A Racial Reckoning: Why people of color represent a mirror that White America refuses to look into
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – Declaration of Independence “Our nation was born...
How the Olympic Committee perpetuates inequalities in sports by blocking swim caps for natural black hair
Swimming caps designed for natural black hair created by a black-owned brand will not be allowed at the Olympics. The hats, made by Soul Cap, which previously partnered with Alice Dearing, who qualified to become the first black female swimmer to represent Team GB at...
A referendum on racial superiority: When Black boxing champion Jack Johnson beat the “Great White Hope”
By Chris Lamb, Professor of Journalism, IUPUI An audacious Black heavyweight champion was slated to defend his title against a White boxer in Reno, Nevada, on July 4, 1910. It was billed as “the fight of the century.” The fight was seen as a referendum on racial...
Reborn on the 4th of July: Using the power of love and faith to transcend Race
On a warm summer day 25 years ago a tragic motorcycle accident altered the lives of two young men and two families forever. The lives of 15-year-old Justin Bobholz and 30-year-old Tracy Washington intersected, and changed their families in a way that is considered...
Conceived in Liberty: The truths we hold to be self-evident
“Euclid’s first common notion is this: things which are equal to the same thing are equal to each other. That’s a rule of mathematical reasoning. It’s true because it works. Has done and always will do. In his book, Euclid says this is ‘self-evident.’ You see, there...
Psalm 137: How Frederick Douglass claimed the Biblical message of social justice on July 4th
By David W. Stowe, Professor of English and Religious Studies, Michigan State University On the anniversary of America’s independence, the abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass made the opening line of Psalm 137, “By the Rivers of Babylon,” a centerpiece of his most...
Republican Representatives from Wisconsin vote to preserve monuments to Confederate leaders
The U.S. House voted on June 29 to remove from the Capitol a bust of the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, a Marylander who wrote the despised Dred Scott decision — as well as evict statues and busts of men who fought for the Confederacy or served in its...
The rockets red glare: America’s dangerous infatuation with pyrotechnics on Independence Day
By Jay L. Zagorsky, Economist and Research Scientist, The Ohio State University In the eyes of many Americans, the Fourth of July is a day for parades, barbecue and, of course, fireworks. The tradition got its start at the beginning of our nation’s history after the...
A return to the Reconstruction era: How restrictive voting measures are designed to keep Republicans in power
By a 6 to 3 vote, the Supreme Court handed down Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee on July 1 saying that the state of Arizona did not violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) with laws that limited ballot delivery to voters, family members, or caregivers, or...
Electoral consequences: Supreme Court makes controversial ruling that further erodes Voting Rights Act
By Cornell William Clayton, C.O. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Washington State University; and Michael Ritter, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Washington State University Arizona may keep two voting laws that Republicans say protect...
The post-Trump onslaught: America is approaching the point where it can no longer be called a democracy
If Donald Trump’s inaugural address can be summed up in two words, “American carnage,” Joe Biden’s might be remembered for three: “Democracy has prevailed.” The new president, speaking from the spot where just two weeks earlier a pro-Trump mob had stormed the US...
Medical College of Wisconsin researchers identify link between mortgage lending bias and cancer survival
Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) have identified a linkage between contemporary redlining, mortgage lending bias based on property location, and mortality after breast cancer diagnosis among older women in the United States. The results, published...
