April always tests what I’m made of… In April 2013, I joined AmeriCorps after being laid off for the first time. In April 2014, I became an American Airlines flight attendant. In April 2023, I was laid off for a second time. This time from my third career as a healthcare IT Business Analyst. I…
Author: Chardaé Jones
Writer. Tech Junkie. Music Junkie. Creative. Dreamer. Artistic.
Confessions of an Ex-Millennial Mayor: The Weak in a Weak Mayor System
Why I Didn’t Run for Mayor Again and Instead Ran for Braddock Council “Can we do… shouldn’t we build… can y’all vote on?” In most weak mayor systems, mayors can break ties, cut ribbons, declare emergencies, and oversee police departments. Most mayors in weak mayor systems spend their time convincing council members to vote for…
Once Upon a Black Woman: Voting, Not Voting, Consequences, and Reflection on the Election
We currently have war, high Gas Prices, high Unemployment, and inflation because people didn’t want to vote for a black woman. My grandfather got me into the habit of reading the news every morning. My mother got me into the habit of reading books because, according to her, everything that anyone would ever want to…
Confessions of an Ex-Millennial Mayor: Overseeing a Police Department
In a weak-mayor system, some municipal mayors get to oversee a police department. The first thing that I remember after being sworn in was being whisked away and handed two internal police investigations. I was curious, energized, ready to learn, and ready to lead. The mayor paid less than $100 a month, so my day…
Why Not You?
Audacity “The quality or state of being audacious: such as a : intrepid boldness knights admired for their audacity.” I’ve had about four or five careers (I’ve stopped counting), and I just embrace the art of side quest. Why not step out of your comfort zone? Why not learn something new? If you fail, it…
Confessions of an Ex-Millennial Mayor
I imagine 18-year-old me, 28-year-old me, and the me today sitting at a bar. They’d all get along kee-keeing with one another. They’d converse about talking the crying customer out of the plane bathroom before take off, or telling the one man, “I’m as hot and chocolate as he was going to get,” because we…
On: Millennial Adaptability, Authenticity, and Publishing My 4th Book, Black Girl, Blue Skies
Just chasing authenticity and imperfection in a world full of perfectly curated artificial intelligence. You’ll never have it all figured out, and as soon as you figure that out, life doesn’t get easier, but it absolutely becomes less chaotic by far. Controlling everything like a game of The Sims 4 is impossible. If I weren’t…
37 in Less Than 7 Days: Flexibility is a Flex
I will be 37 in 7 days. What am I learning? Mostly, I’ll never have it all figured out. After briefly being a flight attendant, my 9-year career in tech came to a pause. The position got eliminated, so I leaned heavily into pivoting. I will continue to lean into pivoting my entire life as…
Why Would I Try to Sell People Anything When Capitalism is Crumbling?
Over and over again, TikTok reminds me that I’m eligible for its monetization programs like TikTok Seller, TikTok Live, and whatever TikTok Service is. But there’s absolutely no way that I, in good conscience, could or would sell anyone anything. Sales, even if we weren’t in an apocalyptic-like hellscape full of fascism and oligarchy, has…
The Dream Should Be Community
What does it mean to dream? What is your dream? What would it feel like if you woke up and your dream came true? All lighthearted questions, but they all pulled something out of me. Last week, I went to a Dreamers Event, and it was amazing to just be present and sit still. Putting…
OMG It's Just Daé 