November is Native American Heritage Month “Kill the Indian, and Save the Man!” Capt. Richard H. Pratt Imagine being told that your culture and customs are animalistic. The indigenous population of what is now the Americas was treated like savages and called uncivilized, but the reality is that the population had customs and cultures. There were many different tribes, and they inhabited this space that [...]
Have you ever been to a city that has a ChinaTown? I remember visiting San Francisco for a business conference and walking through ChinaTown. I was in awe of the architectural design of the buildings, the great smells of food and that the ethnic enclave was in the heart of the city. Ethnic enclaves are composed of people typically of the same ethnicity, similar cultures and often languages living in close proximity to each [...]
This is the 100th year of women gaining their right to vote with the passage of the 19th amendment. Imagine being a girl or a woman before 1920 and not having the right to vote, partake in political commentary and have people make decisions for you without regard to your input? That is what it was like for American women until the passage of the 19th amendment, which took place on August 18, 1920. As we celebrate Women’s [...]
Two weeks ago I shared an article on LinkedIn by Real Talk: WOC & Allies for Racial Justice and Anti-Oppression. The article is entitled “Ask Any Black Person, and They Can Tell you the First Time They were Called a Racial Slur,” which was written on October 24, 2017. With the article I shared my first experience with racism, which was when I was walking to the bus stop in my hometown of Milwaukee, WI. [...]
When I worked as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director I had a Caucasian student question an African American (Black) student about why we have Black History Month. The first student (Caucasian) asked the other how he would feel if we had a “White History Month?” As the African American student relayed the information to me, I thought, wow, is student number one serious, do they not understand why there is a need for “Black [...]
I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. Martin Luther King Jr. Today as the nation recognizes the positive changes that Martin Luther King Jr. worked so hard to achieve; we must reflect on where our nation [...]