Michael Simms: America
Beside the highway outside McKeesport PA
a state trooper has pulled over a black man
who leans against his rusty Ford
palms flat, feet apart
assuming the position
as we say in America
Abby Zimet: Watering While Black
Having grown up (black) in the American South, the good Rev. Michael Jennings, 56, both was and wasn’t surprised last May 22 by the “surreal” arrival of (white) cops in his small Alabama town to confront his nefarious crime of watering a neighbor’s flowers like the good Christian he is.
Desirée H Melton: Why report injustice when being justly treated is unimaginable?
As decades-old sexual assault allegations increase, so does the question: why didn’t women report it sooner? Shame, fear of reprisals and the unfortunately common belief that they are responsible for … Continue reading
Reginald Andrade: I Was Reported to Police as an ‘Agitated Black Male’ — for Simply Walking to Work
Last month, I walked across the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst to get to work. It was an ordinary stroll. But to a bystander, the sight of an … Continue reading
Tom Engelhardt: Walking While Black
Like everyone else in America, you undoubtedly know about the recent afternoon shutdown of 8,000 Starbucks stores for anti-bias training after the well-publicized handcuffing and arrest of two black men … Continue reading
Paul Figueroa: Can Police Departments Reduce Implicit Bias?
“In too many communities around the country, a gulf of mistrust exists between local residents and law enforcement,” said President Obama in a recent speech at the Congressional Black Caucus … Continue reading
Sarah Lazare: Severe Racial Disparities In Arrests the Norm In America
At least 1,581 police departments across the country arrest black people at greater rates than in Ferguson, according to USA Today analysis. Ferguson, Missouri has become a flashpoint of anger … Continue reading →