Author: Reggie Jackson

In the last year America has had an awakening about the extent of racism in this country’s past and present. Dozens of books, podcasts and articles have been written about being an ally in the fight against racism. They tell you how to be a good ally but they miss out by not telling you things that are counterproductive. There are things I’ve seen that are well meaning acts by racial justice advocates that seem well meaning but are a real turnoff and leads to frustration and burnout from those of us who are victimized by American racism. The...

“The FHA viewed metropolitan growth with “black and white” vision in which race trumped all other factors in predicting the trajectory of a city and its neighborhoods.” – John Kimble The fundamental tool used by Americans to build generational wealth and all the successes that come with, it is the ownership of land and property such as homes and businesses. The American dream since the 1930s has been wrapped up in homeownership. Many of the huge disparities we see today are a direct result of White people being given access to homeownership which fostered generational wealth building to the...

“Let each issue of your paper contain something telling of the bright side, of the com shuckings, the quiltings, the barbecues, the big meetings, the weddings’ etc., showing that the slaves enjoyed life and were not eternally skulking in dark corners dodging the whip of the brutal overseer, or quaking with terror at the bay of a blood hound. You advocate the building of monuments to our heroes.” – Confederate Veterans Magazine, January 1893 Over the past several years there has been a seeming rise in the case of racist White women becoming famous or infamous for calling the...

“The NFL Wants “Unconventional” Head Coaches: They just have to be white.” – Richard Johnson of Slate As I sat and watched the Packers lose a game to the Tampa Bay Bucs and Tom Brady I realized it might be the last game I ever watch. I did not watch Kansas City defeat Buffalo to punch a ticket to the Super Bowl, even though I love watching their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. For the first time in my adult life I intentionally skipped the Super Bowl. My wife watched it while I sat binge watching a show on Netflix. I’m...

“…black people have been kept in oppression and deprivation by a poisonous fog of lies that depicted them as inferior, born deficient, and deservedly doomed to servitude to the grave.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “The reason people think it’s important to be white is that they think it’s important not to be black.” – James Baldwin Over the past nearly twenty years of my life I have been honored to share the history of my people in a variety of ways and in a multitude of spaces around the country. I do this because I’m proud...