Let’s get the disclaimers out of the way immediately. Holidays can be intensely personal for some. Perhaps there is personal tragedy or joy associated with a holiday that make it meaningful and sensitive. You should celebrate holidays as you want to. …

Yesterday, I was chatting with a white person in the park. (I meet and chat with lots of people while walking my dog twice a day.) We started talking about racism. They said: This is systemic. So, there’s not a lot I can do. WHITE PEOPLE: There is so much…

I read a news report recently about a charter school in Utah where parents were given the option to “opt out” of Black History Month curricula. Apparently, some families asked that their children not have to learn about Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King, Jr. …

(This is the text of a speech delivered at Mercer University’s Center for Collaborative Journalism on January 26, 2019 while accepting the Media Changemaker award.) I had intended, at first, to give a speech on communication. You won’t hear it today, but trust me: it’s a good speech. Communication and…

Racism is the idea that one racial group is inferior or superior to another, and has the social power to carry out and benefit from systemic discrimination. This applies to most, if not all, institutions in this country, including public media. Anti-Blackness and white supremacy shape both the institutional policies…

Public radio has been in the headlines a lot lately and for the most part, it’s not for positive reasons. It’s because staff members are speaking up about racism, abuse of power, unequal treatment. Let’s be perfectly honest with each other because I want to have a productive conversation. Just…

Sometimes you like to go to a restaurant and laugh with a group of friends. Sometimes you’d rather sit at home in sweats, watching movies. Sometimes you’re so caught up in a conversation at work that you’re late to your next meeting. Sometimes you duck down a hallway in order…

If someone has said something racist, that is not good. If they dressed in blackface or in a KKK costume at some point, that was a racist act. Yet, past racism does not necessarily mean someone is still a racist. …

(This is the text of a speech delivered at Mercer University’s Center for Collaborative Journalism on January 26, 2019 while accepting the Media Changemaker award.) I had intended, at first, to give a speech on communication. You won’t hear it today, but trust me: it’s a good speech. Communication and…