The Number That Stopped Me There is something about H.R. 40 that I did not fully understand until I looked more carefully at what the legislation actually proposes. H.R. 40 is not a bill ordering the federal government to start mailing reparations checks to Black folks. It does not establish a dollar amount for every
H.R. 40: How Long Does America Need to Study Reparations? Read More »
The Question That Sounds Simpler Than It Is Imagine sitting across from someone in Human Resources and hearing these words: “You have two choices. You can resign, or we can terminate you.” My first instinct might be to resign. Being able to say “I resigned” certainly sounds better than saying “I was fired.” It feels
Resign or Be Fired: Why I Would Never Make That Decision Too Quickly Read More »
The Difference Between Loneliness and Solitude There is a difference between being alone and feeling lonely, and I think understanding that difference becomes increasingly important as we move through life. Two people can spend an evening alone in nearly identical circumstances and experience that time completely differently. One person may feel peaceful, free, and comfortable.
Loneliness and Solitude: Being Alone Is Not the Same as Feeling Alone Read More »
Reality Does Not Explain Itself The older I become, the more I recognize that an event and my interpretation of that event are not always the same thing. Something happens, and almost immediately my mind begins explaining it. Someone does not return my telephone call, and I wonder whether they are upset with me. A
The Space Between What Happens and What I Decide It Means Read More »
A Word I Thought I Already Knew For most of my life, if somebody said the word bulldozer, I pictured a large piece of construction equipment. I saw a heavy tractor with a broad steel blade pushing dirt, rocks, trees, and almost anything else standing in its way. The meaning seemed obvious. A bulldozer was
Before the Bulldozer Was a Machine: A Word Born in the Violence of Reconstruction Read More »
The History Is Older, but It Is Also More Complicated When I was first taught about racism in America, slavery often appeared to be the beginning of the story. Africans were brought to America, white people enslaved them, and racism developed to justify what had been done. There is truth in part of that explanation,
Before American Slavery: How Anti-Blackness Became a Racial System Read More »
A World With No Up or Down Imagine living in a world containing only two dimensions: length and width. There is no height, no above, and no below. Everything exists on a completely flat surface where circles, squares, triangles, and other shapes move around. The inhabitants live their entire lives without ever imagining that another
Flatland: What If Reality Is Bigger Than What I Can See? Read More »
Why Good Intentions Are Not Enough I have reached a point in life where I understand that wanting something good to happen and creating the conditions that allow it to happen are two different things. I can hope for stronger families, safer communities, better schools, economic opportunity, racial justice, peace, and equality. I can pray
Pray, Then Move: When Faith Must Become Action Read More »
The Mathematics of Friendship One of the more interesting studies I have encountered about friendship came from Jeffrey Hall, a researcher at the University of Kansas. He wanted to understand something most of us experience but rarely try to measure: how much time does it actually take for one person to become a friend? His
Friendship Takes Time: Why Showing Up Matters Read More »
A Face and Voice We Already Knew Sometimes an actor plays a role so well that the character becomes part of our cultural memory. We may remember the character long before we remember the actor’s name. Jenifer Lewis is one of those performers who can make a character stay with you long after the story
Jenifer Lewis: The Mother of Black Hollywood Who Refused to Hide Read More »