Mackenzie Whitehead-Bust
She/Her
Service Project: Minnesota Humanities Center
Writing and Research Fellow
Mackenzie Whitehead-Bust grew up in Denver, Colorado. She moved to the Twin Cities as the result of a late-night pro/con list with her best friend, which ultimately placed Minneapolis at the top among six American cities they considered. Now, a year and a half later, she's delighted with her "random" decision. Mackenzie believes that our country stands at a crossroads between succumbing to our worst impulses or striving for our highest potential, and sees Move For America's mission of strengthening dialogue across differences as crucial to navigating this pivotal time. A trained mediator, writer, and educator, Mackenzie graduated from Vassar College with a degree in American Studies.
Cattails by Big Thief
Adrianne Lenker and Big Thief have been core to who I am for a long time. Adrianne Lenker
inspires me as a writer, artist, and a person. Her music makes me feel whole, and at home. I
turned 21 during Covid lockdown, so I couldn’t properly celebrate with my friends. Instead, my
two best friends made me a podcast. They had my friends and family across the country send in
messages, poems, songs, and little tidbits to wish me a happy birthday. One segment was two
of my friends singing me Cattails, a song they knew I loved. That podcast remains one of my
most treasured gifts, and this song always makes me feel exuberant gratitude for the love I have
in my life.
Higher by Rihanna
Having sisters is like–everything to me. We always belt this song in the car when we are back
together. So many memories of being in my first car, a ‘98 Honda Civic I inherited from my
grandmother, and driving my sisters around before they could drive and yelling this song.
Wing$ by Macklemore
Ok, this one is a little vulnerable. When I was in middle school, I loved Macklemore. I definitely (I promise!) grew out of that phase. But, during senior week of college, my best friend and I randomly started talking about how funny Macklemore is, and listening to a bunch of his old songs that we used to love. We ended up coming up with a concept for a spoof musical, and writing, casting, and putting on the show during our last week of college. The whole thing was really silly, but it brought people together and was very fun. I included this song because it speaks to something I do genuinely love (not Macklemore)--bringing big groups of people together to engage in silly, ridiculous, embarrassing fun! I don’t think we do that enough.