Minerva’s Spring Newsletter

Dear Minerva Fan Club,

Like many people in the U.S., I am thrilled to be fully vaccinated. I cannot heap enough praise on the science, and people behind the science, who made this possible. Between the vaccine and a recent 10-day stretch of sun in the notoriously dreary Pacific Northwest, it feels like a new day is dawning. It feels so…normal.

But when did normal become our aspiration? Is 45 mass shootings in a month the normal we want? Are we excited to emerge from the pandemic with decades of global health progress lost and millions more children at risk of death and disease? Are we satisfied with just one Black family in America finally getting justice while systemic racism remains alive and well?

Sure, I can hug my 89-year-old father without reservation. I can get on a plane to spend time with some of my dearest friends. I can drink coffee or wine with folks at a restaurant, and in the fall, I’m hoping I can even get the Minerva Strategies team together in person. That side of normal—the normal I’m privileged to inhabit—feels great. I yearn for it.

If we think normal is enough, we’ve been duped. Worse than that, we are perpetuating injustice. We are all tired; I’m exhausted. But now is not the time to sit back and take it easy. It’s time to link arms and stand for what’s right.

You won’t receive another email from me for a while. Don’t worry—I’m not going anywhere. But my colleagues have smart, insightful things to say and I’m going to pass the mic. The next Minerva e-newsletter you receive will be from one of them. But you can always find me at joy@minervastrategies.com. I’d love to hear from you—maybe over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.

All best,

Joy Portella
President, Minerva Strategies