We human beings have many times many different prejudices. I’m not trying to make a value statement in saying that, just naming something that I believe is an inherent aspect of human nature. We are deeply prejudiced beings. It is impossible that this not be the case. I have never … Read more →
Tag Archives: Racism
The Myth of a Post-Racial America
When I visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History over the summer, there was one transition between exhibits that disturbed me deeply. It was not the content of either of the exhibits, but rather that one led directly into the other. As I was coming out of the exhibit on … Read more →
Why Janeane Garofalo is Dangerously Wrong
, Any time I hear someone begin to refer to whole groups of individuals as “these people” or “those people”, my brain immediately begins to shout that there is some kind of dangerous prejudice being promoted. I found it amazingly ironic that when Janeane Garofalo launched into her prejudiced diatribe … Read more →
Diversity as Good Business Sense
The past few days I have been struck by how obvious is the practical need for diversity in the workplace, be it the offices of mayors, the offices of a major newspaper, or a piping factory in Paris Texas. Lets step away from such issues (for a second) as institutional … Read more →
It’s More Complicated than White
This past week, I have been taking a January Intensive course (a semester’s worth of lectures and class time crammed into one week) taught by the Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed. He has a new book out, In Between, but his most well known work is Black Pioneers in a White Denomination. … Read more →
The Foundation of My Identity
This essay is a class assignment for Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed’s class “Afro-Americans and the Unitarians, Universalists, and the Unitarian Universalists.” It is an attempt to locate myself with regards to race, both in heritage and in belief. My first memory of my “nana”, my father’s grandmother, is from when I was ten … Read more →
How Far Will We Go?
When I heard that a young woman, a McCain campaign volunteer, was allegedly attacked by someone who beat her up and scratched a B on her cheek, I felt my heart drop. In large part, it was out of sympathy for the young woman, because no one deserves to be … Read more →
A Dream and a Young Boy
I grew up in what I can only describe as an integrated community, at least as far as race is concerned. Simply put, the subject never came up. You see, I grew up in the military. The other children that I played soccer with, played marbles with, went to classes … Read more →