Unwelcome cynicism from systemic injustice

I despise cynicism. It’s lazy, it’s destructive in its inaction, and it’s flatly wrong. All around us—every single day—one can plainly see people go out of their way to help one another. We push cars out of the snow, give money, and run into burning buildings all for the sake of strangers. But there are …

Read more

Black pain for laughs

silhouette of black woman's head, screaming out in anguish

If you are in the business of comedy and making people laugh, the laziest route to fast laughs is to laugh at Black people with no regard to our trauma and history. Which is what NBC’s Saturday Night Live did on April 3, 2021, with their “Vaccine Game Show” sketch featuring esteemed actor Daniel Kaluuya.  …

Read more

From top to bottom, we must stop making room for hate and violence

A square, yellow metal sign with signs of rust and a frowny face emoji on it, held aloft by two hands in front of a brick wall

Last week a local sports announcer in Oklahoma accidentally broadcast himself calling a team of high school girls the n-word. He blamed his actions on his diabetes. On Wednesday, the Wisconsin State Assembly decided against recognizing Black History Month, instead opting to honor Rush Limbaugh. Late Tuesday evening a 21-year-old white man killed eight people …

Read more