In May of 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson gave the commencement address at the University of Michigan and first laid out the framework of what would become his vision for America’s “Great Society.” In the speech, LBJ reflected on the… Read More ›
Social Justice
The Family Afterward: West Virginia Four Months After The Freedom Industries Chemical Spill
“Put a marshmallow on it.” he told her. “I’m telling you, fish love the marshmallows. Helps ’em to see the bait underwater. Normally it’s hard for fish to see bait moving around, but the marshmallow gives ’em something they can fix their… Read More ›
Closed Minds, No Heart, Will Lose: A Response to Paul Daugherty’s Article Concerning Michael Sam
Mr. Daugherty: As a sports columnist for The Cincinnati Enquirer, you are entitled to publish a wide array of opinions concerning St. Louis Rams and University of Missouri defensive end Michael Sam. For instance, it would be perfectly reasonable for… Read More ›
A Nation With No Ears: The History and Legacy of Little Bighorn
“The love of possessions is a disease with them. They take tithes from the poor and weak to support the rich who rule. They claim this mother of ours, the Earth, for their own and fence their neighbours away. If… Read More ›
An Open Letter to Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley Concerning New Foundations Transitional Living
Mayor Cranley, In your mayoral acceptance speech this past November, you pledged to turn Cincinnati into a more inclusive city; a city where government can find solutions that will bring disparate groups together while building communities that work for everyone. It… Read More ›
The Quality of Mercy in Oklahoma
Go to Oklahoma and you will find the quality of mercy is now strained. It withers in the rainless, nameless plains out west and finds no purchase in the Cross Timbers or the Red River Basin down south. Twice profaned… Read More ›
Mississippi Crumbling: The Inheritance of Inequity in The Magnolia State
“Everybody in the Mississippi Delta was a racist, white or black. Racism was built into our bones. It is a thing we will never recover from having committed, but it also had its side that we always benefitted from…I lived… Read More ›
Following in Potentially Vanishing Footsteps: A Latina’s Journey From LA to an Ivy & Back Again
Author’s Note: I thought this piece might have particular significance in light of the Supreme Court’s 6-2 majority decision to allow the state of Michigan, and by extension all states, the right to enact legislation banning the use of consideration… Read More ›
Same as it Ever Was: Anti-Semitism in the Ukraine
I am a Jew. I was confirmed in the Episcopal Church, attended a Jesuit college, know The Lord’s Prayer and The Nicene Creed by heart and have never been inside a synagogue for any other purpose besides watching a friend… Read More ›
All That Glitters Is Not Gold: A Look At Detroit’s Lackluster Renaissance
I’ve always found it strange that the melting pot is go to metaphor for those politicians and public figures looking to expound upon the merits of America’s diverse populous, when all a melting pot does is mix ingredients about until… Read More ›
Virally Suppressed - Muckraking For The Modern World 