Tag Archives: culture

Why Go to Howard U:  A White Guy Explains

Howard University’s The Illtop Journal, sponsored by comic genius Chris Rock, opened with a piece titled “white student’s guide to howard u.”  Chuck O’Fay, the name given for the author of this humorous piece, describes some observations he made as … Continue reading

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Notice re blog:

There will be no blog this month (December). Starting next month, I will return to writing about the subject of diversity and many of the issues addressed in my teaching, writing, research, and speaking.  While I’ll periodically touch on the … Continue reading

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Summer Camps:  Experiential Learning and Lifelong Lessons

Sometimes I wonder why my passions and interests have coalesced around diversity, race, and respect.  All I have to do is look back at how I spent my summers as a child.  First, let me say that I grew up … Continue reading

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A Different Baltimore

As a professor of sociology at Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) for more than four decades, I was pained to see the unrest that engulfed parts of the city in the aftermath of Freddie Gray’s death.  Additionally, I was dismayed … Continue reading

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Hiatus

I am in the process of revising Diversity Consciousness: Opening Our Minds to People, Cultures, and Opportunities (Pearson).  With the increasing demands on my time, I have decided to take a break from writing my blog.  Will keep you updated … Continue reading

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Some Random Thoughts on Perspective

As we look toward the 2016 presidential election, some Republican strategists are floating the idea of putting Sen. Marco Rubio on the ticket to attract Latino voters.  This kind of short-term, quick-fix thinking lies at the root of the “Republican … Continue reading

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Be Mindful of Culture When Conversing About Aging

In Race Matters, author Cornel West argues that we have never had a sustained, national dialogue on the subject of race.  While I believe this is true, I would also argue that we have never really talked about the aging … Continue reading

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Digital abuse: Young people in cultural cruise control

Recently, findings from an Associated Press-MTV poll show that young people (14-24) frequently use racial slurs and other discriminatory language when communicating online, and a majority think it is no big deal. For example, only 44 percent said they would … Continue reading

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Unscripted Moments

Early in my teaching career, I remember meeting one of my classes for just the second time. I asked them for feedback on their reading assignment, Chapter One from our sociology textbook. After a few routine comments, one student took … Continue reading

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Teachers, Race, and Homework

Before teachers attempt to carry on conversations about race, they need to work on themselves. What that entails varies from teacher to teacher. Recently, a prominent educational innovator has recommended that the lingering and persistent achievement gap among Black, White, … Continue reading

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