If Google’s algorithms are still kicking in 50 years, a search for “Emily Dickinson” may surface the work Cree Myles right alongside that of the 19th-century poet. Cree has a YouTube channel and an Instagram account, where she goes by “Black Emily Dickinson” and reviews books, especially by writers of color. She also performs a “Word of the Week” rap (we recommend “rivulet”). Cree struggled with lifting Dickinson's name, initially, but reminded herself of what the culture has lost because of slavery and oppression. Her appropriation is a gift of reparations for her ancestors, she says. Cree advocates for social change in multiple ways, as a musician, feminist writer and commentator and digital organizer for Leaders Igniting Transformation, or LIT Milwaukee. She grew up in Menomonee Falls in what she calls a "very pro-black house," where her mother was the first black female principal and her father was Wisconsin’s first black game warden. Cree, whose grandmother was one of 16 children in rural Mississippi, is a direct descendant of two slaves, Horace and Fannie, and feels a connection to them. She finds connection in Milwaukee, too, especially among Riverwest creatives. She started singing at homeless shelters, Company Brewing and the Jazz Gallery and is part of Riverwest’s Femfest. She started out with Prince and Beyoncé covers before moving into her own original songs, which can be heard on YouTube. When Wisconsin’s April primary election went forward in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cree co-wrote an essay for Teen Vogue, which suggested the election “opened a new chapter in the long history of our state’s racist voter suppression activities and exposes scary vulnerabilities in our democracy as we head into the critical November general election.” We covered a lot of ground, about books, optimism, racism in Milwaukee and living democracy on social media. Here are the best bits.