a more inspiring foursome, but mission specialist Christina Koch moved us all — and herself — describing Earth hanging like a lifeboat in the universe, and defining a crew as a group that pulls together and is “inescapably, beautifully, dutifully linked.” “One thing I know, planet Earth — you are a crew.”
The Defeat of Viktor Orbán
Back on earth, Donald Trump’s role model for how to destroy a democracy and line your pockets at the same time went down in a flaming election blowout, despite Vice President JD Vance’s last-minute visit to bolster support. Not only is it a reflection on Vance’s charisma deficit, it’s a harbinger of things to come in America — albeit not soon enough.
The Pope
Pope Leo XIV has taken “speaking truth to power” to a whole new level. He handles Trump like a bemused parent putting up with an unruly toddler. Republican leaders should take note.
NYC Mayor Mamdani
This will be a stretch for some, but Zohran Mamdani addresses the wealth gap while soft-pedaling, some say back-pedaling, his socialist policies. He knows the role of city government is local, not global, and that it’s possible to support workers without bashing businesses. In early April he joined DOT workers in filling the 100,000th pothole since he took office. The socialists on the Minneapolis City Council should take note.
Bruce Springsteen
His cameo at the No Kings rally lit a match of hope, but his Target Center concert two days later ignited a bonfire of resistance. And it’s a fire he’s lighting across the nation with his Land of Hope and Dreams tour.
“Minneapolis is getting a lot of praise for our peaceful resistance, and dang, we earned it.”
The No Kings Rally
The weather and speeches were too windy and some of us petered out before Joan Baez took the stage, but if the unpaid organizers who drew 200,000 unpaid people to the Capitol can create that same energy and passion around elections, we’ll have an Orbánesque blowout in November.
Volunteers
From Singing Resistance to Brass Solidarity to artists and poets, to Haven Watch and Signal responders and school bus escorts and legal aid providers and ad hoc groups that helped feed and protect immigrants targeted by ICE, volunteers rocked. Minneapolis is getting a lot of praise for our peaceful resistance, and dang, we earned it.
Teachers
They stepped up and taught, comforted and protected children, whether kids were hiding behind blanketed windows or sitting in half-empty classrooms. Teachers showed us that they are a crew.
Kids
I was a small part of a school-based team that took groceries and other supplies to immigrant families during the occupation. Despite whatever trauma they were experiencing, the children were just kids, laughing, slapping high fives, their eyes bright with promise.
The goddess Artemis had a lot on her plate, from hunting to the moon, but also the protection of children. May she be with them now. And may Artemis II inspire them, and all of us, to pull together, to give grace and to be a crew.
Susan Lenfestey writes for the Hill & Lake Press. She lives in Lowry Hill.
