Feb 16How the Diversity Profession Has Fu*ked/Failed Black Women and Other Non-white PeopleI am pissed off and decided to write about how Black women and other nonwhites have been fu*kedb/ failed by the Diversity profession and leadership in corporations, nonprofits, and academia. It is my up close and very personal reaction to a #LinkedIN posting. …Diversity7 min readDiversity7 min read
Jan 25Zora Neale Hurston on My Mind: ‘Claiming Her Space’ Beyond the Shadows of AnthropologyI count myself among that generation of Black anthropologists and writers strongly influenced by Zora’s example. I cannot say that I followed Zora’s path consciously. Nor can I say for sure now whether it was Zora who brought me to Florida to teach in the anthropology department at the University…Zora Neale Hurston10 min readZora Neale Hurston10 min read
Oct 20, 2022Daniel Prude and the Price of Black Lives — Is $12M Enough?My family needs to heal, and communities need to know that there will be at least some accountability when police kill people like my dad, whose only crime was needing help.” Nathanial McFarland (son of Daniel Prude) Exactly two months and two days (March 23, 2020) before the murder of…Daniel Prude4 min readDaniel Prude4 min read
Aug 23, 2022No Safe Space for Black Women Globally: Brittney Griner & Russia’s Anti-Blackness & Anti-American RulingThe guilty judgment against Brittney Griner, WNBA Basketball player, cements the reality of anti-blackness as a global phenomenon (https://apple.news/ATrcxXgVfQwWpzN3hUZU1uQ). It is also a commentary on the state-of-affairs of American-Russian diplomatic relations. Had Brittney been a “blondie”, would the United States have acted sooner to rescue her? We have witnessed time…Brittney Griner7 min readBrittney Griner7 min read
May 21, 2022The Buffalo, NY Massacre and the Unspeakable Horror of White Hatred in AmericaWhat happened in Buffalo, New York on May 14, 2022 is further evidence that the disease of racism has resurfaced in the United States with a vengeance and passion. We have not witnessed such despicable acts of white supremacy since slavery, since lynching became a sport during post-Reconstruction, since white…Buffalo Ny Massacre10 min readBuffalo Ny Massacre10 min read
Dec 26, 2021Umoja: Rest in Power Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1931–2021)Image: https://www.tutulegacy.com/#GallerySection. “…a living embodiment of faith in action, speaking boldly against racism, injustice, corruption, and oppression, not just in apartheid South Africa but wherever in the world he saw wrongdoing. …” Desmond Tutu Foundation (https://www.tutulegacy.com/message). The quiet death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu this morning (December 26) gives us pause…Desmond Tutu3 min readDesmond Tutu3 min read
Published in ZORA·Dec 16, 2021Member-onlyOde to bell hookssista bell hooks, to you, we owe an enormous debt that can never really be repaid in full. You fed our minds, gave us concepts like Black Feminism to chew on, masticate, then swallow like a snake consuming the whole body of its prey. We ingested your words, your radical…Bell Hooks2 min readBell Hooks2 min read
Nov 24, 2021The U.S. Justice System Has Failed Black America Again & Now White America is Feeling ItThe latest jury decision that brazenly allowed the Kenosha County, Wisconsin killer to walk free is proof positive that the American justice system has failed. And the judge’s demeanor only highlighted the obvious — we need judges who can discard their white lens and deliver justice equitably (https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/kyle-rittenhouse-trial-exposed-problem-electing-judges-ncna1284461).Justice5 min readJustice5 min read
Jul 2, 2021Airing UNC Chapel Hill’s Dirty Diversity Laundry-My Experience & You Be the Judge“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” Ida B. Wells I wrote this piece a few weeks ago in response to the Trustees’ of University of North Carolina Chapel Hill decision not to grant tenure to Nikole Hannah-Jones, noted journalist, founder of the…Unc Chapel Hill17 min readUnc Chapel Hill17 min read
Jun 26, 2021Writing is PowerI have been reading in various groups on Facebook and on Twitter about people, especially BIPOC people, struggling with writing. I am here to tell you that Writing is Power! If you are struggling with writing, go back & reread #blackfeminist literary theorist, #BarbaraChristian. …Writing6 min readWriting6 min read