The Color of Character

Racism

What Is Keeping So Many Back?

It’s Complicated Racism is real. It has shadowed humanity over the ages. Blatant racism that seems to dominate or repress exists. It is deplorable and should continue to be pointed out, shamed, disavowed, and stamped out. Systemic racism is a more difficult concept to grasp, including to this writer. I can understand its existence in…

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We Are Losing John Q.

When there is so much chatter on media, both social and mass, about racism, and I’m not sure where to jump in, I call on my pal John Q. Whiteman. He has made appearances in a few  of my blog posts. Before I turn this entry over to him, let me remind you that I…

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The Alienation Continues

The election is over, but based on the protests and editorials, it isn’t. The votes are counted, but based on the calls for recounts, and the accusations that Russia meddled in the outcome, they aren’t. The Democrats were rebuffed, but Secretary Clinton received more votes. The Republicans’ think their agenda is a winner, but polls…

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Racist Label? Save it for the Real Deal

The Bloom is Off The Ivy As I suspected, the harmony during the Cubs World Series victory parade that gave me hope was dissolved by the toxicity on both sides of the recent election. But I will not despair completely because I was witness to a massive, diverse crowd aligned in enthusiasm and support –…

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Acknowledging Racism

The Challenges of Being a Victim I’ve been diligently reviewing my daily Google Alerts regarding stories about racism in the media. I receive an average of about six per day. I’m noticing some recurring themes. One of those themes is the need for the “white establishment” to acknowledge that racism exists, before we can take…

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Race Relations – A Candid Perspective

Some of you might remember the Pulitzer Prize winning, Chicago columnist Mike Royko. He often wrote about his alter ego, Slats Grobnik, to represent the white, working class view of life. I’m going to introduce you to John Q. Whiteman. I don’t know if he is my alter ego or not, but I do think…

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Dishonoring the Noble

Three black female students at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Albany  created a maelstrom, when they claimed they were the victims of a racist attack by white men and women on a bus on January 30th. Soon, the well-meaning community at SUNY held a rally in defense of the black women. The…

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My Black Friends Are Conservative

It has been a relatively long time since my last post. To my legions and legions of followers (pause for laughter), my apologies.  I know the world has been holding its collective breath for my thoughts. The reason for the delay is the difficulty in finding new ways to say the same thing. Although the topic…

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Tough Love For You Too

I have a Google Alert set up on my email to send me notices of internet entries on “racism”. There are no shortages of material. Each day I receive a list of about six entries. I can’t imagine how many are left off the list. Judging by the variety of sources – some are familiar…

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