What Zerlina Learned About America From Italy
Slowing down doesn't mean tuning out
Last year, political journalist Zerlina Maxwell did something that most of us only dream about: she moved to Sicily.
She’s been speaking truth to power for years as a radio and TV host, but after losing her mom and seeing Trump elected for a second time, she knew she had to make a change. And now that she’s living full-time in Italy, she’s seeing America more clearly than ever.
She’s still hosting her radio show Mornings with Zerlina and contributing to the hard work of defending American democracy, but it all feels very different now. She’s able to slow down, be more intentional, appreciate time with friends, and escape the hamster wheel of busyness and to-do lists.
She also feels safe for the first time — as a journalist and as a Black woman.
She’s not the first Black American to seek refuge overseas; James Baldwin, for example, wrote much of his groundbreaking work while abroad in Turkey. Outside of the “haze of racism and hostility and oppression,” as Zerlina put it, she can find the clarity to examine this moment in American history.
Everything she shared with LaFonda on our How To Not Lose Your Sh!t podcast echoed the conversations we’ve been having all year. Rest matters. Being kind to yourself matters. Doom-scrolling isn’t helpful and can actually prevent you from taking action. Connect with people. And joy itself can be resistance.
Even if you can’t move to Italy (and don’t be so sure you can’t!), you can learn from Zerlina’s journey. Every day, you can do one soft thing and one civic thing. Have a dance party in your kitchen, or meditate, or grab a coffee or ice cream with a friend… and text your neighbors about an upcoming election, or attend a city hall meeting, or donate to an organization you believe in.
The “soft” and the “civic” are equally important. We can’t heal a broken country without healing ourselves — and that can happen from anywhere.