I’ve shared before the description of an editorial cartoon my father kept pinned up in the vestibule of our church that made a deep impression on me I have never forgotten. It was a black and white drawing by the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Herblock that was originally published in the Washington Post in October 1947. The picture showed a group of well-dressed, happy people … [Read more...] about A place at the table
Charles Ogletree
“Tree had everyone’s backs; he saw the potential in everyone and sought to nurture it.” So said Tomiko Brown-Nagin, dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard and professor of constitutional law at Harvard Law School, and one of Harvard Law School Professor Charles Ogletree’s many colleagues, admirers, and friends. Charles Ogletree, who died August 4, … [Read more...] about Charles Ogletree
We must be the examples
When our children see the news right now, what are they thinking? We are at a moment where adults everywhere are reminded once again that we must all continue to strive to be the examples we want our children to emulate. We must teach them to value the truth and to know right from wrong. We cannot depend on anyone else. I believe all great faiths, history, moral decency, … [Read more...] about We must be the examples
Bringing truth to light
On July 25, the day that would have been Emmett Till’s 82nd birthday, President Joe Biden hosted a White House signing ceremony for a proclamation establishing the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Mississippi and Illinois. Three sites are now part of this monument honoring Emmett Till, who had just turned 14 when he was abducted, tortured, and lynched in … [Read more...] about Bringing truth to light
Youth aren’t bulletproof
“Dear Lawmaker, My name is Ana Rodriguez. I lost my daughter, Maite Rodriguez on May 24, 2022 in a mass shooting at her school, Robb Elementary, in Uvalde, TX . . . It was the last week of school and she was excited about watching movies with her friends and attending the honor roll ceremony. Don’t imagine. Put yourself in my daughter’s shoes that day: Her name is called … [Read more...] about Youth aren’t bulletproof
Overturning opportunity
In the spring of 1954, like so many black families, mine waited anxiously for the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. My father and I talked about it and what it would mean for my future and the future of millions of other black children who were attending segregated but unequal black schools. He died the week before Brown was decided. But I and many other … [Read more...] about Overturning opportunity
Nobody’s free until everybody’s free
Our nation has just celebrate its third commemoration of Juneteenth as a federal holiday, marking the jubilant day in June 1865 when many enslaved people in Texas finally learned they were free from federal troops arriving in Galveston after the end of the Civil War. The news came more than two and a half years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on … [Read more...] about Nobody’s free until everybody’s free
Wear orange for Hadiya
May 29, 2023, was Memorial Day in the United States, and the long weekend that is traditionally observed with shared remembrance, made headlines again for the shared all-American epidemic of gun violence. The nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, which keeps track of American gun violence incidents, noted there were at least 175 people killed and another 496 injured during the … [Read more...] about Wear orange for Hadiya