A better America means reckoning with our past. — One of the more absurd things President Biden has ever said on race issues is that Trump was the first racist president. “No sitting president has ever done this [referring to one of Trump’s antagonistic ‘China virus’ remarks] … Never, never, never. No Republican president has done this. No Democratic…

Society’s continued segregation prevents real racial healing. — In response to 2023 racial justice efforts, some white folks I know like to remind people what things were like 50 years ago. As one acquaintance put it to me recently, “You act like we haven’t made considerable progress on race issues.” They’re referring to a time when society was…

Easy steps to actually write one — It’s commonplace nowadays to hear just about everyone proclaim that they should write a book. Whether about online dating stories, traumatic childhoods or that hike up Mount Kilimanjaro, everyone from nurses and lawyers to baristas and Target employees wants to write a book. I’m not poo-pooing it. Most of us…

When is forgiveness appropriate. — Six months ago, my precious 19-year-old son was stabbed with a knife in the back while in Israel. My son was attending school in Jerusalem for the last year and a half and had taken a weekend mini-vacation with friends on November 4, 2022 in a remote quiet town near…

End racist hair discrimination — In 2023, LinkedIn and Dove commissioned a workplace research study to examine if and how discrimination over hairstyles adversely impacts Black women. While not surprising to most Black people, the study revealed that Black women’s hair is two and a half times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional, that…

Jews again excluded from diversity commemorations. — I get it. Nearly 75% of American Jews have white skin and, for all appearances, seem to be making it just fine in America. At least as a group. There are plenty of Jews who aren’t rich, my parents definitely included, but it’s not because of systems stopping Jews from…

Seven microaffirmations to lessen the blow — Most of us by now have heard the term “microagression.” In case you’re still not sure exactly what that means, it’s the everyday, subtle interactions or behaviors that communicate some sort of bias against or invalidation of marginalized groups. Common microaggressions are when a white person asks to touch (or…

Environmental racism is harming Black communities — According to extensive research over the past three decades, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color are disproportionately affected by exposure to air pollution and toxic substances. If that weren’t enough, federal, state, and local governments provide less money to these communities to address such problems. It should be obvious…

Media portrayal of Black people belies their inherent warmth — During my junior year at Ohio State, I decided I was no longer going to go by Jeff. It might sound a bit sophomoric, but to me, Jeff sounded too simple. Too plain. I decided to switch to Jeffrey. Not Geoffrey. That version seemed like a rich man’s name, and…