Inauguration Day
My plan for today is to be Extra Black. I sang some Negro spirituals during my morning drive. Also on my to-do list: listen to some Black music, read Black … Continue reading
Commitment, Courage and Resistance: Making Real the Promises of Democracy
The Unitarian Society of Hartford invited me to be their pulpit guest this morning at their special service celebrating the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday, which has fallen … Continue reading
Trump is the Face of Deep-Rooted Bigotry and Islamophobia
Honestly, I don’t even want to participate in creating any more media presence for Donald Trump’s self-aggrandizing national spectacle of idiocy and antagonism. However, I refuse to be silent when … Continue reading
Black Lives Matter Protests Met With Excessive Force in Minneapolis
Shortly after midnight on Sunday, Minneapolis police fatally shot Jamar Clark in the head after apprehending him for allegedly interfering with paramedics who had responded to an assault in which … Continue reading
What’s Happening At Mizzou Happens Everywhere Every Day
The University of Missouri, nicknamed Mizzou by alumni, reached a state of civil unrest on campus this week. Black students had reason to fear for their lives after receiving repeated … Continue reading
Waiting for Supergirl
The juxtaposition was startling and heart-wrenching. On TV, I was watching the premier of “Supergirl,” in which a young white female superhero joyfully uses her otherworldly physical strength to defeat … Continue reading
This is Why We Protest
They call us the CityLine Dozen. I laughed when I heard it for the first time, because it sounds more like a donut shop than a group of racial justice activists who … Continue reading
From Provincetown to Afropunk: Visibility, Pride and Love
I recently visited Provincetown, Massachusetts during its nationally renowned Carnival, an annual celebration dedicated to gay pride. PTown, as the locals affectionately call it, is a tiny but special placeon … Continue reading
Reflections on Ferguson: One Year and One Day Later
One year and one day have passed since Michael Brown was murdered by a police officer on the street in Ferguson, Missouri. In some ways, to me, his death feels … Continue reading
MTV’s “White People” Puts White People’s Feelings First, As Usual
I admit that my curiosity was piqued by the potential of “White People,” a documentary by Jose Antonio Vargas examining how young Americans experience their whiteness. Having spent my teenage … Continue reading
