But when the economic blackouts began—collective calls to halt our spending in protest of policies that no longer serve the people or the planet—I felt a pull. Not a push. Not guilt or pressure. A pull. A whisper from deep within that said: what if you stopped feeding the system that is starving your soul?

A story about what happens when greed wears the mask of leadership—and small business owners are the ones left to pay for it.

It’s a byproduct of a cultural movement that has handed people permission to be cruel in the name of patriotism, nationalism—even God.

This country is already hard to live in for so many. We don’t need to make it harder. We need to make it more human.

What is our responsibility when we are the ones who get to wake up free?