Rachel Writes

The photo that appears above was posted on the Facebook page of a local elected leader.  Some of the comments that this photo elicited were disturbing to me.  A number of commenters seemed to take the sight of Muslims praying on the beach as an affront to their Christianity at best and, at worst, a sign that terrorists were invading Wakulla County. A few comments represented less alarmist, more accepting perspectives. Reading this thread reminded me of something that happened when I was a teacher at Wakulla High School.  I occasionally wear a Star of David and I tend to be very open about my Jewish faith.   My identity as a Jewish woman was not an every day topic of conversation, but I did not hide it and during the holidays my classroom decor reflected the diversity of my students. In my second year teaching at Wakulla High, several Jewish students approached me and asked if I would be the faculty sponsor for a Jewish Student Association.  They told me...

Tomorrow will mark a year since I checked my phone on the way out of a job interview and listened to a message from the American Cancer Society. Tomorrow will also mark seven years since I stepped out of my first period classroom at Wakulla High School to check a missed call from my mother.  Seven years ago, the call from my mother was a message telling  me that my sister's battle with liver cancer had ended.  Sara had celebrated her 31st birthday in May and her son Aidan was a few months shy of turning five. The miles traveled since that August school morning have taken me down some winding roads. In 2009, I had an opportunity to make a professional move to teaching full time in an online graduate program for Valdosta State University. This career move opened doors for me to research and write. Over the course of the next five years, I would publish a textbook, author numerous articles and write several book chapters. Making the move to higher education allowed me to...

I never really get used to it. When I was growing up in New York, it was “hey, aren’t you related to so and so (insert name of well-known family member).” As a child, these moments reinforced the idea that I represented my family and that my family impacted how I interacted with people around me. As an adult, the illusion of public anonymity is pierced by the question, "Aren't you Rachel Pienta?" or sometimes, "Aren't you wakullawriter (on Twitter)?" Such a moment last night spurred me to consider how the way I engage with the community has evolved over the years. I was out celebrating a friend’s birthday at a local watering hole. Late in the evening, someone approached me and said, “Aren’t you Rachel Pienta?”  In general, these conversations range from someone who has read my writing, taken a class with me, or wants to compliment or complain about some decision I made related to one of my community leadership roles.  On this particular night, it was a ...

The candidates were introduced in the order of their rank in the polls. At the outset, the field was asked, “Is there anyone unwilling to pledge to Republican nominee and not run an independent campaign against that nominee?”  This question set the tone for a debate that would be lively, loud, and combative. Donald Trump refused to make the pledge not to run as an independent if he is not the Republican nominee.  The only reaction from the other men on the stage came from Rand Paul who fired off a terse response, “Trump is hedging his bets.” One theme sustained throughout the debate was a critique of the current Republican leadership in Washington.  Commentary ranged from Trump’s indictment of America’s political leaders, whom he termed “stupid” to Ted Cruz’s assertion that Republican leaders refused to enforce immigration laws. The topic of terrorism elicited a shouting match between Chris Christie and Rand Paul. On the topic of experience and qualificat...

I have had starfish on my mind lately. Have you ever heard the story? Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions. Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching.  As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea.  The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning!  May I ask what it is that you are doing?” The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun...

This city won't ever die Just as long as our heart be strong “This City” - Steve Earle Link to song: https://youtu.be/K5dYyaQiwS0 On a long hot July weekend, my husband and I made our way along the Gulf Coast, through separate and shared memory lanes on our way to New Orleans.  Remnants of my “Air Force brat” husband’s childhood Biloxi memories mingled with post-Katrina development. My own first visit to New Orleans was in the mid 90s.  Like this visit, it was July.  July in New Orleans is hot, oppressively hot. The humidity makes the air feel thick and heavy. On that first visit, my expectations of New Orleans were shaped by stories of Mardi Gras and imagined scenes from novels.  My best girlfriend and I drove the into the city on a long 4 th of July weekend.  I was taking a quick trip away from graduate school summer classes and she was looking to be distracted from a recently ended relationship. That weekend we would wander...

Note: This post first appeared on the Florida Squeeze site ( http://thefloridasqueeze.com/2015/06/28/guest-column-back-to-the-future-tallahassee-leaders-look-to-chiles-era-reform-efforts-to-address-city-concerns/ ). In recent months, Tallahassee leaders have made efforts to address a number of city issues – from food deserts and disparate health outcomes to youth violence and early learning deficits. Earlier this year, Mayor Andrew Gillum convened business leaders for a Children’s Summit. What many thought would herald a move to enact a Children’s Services Council was summarily pre-empted by a wave of gun violence. Time spent with the Urban Land Institute yielded a number of recommendations for how to address Tallahassee’s “have-have not” community concerns.  One recommendation prompted City Commissioner Scott Maddox to pen a “My View” piece for the local Op-Ed page that proposed the implementation of the community schools concept in South City.   Citing Evans High ...

Today marks the second Father’s Day since my father’s death.  People who have known me a long time know that my relationship with my dad was often rocky. We did not always see eye to eye and it really bothered my dad that I would not back down and agree to his way of thinking.  I once asked him where he thought I got that trait? He huffed a bit and said, “must be from your mom.”  Good one, Dad. I think there was a strong stubborn streak running through both of my parents and I got a double dose in my own DNA. My dad was the one who taught me to question authority and not accept the way things have always been done. He would tell me to say I was doing something, rather than ask if I could do something. He also was a proponent of asking forgiveness rather than permission…except when it came to his own authority.   Mainly, I was supposed to apply these lessons to the outside world. He was a bit frustrated when I tried these ideas closer to home firs...