Many of us have approached race like the Field of Dreams movie: “If we build walls to ignore race, the progress will come.” I have encountered people across race who share this colorblind belief. Colorblindness, the notion that one does not “see” race, has been touted as the opposite of racism, the answer to our racial problems and the balm to heal our racial wounds. It pretends to be cute, cuddly and kind to humanity. I argue that colorblind ideology is... Read more
It did not take long into my experience with organized religion to find out that questioning was frowned upon—well, certain kinds of inquiry. Inquiry had to fit within the narrow constraints of the religion or denomination. Danger lurked beyond the buildings, community and pages of sacred text, waiting to beguile the curious. Spiritual curiosity meant playing with fire. Was it? Is it? What if curiosity didn’t kill the cat? What if it gave the cat an extra nine lives? In... Read more
Ismail Ajjawi, a Palestinian 17-year old, was blocked from entering the United States allegedly due to his friends’ social media posts. He had travelled from Lebanon to start his Freshman year at Harvard University. Ajjawi said that he was detained and subjected to hours of questioning, particularly about his religious beliefs and practices, at Boston Logan International Airport. After searching his phone and laptop, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials cancelled his visa and denied his entry due to his friends’... Read more
“What is the big deal?” It is a question that I have seen and heard repeatedly whenever the issue of respecting pronoun use comes up. Typically, the inquirers are cisgender heterosexual persons who frame their question in a way of dismissing or mocking LGBTQIA individuals. Pronoun use is a big deal. Even if someone does not want to be called a pronoun at all, it is a big deal. The pronouns and words we use are deeply attached to our... Read more
There must be something in the Bible about where two or more are gathered with food, Sam will be in the midst. I was on a walk at local park, when I came upon a church worship service that happened to turn into a picnic–a fun Church picnic. As I was trekking uphill, I had spotted a crowd of people sitting in chairs, some guy with a mic (who turned out to be a priest), and a band with string instruments…... Read more
Galveston, Texas officers on horseback led a handcuffed Black man by a rope for six blocks to the local police station. The police officers, who are White persons, had arrested Donald Neely for criminal trespassing. Video and images captured from the incident have sparked local and national outrage. Although the police chief, a Black man, apologized, various activists continue to call for termination of the police officers’ employment. Were these police officers saving the day or riding high on racism?... Read more
A recent study in the JAMA Network Open linked the 2016 U.S. presidential election to an increase in preterm births among U.S. Latina Women. According to the researchers: Given the rhetoric and policies promised under the Trump presidential campaign, the 2016 presidential election has been proposed as a significant stressor in the lives of US immigrants, their families, and their communities, with potentially uniquely acute effects on the US Latino population…. Our results suggest that the 2016 US presidential election... Read more
A recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) says that White police officers are not more likely to fatally shoot Black people. Johnson, Tress, Burkel, Taylor, and Cesario focused specifically on fatal officer-involved shootings (FOIS), not the outcomes of police officers who fire their weapons and miss or injure civilians. The investigators drew from 2015 FOIS information collected by The Washington Post and The Guardian in order to create a database that included officer race, sex, and years of professional experience. They... Read more
Over half of the U.S. Border Patrol and approximately 1/3 of ICE agents are Latino. In 2018, 10 out the 11 individuals participating in the Border Patrol citizens’ academy were Latino. Why? Answering this question has the implications for U.S. discussions and policies involving the socioeconomics, race, ethnicity, nationality, and immigration. In this post, I discuss how financial interests, historical support of the Border Patrol, historical push for White supremacy policies, and the diverse socio-political leanings of Latinos can help make... Read more
“Y’all are smoking crack!” declared sports media personality, Stephen A. Smith in response to the NBA stopping the use of the term “owner” to describe, well, franchise owners. These individuals are now called “Governors” and “alternate Governors.” Was the term “mayor” or “senator” taken? The term “owner” has been considered racially insensitive in a league where almost three-quarters of the players are Black. Is this announcement reflective of “smoking crack,” racial sensitivity or have they lost their racial senses over... Read more
Race and Grace
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