Seeking a little faith to redeem your feelings in this world? Start a magazine. What my partners and I were reassured to find (two of us are from the South) and continue to learn is that folks are pretty amazing. Yes, even in big, bad New York City (which of course, isn't so big and bad after all). While we were assembling this first issue, men and women in the least likely of places stopped dancing or eating, or walking or talking, long enough to listen to our well-practiced ramblings, and give us their cards, advice, ideas for articles, or their promise of a much needed subscription. Well, most of the time.

This is a critical period in our country's history, and I know I'm not the only one who feels it. In asking ourselves about why we wanted to attempt a feat as daunting as starting a publication, we discussed several issues. One of the first questions that piqued our interest was, "Who is Michael Powell?" (This happened well before the Superbowl fiasco.) Last year, I read an article about him in Harper's after he had been ensconced on the board as Chairman of the FCC by George W. Bush, and I was irritated that I hadn't heard anything about him before. I mean, he was appointed in 2001! A venture capitalist acquaintance of mine (twenty years my senior and a Wall Street insider) said to me somewhat incredulously, "Why didn't you know who he is?"

Well, needless to say I felt pretty silly... until I spoke with others my age that recognized the Powell part of the name, but not necessarily the Michael. This man is making decisions about what we see on television and hear on radio and who lets us see and hear it, yet (other than a few weeks during Nipplegate), he has enjoyed virtual anonymity.

This point in history is rife with so much excitement and tragedy that it's overwhelming. One highly polarizing president finished his two terms in the White House followed by another highly polarizing president, and then we were ushered into a war. Opinions vary as to the reasons why and whether we should be in Iraq, but one thing is a certainty: The political process seems to be lumbering past most of us with reckless abandon. While we are busy making a living, supporting our families, or walking the dog; it's quite easy to just leave everything to the politicians and the other powers that seem to be running things. But it occurred to me that if our parents and grandparents had done the same thing in the 1960s, if a few brave souls hadn't sat at the lunch counter when they weren't supposed to, or walked and carpooled to work to support a public transportation strike during one of Alabama's broiling summers, or that adorable little girl with the Mary Jane shoes and the pigtails hadn't walked up those stairs to the school building with a horde of angry adults roaring behind her, or those three civil rights workers (who were murdered) weren't in Mississippi registering voters, we would be in a whole heap of trouble these days.

But an important question to ask is, "Are we losing ground?" A question I have been asking myself lately is: Have I become complacent? At this point in history, can I afford to? What was that fire that my sharecropping grandfather had in his belly to encourage his ten children to put each other through college right down to the last? What similar fire motivated my mom's dorm mother to make sure that the young women in her care were dressed appropriately when they attended class, that they went to church on Sundays, and knew how to "po' tea."? Could it be personal accountability and a responsibility to ensure the success of our future generations?

That same venture capitalist who talked with me about Michael Powell also told me that one reason he's not worried about his guy getting back into office is that, in his words, "the black vote is a ‘nonissue.'" Needless to say, I was beside myself. Was he right? As things stand now, it seems that our vote isn't pivotal for Republicans (Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush all won with no more than about 10 percent of black support). But for Democrats, having over 90 percent of our vote is of the utmost importance. How can we position ourselves as active and important participants in the national process (and in the world, for that matter) when only one of the two main political parties in our country considers our vote crucial?

Gaining ground is easier than even I thought. I'm starting with my neighborhood. Who is my local representative? What are my neighborhood's needs? On a much higher level, why aren't we demanding more from those who purport to be our national leaders? The sacrifices that Martin Luther King, the Kennedys, Malcolm X, and Stokeley Carmichael made were immeasurable. Have you seen anyone like those guys around lately? I've heard some great speeches and witnessed incredibly charismatic personalities with clever quips. But is that enough anymore?

- Kelley Jordan