The Filibuster: How Slow Can You Go? (Essay)

An essay on Robert Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate. 

The southern bloc of the senate hides behind procedure. Having learned that racist arguments don’t play well in the rest of the country, southern senators now argue against civil rights on legal grounds, one level abstracted from the discrimination issue (192). Although these arguments are less disturbing, the force behind them is not their persuasiveness, but the fact that the senate must listen to them indefinitely. This method that the south employs, the filibuster, is almost as controversial as the ends for which they use it. To defend the filibuster against the growing pressure to repeal it, the south uses yet more procedural arguments—arguments which touch on the very purpose of the senate. The south wants us to think as little as possible about race. Instead of discrimination, we ought to think about the extent of the federal government’s power over the states, and instead of the filibuster, we ought to think about the extent of the senate majority’s power over the minority bloc.

To the senators who are growing tired of the filibuster, Russell makes the following argument: if the federal government threatened their state with overreaching laws, wouldn’t they want to “use every means in their command to fight it” (917)? I worry that Russell has a point. The filibuster is deeply tied to Jim Crow, but suppose it wasn’t—suppose, for example, that a federal government run by southerners tried to force the north to adopt segregation: wouldn’t we want the northern senators to be able to filibuster? If the south wants to make the filibuster problem into a procedural one, then I will take it up on those terms. I will separate my emotional reaction to segregation from the question of whether indefinite delay is a justified legislative procedure. My question, then, is this: is the filibuster wrong in itself, or only in what it’s used for?

Compromised Virtue? On Plutarch's "Life of Cato" (Essay)

In one sense, Cato doesn’t seem to be a political man. He doesn’t care for high office or esteem, he is “unfit for the business of canvassing,” and when he loses his first election, he refuses to run again despite his friends’ entreaties (728). “Inflexible” and “resolute,” he cares little what others think of or want from him (707). This culminates in his final action: pulling out his guts in front of his horrified friends, family, and doctor in order to stop them from saving his life. When he sets his mind to something, he is loath to back down or compromise. Surely a man so black and white is unsuited for the gray world of politics. 

Two Poems

“Heat Lightning”

Heat lightning draws me from my bed
Into the hazy, humid night.

First it shimmers through miles of fog,
Then it flashes proud and bright, and

Pinkish blue and blueish gray surround me,

Silently revealing
What is sky and what is cloud,
If only for an instant.

I think of you, not too far west,
Where lightning comes with thunder.
I always knew our souls were storms,
But now I’ve seen another kind,
Not clamor, but orchestra, 

Soft and distant.
Love without fear—I see it now!—
Love without fear, and light without sound.

In a Free and Fair Election,

“In a Free and Fair Election,” is a song I wrote a few months before the 2020 presidential election. The song is certainly political, but it’s also about growing up (or trying to).

In a free and fair election, Donald Trump will win

At least that’s what his advisor said

And his ex-advisor’s daughter, well my friend went school with her

And I almost feel bad cause she’s probably really nice, I just don’t like her dad cause Jesus fucking Christ he’s a

Traitor woah-oh-oh-oh

Mavs United Gets $10,000 Grant!

Mavs United is a Multi-Language Learner (MLL—formerly ESL) mentoring program I started in high school. What was once just me and Jose working on homework in the hallway soon became a classroom with a dozen mentors and mentees. Since I graduated, one classroom has become three, and Mavs United received a $10,000 dollar grant from the county, which they’ll be using for supplies and field trips! I’m very proud of how far this group has come.

Death in Athens (Essay)

 An essay on Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War.

Anyone would want to live in the Athens of Pericles' funeral speech, and many choose to die for it. But when one reads of the perils and depravity of the Athenian plague, one wonders what happened to Pericles’ shining image of the city. The reader is forced to reconcile the apparently vast divide between the glorious Athens of the speech and the ruinous one of the plague. We will try to make sense of these two passages by looking at death, which is the focal point of the funeral and the driving force behind the plague. How does death change between the funeral and the plague, and what effect does this have on the Athenian character?

Songs of the Sea OUT NOW!

Find the lyrics here.

ESL: Public Comment at School Board

 11/10/22

Here is a public comment I gave to the School Board on behalf of a group of student volunteers.

Here is the document that we wrote and submitted to the Board.

Songs of the Sea lyrics and chords

 

Capo on 4^

Public Comment to FERC on MVP

At first, it was common to see natural gas as a necessary part of our energy future. But demand is falling, fast. The Mountain Valley Pipeline is, in turn, falling behind on its promises. If this boring permit is granted, it will still be a long, long while before the MVP is actually finished. And given the decline of natural gas' demand, this could be catastrophic for Virginia's economy in the long term. In the poorest of Virginian areas, it's important that economic boosts last. Natural gas is dying, not on the rise. Just look at the comments surrounding my own. Public opinion alone should be proof that natural gas is a fundamentally bad investment.

We should not be forced to use our streams and rivers to prove what we all already knew-- that MVP's economic fantasy is infeasible. I trust that the good people at FERC will make the right decision.

Henry Haggard, Richmond

Public Comment To Ed. VAGA Committee

Written Comment to VA Crime Commission

The Virginia Crime Commission met today to discuss mandatory minimums. Although I wasn't prepared enough to speak, I did submit this written comment:

My name is Henry and I'm a sophomore at Freeman High School. Though I won't be able to attend this meeting, I would like the Commission to know that mandatory minimums are a dangerous overreach of the legislative branch. Someone who stole in order to feed his family should not get the same treatment as someone who stole in order to buy a PS5. I hope you'll understand how important context is when it comes to the law.

Sincerely,
Henry Haggard

As of January 22nd, I've also submitted a comment to the Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee.

If you're interested in submitting a comment on an upcoming VA house of delegates meeting, click here.

Civilian Review Board Proposal | Public Comment

Today I spoke in favor of Supervisor Tyrone Nelson's proposal to establish an independent civilian review board for the Henrico Police Department.

TRANSCRIPT:

Good afternoon, my name is Henry Haggard of Tuckahoe. My goal today is to advocate for the future my generation deserves. Supervisor Nelson’s proposal to create an independent civilian review board for Henrico County is neither radical nor anti cop. It’s not new either. It’s a simple step that many local governments take in the face of unrest. It’s equally effective in combating unjust policing, easing the tension between the police and the people, and polishing the windows of opaque government. 

First, I would like to ask the Board a question. Is police reform necessary? Allow me to quote NYPD officer Michael Dowd:

"I had been in internal affairs investigations a couple of times, and they were very easy to breeze through. I answered a few questions. I lied through every answer, and I went back to patrol."

If that doesn’t concern you gravely, it should. But it’s not just excessive we’re talking about here. We’re talking about trust. Take a moment to imagine that you are one of Marcus David Peters' students. I'm sure you've all heard his name by now. If your city was able to grant your teacher’s killer paid administrative leave, but unable to hire a full-time counselor or nurse for your school, you would lose complete faith in the system. If we don’t act now, we’re creating an entire generation who cannot trust the police. 

This review board would give Henrico citizens a platform to advocate for their prosperity directly. No closed doors, no strings attached. And if done right, is neither cumbersome nor corrupt. We cannot settle for a division, though. When you have an oversight committee that reports to the very group it’s meant to oversee, you have a problem. It is vital that oversight comes from outside. And the people have made themselves perfectly clear on this issue. So all I ask of you today is that you stand up for, and on behalf of, the people. Please, vote for Supervisor Nelson’s proposal. Need I remind you, the people can vote too. Thank you.

Freeman BLM Demonstration + 9-Point Action Plan

On what would have normally been the last day of school, Freeman's Black Student Union and History and Human Rights Club organized a peaceful demonstration in support of Black Lives Matter. We had been planning this for weeks, so I was excited to finally see something tangible come from our efforts. 

I arrived at Freeman an hour early to set up my 50 foot wide art installation on the front lawn. After all the necessary posts were in place, I prepared to spend at least the next hour in monotony, attaching sheet after sheet to what seemed like an endless array of wire-- but after a dozen students came to help, I realized I was mistaken.

As more students, staff, parents, and press steadily trickled in, the organizers passed out water bottles, buttons, leaflets, and signs. Technically ours was an unlawful assembly, but the crowd seemed confident in our safety. We also saw the principal a few yards off, which reassured some and unnerved others-- but he didn't seem to talk much except to the cameramen. 

My conversation with some old friends and teachers abruptly ended as someone tapped the mic. Everyone began to gather closer to the steps. I scanned through my speech one last time before all the speakers were called up to the front. I had just been informed that I would be speaking last instead of third. This meant I would spend the longest time waiting, and the shortest time decompressing. But in the end, I feigned confidence long enough for me to believe I was ready.

Five other speakers went before me, and what they had to say was brilliant and resounding. So much so, I was almost angry. Couldn't they have toned it down a little so there would be lower expectations for me? Nevertheless, I spoke. I presented a six-point action plan, which essentially demanded that our principal change more than just the outdated Confederate nickname. 

"How do we pull a 400-year-old dagger out of the heart of this nation?" I asked the crowd. "We can't."

 

I believe that the first step towards justice is admitting that there's no end-all solution in sight. I proposed that we consider my 6-point plan a band-aid-- the beginning of a remedy, not the end of it. 

After my speech, the principal came up to me and said that he would call me on the following Monday to discuss my plan. It went very well, and I planned a Zoom meeting for the Thursday that followed. Once everyone logged on, students, teachers, and administrators discussed the six-point plan in detail. We talked about our experiences with race in a school named after Robert E. Lee's biographer. The meeting was a huge success. By the time it was over, my original 6 points had expanded into the 9 listed here.

We've made a lot of progress in these past few weeks, but the fight's hardly over. I don't think it will be in any of our lifetimes-- but we have to think further than that. We have to think about all of the children that might grow up in a world without Confederate glorification, a whitewashed curriculum, or a profit-based justice system. We owe it to them.

Because although we can't decide what the future will bring, we can decide what we bring to the future. 

Cop vs. Crowd: A Timeline of Surveillance and Militarization

The story of racial injustice in America is long and all-encompassing. Students like me are usually spared the details.

It seemed to me that Martin Luther King Jr. was a beloved figure who just happened to be murdered. I was taught that first there was slavery, then Jim Crow, then segregation, then-- well, nothing. For all I knew, the story was over. But as I know now, that's hardly the case.

In more recent years, I've learned that the path towards justice has hardly ever been unobstructed, and it would be foolish to say that it's over. Throughout history, every pro-black organizer-- from the abolitionists to the black panthers-- have been a target. They were hunted. And not just by individuals, mind you, but by institutions. These institutions were founded to "protect law and order", but more often than not, this was code for "suppressing dissent." Here's what CNN commentator Van Jones had to say in the Netflix
documentary 13th:

"You can tell the story of white leadership in America, and never mention the FBI one time. You can’t tell a story of black leadership, not one, without having to deal with the full weight of the criminal justice system weaponizing its black dissent."

With this in mind, here's a brief timeline of the use of surveillance / military equipment to preserve white supremacy.

"END POLICE BRUTALITY" Art Installation

 
I spent today and yesterday working on an END POLICE BRUTALITY installation in my front yard with the help of my mom and dad. I believe that it forces onlookers to face reality. Since it’s been put up, neighbors have discussed it, brisk walkers have ignored it, and delivery men have cherished it. What’s important is that it starts a conversation in a neighborhood where the topic is usually avoided. A quote of Martin Luther King Jr's comes to mind:

"the Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice" 

--Martin Luther King Jr, Letter from Birmingham Jail

The sign says END POLICE BRUTALITY, and it is surrounded by  an non-comprehensive list of black and brown victims since Eric Garner. In small text, it asks, "do you prefer the absence of tension or the presence of justice?" And on the right: "how much longer can we remain complicit?" It also has a sticker that says: "Don't be racist. Thank you!" 

Since yesterday, we have disassembled and reinforced the installation. Now, instead of a piece of cardboard in the middle, there is a five foot wide sheet of plywood that loudly, bluntly proclaims: NO MORE. That's all I think it has to say. We have, unfortunately, had to add Tony McDade, a transgender black man, to the banner since it was first installed. 

Fundraiser for Daily Planet Health Services during COVID-19

$1,500 raised.

Writing Cards for Imprisoned Youth

The Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Facility experienced a coronavirus outbreak recently (read more here). These folks are kids, a lot of them my age, and I didn't want them to feel neglected during these hard times. So I reached out to Mya, a volunteer that worked with the Boys Jubilee Choir at the facility. She gave me the names of 17 prisoners, each of whom I addressed a letter to. I wanted something heartfelt, but nothing too serious, so I beefed them up with stickers and a "greetings from the resistance" postcard on the back. I wrote reassurances like "we're here for you" and "you're in our hearts."

Inside the envelope I also included a selection of poems: Redemption Song, Invictus, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, and Let America Be America Again. After that, it was time to seal them and send them to Bon Air! I know it's not much in the grand scheme of things, but I believe that these letters can make all the difference for folks in prison. 

To take action in the fight against excessive imprisonment (especially for minors), in exchange for more effective alternatives, visit and support Rise for Youth. 

To learn everything you need to know about the School to Prison Pipeline (the underlying issue that my cards didn't begin to address), read this article from the Justice Policy Institute. 

EDIT: since writing this, the outbreak has been contained-- at the expense of the prisoners' sanity. Activities have been restricted, and prisoners are mostly confined to their tiny rooms. The point is: we must remember that coronavirus is hardly the issue. If your roof is leaking, should you blame the rain or the shoddy patchwork?

Community Control Over Police Surveillance-- Letter to Sheriff Gregory

(For context, CCOPS is a bill I hope to get passed in Henrico County. This letter was sent along with a petition to the Henrico County Sheriff and a copy of the bill in it's entirety.)

Dear Sheriff Gregory,

My name is Henry Haggard, and I’m a student at Freeman High School. I am writing to you because I support the human right to privacy, and judging by the looks of it, you do as well. In this letter, you will find the Community Control Over Police Surveillance bill that I plan to introduce to the Board of Supervisors. I have also included my summary of the topic, and a petition I’ve compiled of Virginia residents who support the ordinance.

Too often, we hear stories about unwarranted surveillance and opaque policy-making. Take Baltimore, for example. Military grade surveillance drones had been flying overhead for years, but the people were not told about it. A contract had been signed with a tech company and the local police department without public input or even a city council vote. The equipment was used to track crime-- particularly in lower-income areas-- and send any footage deemed relevant back to the police. Not only was it a costly and unethical venture, it wasn’t very effective, either. There was no justification for this blatant violation of human rights.

The Activist Notebook has LAUNCHED!

The Activist Notebook launch party has been in the works for months-- and it finally happened. I was blown away by the turnout, and am so proud to be able to say that most of the books sold. The buyers could decide which charity the proceeds went to, and I'm glad to be able to do both a fundraiser and a reading all in one.

There was also music, snacks, and some light-hearted rebellion. Big thanks to Life in 10 Minutes for helping make this happen.

UPDATE: A FREE ONLINE COPY IS AVAILABLE HERE.

Youth Peace Summit Workshop | The Art and Science of Activism

Ruby, Greta, Gus, Stephanie and I have been working on this workshop for ages, and I must admit, I'm sad to see it behind me. Either way, we made some great connections with active young people and helped get people involved in making politically-conscious art-- like protest signs and postcards. The outcome was incredible, but I think only photos can do it justice.

Here are some more pictures.

Tuckahoe Spanish Immersion Program

Recently, I noticed a big divide within Tuckahoe Middle School. There are native English speakers on one side and English language learners on the other. It seemed like these two groups hardly interacted, and the language barrier was just too big. One day, sitting in my Spanish class, I realized that there is in fact common ground: all of us are trying to learn a language! Some people are trying to learn Spanish, and others English-- and we both seemed to be struggling. So I organized a part club, part study group called the Tuckahoe Spanish Immersion Program. In this group, native Spanish speakers would help us learn their language, and we would help them with English and other classes. After explaining my idea to teachers, administrators, and students, I finally started work on assembling the club-- which proved more challenging than I had anticipated. By the end of the year, there were three native English speakers (including me and the host), but there were about 8 ELL kids who were happy to meet every week to play games and get help with schoolwork, so I'd call it a huge success. And, I'll be honest, they helped me prepare for more Spanish tests than I can count. By 9th grade, though our group had dissolved, one of the members happened to be in my gym class and we became good friends. And recently, my old Spanish teacher reached out asking for a copy of the flyers so that one of the participants, Hannah, could start it up again. 

Check out the form I used here.

When schoolwork and the pressures of middle school life are piling up on you, it's hard to do anything more than survive. Despite this though, I think there's hope for the future. In the end, devotion is contagious, and we are certainly not covering our sneezes. 

My TEDx Talk

I am so proud to have to opportunity to speak at this wonderful event. In doing so, I've met new people, learned new skills, and began to fully understand the power of voice.

https://www.ted.com/talks/henry_haggard_the_art_and_science_of_activism?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Voting in Schools-- Opinion

This piece of mine is fairly simple, but I would like to make a point, even if for nothing more than allowing every one of us to ask ourselves a question: why are all schools closed on election day? 

A follow up to that is: why aren't businesses closed? Why isn't election day a national holiday? And these last two are very important questions brought up and considered by many different people, but the first of the three has gotten less attention, if any.

So, the obvious answer to it is for the polling centers, duh. But why not libraries, or even other government buildings like the post office, library, or DMV? Why do we close schools on election day, but keep businesses open?

The Art and Science of Activism | Attending the ACLU National Convention

"Make a sticky note of your civil-liberties dream of the future"

The last workshop at the American Civil Liberties Union national conference was coming to a close. After hearing Harvard public policy professor Marshall Ganz speak about leadership, organizing, and the ACLU, I had only one question. I nervously walked to the microphone stand, reviewing my note one last time. After waiting a few minutes or so for the others to ask their questions, I asked: “What is your take on the arts and philosophies versus the sciences and data of activism?” Looking back, I can see that everything I have done politically inside and outside of the conference could be brought back to that single distinction.

Almost a year ago, I was tired of sitting around, uselessly arguing on the internet, waiting for something to happen, so I organized three ACLU of Virginia fundraisers and started a People Power campaign in my city, gaining almost three thousand dollars, and attention from the statewide ACLU staff. Just a few weeks ago, I was granted three VIP passes to the national ACLU conference in DC.