Party Over People

Political posturing: Why can't we all work together?

When did party politics replace working in the best interest of the people you represent? I speak, of course, about Scott Brown, the newly elected Senator from Massachusetts. He is under siege for going against party lines on a recent jobs bill. His Facebook page is being bombarded with comments such as “you turned on us like every other RINO” (Republican–In-Name-Only) and “enjoy your one term as Senator."

Brown is not the only politician that is feeling the heat from constituents. Evan Bayh, the Democratic Senator from Indiana, is so frustrated by party politics that he announced that he was not going to seek another term. I understand the need of having political parties. They’ve been with us since the start, and help identify a candidate’s position on numerous issues, but lately it seems more important to serve the party and not the people.

I admit that there are times when I side with a Republican point of view and there are times when I go with the Democratic point of view. And, I’m not alone. Forty-five percent of ballots cast in Texas in 2006 were along party lines. That means 55 percent of the population made their decision based on the candidate and not which party they affiliated themselves with. Remember the silent majority?

There is an unseemly “us versus them” mentality that has taken over and not just in Washington, but in local politics as well. Consider the race for Texas governor that is taking place. Who is more Republican? Governor Rick Perry, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, or Debra Medina? And even stranger, who is less of a politician? Watching the candidates' advertisements suggests that the less of politician you are, the better governor you’ll be.

I have to wonder what the late Ted Kennedy would have thought of all this. After his death, a colleague in the Senate said Kennedy would fight tooth and nail for what he believed in. He didn’t always get all he wanted, but took what he could and then had a drink and a laugh with his peers from both sides of the aisle afterwards.

Maybe we’re looking at this all wrong. Maybe what we need are more real politicians. People who know how to get things done for the people and not just their political party. They may not win every battle, but nothing about life in America is ever black and white. It’s grey with a “middle of the road” mentality that America needs to find again.

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telling stories

Black-owned Houston bookstore opens new home in historic Third Ward space

Kindred Stories bookshore Eldorado Ballroom

Photo by Craig D. Lindsey

Kindred Stories has moved to its new location.

Even though its grand reopening will be held this Saturday, May 17, Third Ward bookstore Kindred Stories has already begun a soft opening at its new location inside the Eldorado Ballroom at 2310 Elgin Street.

Since September 2021, the Black-owned bookstore was located on Stuart St., one of many businesses that came to life thanks to Project Row Houses’ Incubation Program. Last year, the nonprofit informed Kindred and the other business that they had to vacate their premises at the end of this month to allow new businesses to occupy the spaces.

Thankfully, Kindred already had its eye on the Eldorado location, next to neighborhood eatery The Rado Market (which has a collection of cookbooks curated by Kindred). It’s a space previously held by Hogan Brown Gallery, which abruptly closed in December. “I had caught wind that this space might be available,” Kindred founder/owner Terri Hamm tells CultureMap.

Hamm turned the moving process into a fun little event for her and her loyal customers. “Last Tuesday, we invited about 20 of our top community members that, you know, are always in the store and have really supported us all of the year,” she says. “We packed up all the books in the space in an hour and, then, we moved everything in an hour. So it was like the beautiful way to close out that space in the midst of the community that has really supported us throughout three-and-a-half years there. And we spent the last four days kind of unboxing and just getting all set up.”

Hamm says the new location is certainly roomier (around 1200 square feet) than their previous spot, which was only 450 square feet.

“There's more room to just spend time in the store,” she says. “I feel like that's the ideal bookstore experience, when you can go in and really take your time. I feel like in the other space, it was so small, people kind of felt like they were in a rush.”

Although Kindred is open and ready to welcome anyone looking for Black-and-proud literature, Hamm insists they’re only 90 percent done. More light fixtures need to be installed. Plants and furniture have to be brought. They even have custom-made wallpaper that needs to be installed.

“So, we have a few little things that need to happen,” says Hamm, “And, then, I feel like the space will be really, really ready – probably in another six months.”

In the meantime, it’s business as usual. This month’s calendar of events includes various appearances from authors as well as a couple of book clubs. Hamm is looking forward to new bookworms coming in and discovering what Kindred Stories has to offer.

“The bestsellers are selling,” she says, “But I feel like, in this space, people are going to get to discover a lot of under-the-radar titles, just because there's more space to see the books and explore.”

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