I have a strong opinion on the word “Caucasian.” Short version: If you’re white, stop using it immediately. I simply don’t think it’s possible to claim to want to tear down racism while actively using one of its keystones. There is one reason alone why white people of European descent got to be called “Caucasian.” Scientific racists…
Month: August 2018
Students Protesting During the Pledge of Allegiance
Earlier this year, an 11-year-old student testified that her teacher confronted her after she chose to kneel during the Pledge of Allegiance. As children return to school, and as athletes continue to kneel for the National Anthem, it seems like a good time to look at the question: What rights do students have with regards to…
The Tale of the N-Word Tape
Donald Trump, a conservative 72-year-old American businessman, has said some things that have stretched the limits of credulity in his career. Here’s one of his latest, regarding Omarosa Manigault Newman’s claim that she has a tape of him saying the n-word: “I don’t have that word in my vocabulary, and never have.” Now, to be…
LeBron James and I Promise: What Does it Promise?
Recently, Akron Public Schools announced that it had created a partnership with basketball great LeBron James. Working with the LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF), the district will be opening a school this year for at-risk youth. This is not the first time a celebrity has been involved in the opening of a school, but in…
Franklin Turns 50: Why It Matters
I am writing this on the fiftieth anniversary of a significant cultural event. Fifty years ago today, a white cartoonist responded to a request from a white woman who was concerned about the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr., by a white man. Like Jane Elliot, another white woman, Harriet Glickman used her response to…