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Two cool stories for you this morning:

 Columbia fashion designer channels her native Ghana with Ohemaa Couture by John-John Williams IV, Howard County Times

 Sandra Takyi is a graduate of Wilde Lake High School and a hocolocal fashion designer. The only thing wrong with this article is that I wished it had been longer. Where did she learn to design clothing? When did she first want to follow this career path? Why has she chosen to stay in this area?I would love to know more.

 The second story is actually a song:

 Colors in a Dream by Alan Scott, performed by Alan Scott Band

 Alan Scott is a local musician whose earlier video, “You Only See Me When I’m Gone” went viral on YouTube in 2016. It was inspired by the pain Scott felt after the shooting at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. 

 Of “Colors in a Dream”, Scott writes:

 My vision for this song developed a more timely resonance when children, many of them non verbal infants and toddlers, were separated from their parents. The pictures of children in internment camps and appearing in court rooms with no representation chilled me to the bone. 

 I wanted to send a message to the world that we do not accept the destruction of children’s lives and separation of families. Whether it is a Detention Center for children, a DACA recipient living in fear of deportation or, most tragically, a loss of life in a culture of gun violence, I do not accept it. So I want to foster another culture -- one that uses votes to change the world, to spare children and their families from destruction and separation. A culture of family voting as family empowerment. 

 Both of these local stories gave me a lift this morning, so I am sharing them with you. A small request: listen to the song. If you like it, share it. Sharing a song on YouTube both prolongs its life and extends its reach. And, right before an important election, a song about the empowerment of voting could use an extra boost.

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