Tag Archives: sociology

The N-Word: When Can Whites Use It?

“The N-word “is arguably the most consequential social insult in American history, according to Randall Kennedy, a professor at Harvard Law School.  Two decades ago, he wrote a book simply entitled n—–: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word. Throughout … Continue reading

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Why Howard U:  A White Guy Explains (Part Two of Two)

With a year of teaching under my belt, I started thinking about getting my Ph.D. in sociology.  I was teaching a full-time load (five courses) at Baltimore City Community College.  Married a couple of years earlier, I was a new … Continue reading

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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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Students Make Themselves Heard:  The Central Park Exonerated Five:  Part 4 (of 4)

Previously: As a White professor teaching sociology and diversity at a Historically Black College (Baltimore City Community College), I often dealt with sensitive and potentially divisive issues. Roughly 3 decades ago, one of my Intro Soc students raised a tough … Continue reading

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Students Make Themselves Heard:  The Central Park Exonerated Five: Part 3 (of 4)

Previously: As a White professor teaching sociology and diversity at a Historically Black college (Baltimore City Community College), I regularly dealt with sensitive and potentially divisive issues. This particular day, one of my Intro Soc students raised a question on … Continue reading

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Students Make Themselves Heard: The Central Park Five :  Part 2 (of 4)

Previously: As a White professor teaching sociology and diversity at a Historically Black college (Baltimore City Community College), I often dealt with sensitive and potentially divisive issues. This particular day, one of my Intro Soc students raised a question on … Continue reading

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Students Make Themselves Heard: “The Central Park Five” (Part 1 of 4)

Whenever I teach a class, I feel it’s critically important to set the tone on the very first day we meet.  In part, this means going over the syllabus and my expectations for the course.  Equally important, I share a … Continue reading

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Learning About Race and Racism:  Is Discomfort Always Bad?

Leonard Moore, author of Teaching Black History to White People, due out this month, is currently a Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin.  For more than two decades, he’s taught white students in the south about … Continue reading

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Blindsided by the N-word

Ten years ago or so, a student of mine was blindsided by the “N-word,” and so was I.  I had just uttered this troublesome word in my Introduction to Sociology class at Baltimore City Community College, a college with a … Continue reading

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Uncomfortable Dialogues with Black and White Men

A few days ago yet another book came out about uncomfortable, cross-racial dialogues.  It’s gotten a lot of publicity, in large part because of the charisma of its author and the backing of Oprah Winfrey.  And it’s certainly timely given … Continue reading

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