It is not possible to overstate the evil inflicted by the United States upon African Americans and their ancestors. The depravity of slavery, Jim Crow Era lynchings, rapes, and intimidation, continued economic warfare and a criminal justice system designed to control citizens of color with brutality. Just a partial list. Yet proclaiming, “All men are created equal!” If you understand these evils committed in the land of the free, you must be heartsick. Still, I argue against economic reparations

To mark Black History month, Mrs. Shershen’s 8th grade choir at Harter Middle School is exploring Langston Hughes’ poem, “The Dream Keeper” through song. Its beautiful melody wrapped around my heart. More so, the poetry mesmerized me.

To mark Black History month, Mrs. Shershen’s 8th grade choir at Harter Middle School is exploring Langston Hughes’ poem, “The Dream Keeper” through song. Its beautiful melody wrapped around my heart. More so, the poetry mesmerized me. Bring me all of your dreams, You dreamer, Bring me all of your Heart melodies That I may wrap them In a blue cloud-cloth Away from the too-rough fingers Of the world. With their initial vulnerability, dreams motivate us to imagine a world that doesn’t yet exist. We

It is the desperation, fear, and hatred in their faces that follows me. The pained shouts. The hand-to-hand barbarian combat. The use of blunt objects and murder weapons that were at hand. January 6th leaves me with troubling questions like a family member after a suicide.

It is the desperation, fear, and hatred in their faces that follows me. The pained shouts. The hand-to-hand barbarian combat. The use of blunt objects and murder weapons that were at hand. January 6 th leaves me with troubling questions like a family member after a suicide. What drives people to a desperate edge? Why does a person embrace lies over truth? How does a person turn the flag he claims to revere into a weapon? The first silent stirrings of this horrific societal eruption go back to

Since we cannot go on vacations, my wife decided to explore new ways to be adventurous and, on a whim, she brought home a small jar of Marmite.

Since we cannot go on vacations, my wife decided to explore new ways to be adventurous and, on a whim, she brought home a small jar of Marmite. We knew that this substance is popular in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. But we also had heard other things about it. A colleague of ours had spent months in Australia with his cousins, who, in his words, "loved that stuff," and his opinion of it was quite low. Then, again, he also hated mayonnaise. Before you google Marmite, let me tell

Whether or not you consider yourself a “news junkie,” the headlines of the last couple of months have been impossible to ignore and you may have spent way too much time scrolling through social media feeds following depressing and distressing stories. But did you know that three minutes spent reading bad news in the morning can ruin your mood for the entire day?

Whether or not you consider yourself a “news junkie,” the headlines of the last couple of months have been impossible to ignore and you may have spent way too much time scrolling through social media feeds following depressing and distressing stories. But did you know that three minutes spent reading bad news in the morning can ruin your mood for the entire day? It’s normal to seek out information about potential threats to health and wellbeing -- that’s how our ancient ancestors were able to

In the winter, the barn doors stick. It’s as though the ground grows up and grabs the bottoms, but it’s the sun melting snow on the roof and the water drips, freezes, sticking the doors to the ground. I jar and jiggle them loose.