Cognitive dissonance… it’s that uncomfortable state we experience when something we’ve been trained to believe in gets proven wrong, but we still can’t let go. Like when you first discovered the truth about Santa or the tooth fairy. Or the first time you admit that college isn’t necessarily the best choice for post high school.Continue reading “Thanks, Tom”
Tag Archives: racism
You’re Already Black Enough
Two years ago, I went on a prilgramage through Israel. I walked on land I’ve read about all my life. I stood in places that I had only imagined. I was baptized in the Jordan, took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee while listening to “How Great Is Our God” and I swamContinue reading “You’re Already Black Enough “
I Know You Probably Believe That
OhCAE, y’all. I’m just gonna sum this one up before I really get into it. Sometimes you just have to let people live in their reality. I know it’s annoying when people hold certain beliefs, but you have to know those thoughts come from somewhere. And sometimes you just have to be content with livingContinue reading “I Know You Probably Believe That”
Melanin = Dangerous
Once I was in the pool at my apartment complex with my friends. There was a group of guys across from us standing around talking. We weren’t paying attention until one of them said “Swear to God, you never tried coke before?” The others also seemed shocked that the guy they were talking to hadContinue reading “Melanin = Dangerous”
Dear All Lives Matter
Dear All Lives Matter, The schools of Detroit Public Schools (DPS) are being stripped. The teachers are being forced out and being made to look like the villains. Before you know it, DPS won’t exist. Children are being forced to go to schools that don’t have heat, updated books, or enough certified teachers to teach. EveryoneContinue reading “Dear All Lives Matter”
Kanye, It’s Not Just George Bush
“In 2011, more than half of the children entering foster care in the U.S. were children of color. Black or African American children are disproportionately more likely than other children to be reported, investigated, substantiated, and placed in foster care. Twenty-seven percent of the children in foster care are African American, double the percent ofContinue reading “Kanye, It’s Not Just George Bush”
What do Malcolm X, John Lewis and The Maze Runner have in common?
What do Malcolm X, Congressman John Lewis and the new movie The Maze Runner have in common? Well, the first two seem obvious. They are both well known leaders of the Civil Rights Era. How do they connect to that movie though? Take a moment to think about it… 3 2 1 OhCAE. You give up?Continue reading “What do Malcolm X, John Lewis and The Maze Runner have in common?”
Ok. Now what?
There was a pastor was at the Ella Baker Child Policy Training Institute (Freedom School national training) this summer. She told a story of when the leaders of the church asked the people in the congregation what they needed. A homeless man stood up and said he needed a job to which she replied “We willContinue reading “Ok. Now what?”
“Luxury of Obliviousness”
When I was 17, I met a girl in one of my classes who was 19. She explained that as a result of that class she realized that she had never been seriously aware of the fact that she was White. She never thought about it. Why? Because her mother purposely taught her to beContinue reading ““Luxury of Obliviousness””
A 3% Majority
I went to a high school basketball semi-finals game the other day, right? A team from Detroit was playing against a team from a small rural town in Michigan. All of the starters from both teams were Black. I didn’t notice it though until the team from the rural town scored and their student supportersContinue reading “A 3% Majority”
Claricha Explains It All 