Following the Chauvin Trial Is Traumatic. Don’t Turn Away.

When we bear witness, when we become the situation—homelessness, poverty, illness, violence, death—the right action arises by itself. We don’t have to worry about what…

Let’s Make This Juneteenth Our Collective Independence Day

As I look at the world right now, I see a lot of belief statements and acknowledgment of past hurts—a reckoning to finally accept that…

Why Reopening Emmett Till’s Case Still Won’t Give Our Black Boys Justice

I could never forget first seeing Emmett Till’s body if I wanted to. I don’t think I was more than 10 years old. The photo…

Let’s Be Honest, None of This Would Have Happened to My White Son

If a white mother of three in the suburbs, like me, is tired of hearing stories and watching footage of (young) black men being brutalized…

VIDEO: DeRay Mckesson on Why Blackness Is Not a Weapon

How does a former teacher and school administrator go from joining the Ferguson, Missouri, protests just over a year ago (after the police shooting of…

If It Walks Like the NRA and Quacks Like the NRA: The Parallel Politics of Gun Control and Ed Reform

It’s been two weeks since the mass shootings in Roseburg, Oregon. And I’ve spent the last seven days comparing the coverage and commentary on gun…

Creating Teachable Moments Around Racism

We refuse to acknowledge that racism and classism are woven throughout every institution within our country, even within policies that govern our public schools. I…

We Know the Stats, So When Are We Going to Act?

You really don’t truly get something until you directly experience it or see it with your own eyes. You can’t un-see the video of Tamir…