My dear friend of 20 years and I were talking about what it was like for him as a black man in this society these days. I was remembering how the police used to chase him through the park as he was leaving school. We were in grad school together – he, a Stanford alumnus, used to come in before most of us and leave long after – the police didn’t see the scholar he was but rather, something else. He lives in NYC now where black men are Stopped and Frisked at random. Each time an innocent man is chased or cuffed because of his color, it leaves a mark. I asked my friend, now a professor who works with Restorative Justice, how he manages in a world where stories full of black men who are shot, killed etc seem to dominate…his answer was long and deep but one thing he said that I wanted to share was that he “looks for the joy” and often he finds joy in music. One particular song he shared that lights up his day and heart is called STAY HIGH by Brittany Howard, a most talented singer songwriter who always leads with Joy. This particular video reminds me of Nimo’s work where the world seems to be in a love conspiracy. I’ve watched it three times now and couldn’t help but smile each time. May it do the same for you. Happy 2020!