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.
Brett Wilkins: Albert Woodfox, Activist Wrongfully Imprisoned for 43 Years, Dies at 75
“Our cells were meant to be death chambers but we turned them into schools, into debate halls.”
Michael T. Young: Two Poems
When you’re not the target
you can ignore the gun.
Pratik Pawar: It Took 35 years to Get a Malaria Vaccine. Why?
The parasite’s complex biology played a role in the delay, but experts say there was also a lack of urgency and funding.
Lisa Arrastia: Letter to My Student Teachers on a Day of Yet Another School Mass Shooting in America
While some will call for greater discipline, more resource officers, and paying for “threat assessments,” I will call for love and uplift you, the teachers in public pre-k-12 schools.
Michael Simms: Trigger Warning | Old White Guy Talks About Racism
White people don’t spend a lot of time talking about racism. Right-wingers dismiss racism as a talking point that black people use to get special treatment while left-leaning white people simply state that racism is an evil tendency among other white people, but not themselves.
Erica Etelson: In order to transcend Trumpism, we must tend to suffering — not celebrate it
Our survival as a species depends on our ability to turn away from the delusion of sweet revenge, and show compassion for those we may dislike or detest.
Jon Queally: Buffalo Gunman’s Racism Directly Tied to Mainstreaming of White Nationalism
White nationalism is the greatest threat to our nation’s security and we must hold everyone who spreads this hate accountable before anyone else is harmed.
Melanie M. Kirby: Nectar Nomad in the Land of Enchantment
What bees taught me about building community.
Anita Gonzalez: A white librettist wrote an opera about Emmett Till – and some critics are calling for its cancellation
To me, the backlash against the white librettist is ultimately a waste of time. Not only is there room for works done in collaboration with Black artists, but cross-cultural, interethnic collaborations also add to the richness and versatility of performed storytelling.
Video: The Breathtaking Courage of Harriet Tubman
Escaping slavery; risking everything to save her family; leading a military raid; championing the cause of women’s suffrage; these are just a handful of the accomplishments of one of America’s most courageous heroes.
Andrew Bacevich: What Would Martin Say?
The attention given to racism of late has had exactly that unintended effect — relieving Americans of any obligation even to acknowledge the insidious implications of materialism and militarism. In that sense, even now, two of King’s giant triplets barely qualify for lip-service. In the political sphere, they are either ignored or, at best, treated as afterthoughts.
George Yancy: If the State of the World Makes You Want to Scream, You’re Not Alone
We must face the weight of such social evils and be prepared to also face the ways in which we are complicit with them, especially when we are often indifferent.
Vox Populi 