Feb 7Member-onlyStop using the word “inflation” to describe price increasesIt hides the real culprits: a pandemic, war, and business leaders who want to pad their bottom line As the country comes out of its pandemic shock that upended nearly ever aspect of American life, consumers have experienced price increases on almost everything in their shopping cart. Yet news outlets…Inflation8 min readInflation8 min read
Apr 6, 2022Member-onlyThe War in Ukraine Connected Me to the Grandfather I Never MetImages from the destruction of Ukraine bring me back to my Grandfather’s family’s own escape from there over 100 years ago My Dad’s father died almost a decade before I was born. I only heard about him a little bit, mainly because my Dad was not sentimental about his own…Ukraine4 min readUkraine4 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Nov 16, 2021Member-onlyColor-Blind or Color-Conscious?The distorted use of MLK’s goal for a colorblind America undergirds the opposition to Critical Race Theory — The goal that Blacks should be treated without regard to race or color was central to the early civil rights movement. In the landmark Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954), NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall argued to the U.S. Supreme Court that the “Constitution is color blind” and…Racial Justice7 min readRacial Justice7 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Oct 28, 2021Member-onlyThe Kerner Commission’s 53 Year-Old Message for MinneapolisYes on 2 will expand our system of public safety — In the wake of George Floyd’s killing by its tax-payer-funded police officers, there was overwhelming support to change the way Minneapolis does policing. Fast forward 18 months and Minneapolis voters are still struggling with how to address its system of public safety to make sure it doesn’t happen again. …George Floyd4 min readGeorge Floyd4 min read
Published in Politically Speaking·Oct 9, 2021Member-onlyInstead of Running Away From Public Safety Transformation, Democrats Should Lean InAs Minneapolis votes on its approach to policing, ignore the accusations of “defunding” to get it right — Last year the whole world watched in horror as the Minneapolis Police slowly took the life of George Floyd, then tried to spin it as a “medical incident” as they gassed and shot rubber bullets at peaceful protesters, instigating a reaction that led to the burning and looting of my…Police5 min readPolice5 min read
Published in Politically Speaking·Sep 23, 2021Member-onlyMitch McConnell Needs A Reminder That Americans Support Biden’s AgendaHere’s what we didn’t vote for — Since before President Biden was even sworn in in January, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been insisting that Biden’s agenda to tackle the many significant woes facing our country “was not what Americans voted for.” …Reconciliation6 min readReconciliation6 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Sep 15, 2021Member-onlyRacism Killed the New Deal (and Gave Us Neoliberalism)Understanding the racial roots of colorblind “free market” capitalism will help us transition to a better future for everyone. — Introduction The United States is clearly a capitalist country. But its version of capitalism — its political economy — has looked different at various points in American history, changing when a confluence of three factors collide: an economic crisis — or crises — occurs that reveals the flaws or deterioration…Neoliberalism31 min readNeoliberalism31 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Aug 25, 2021Member-onlyWelfare Reform Turns 25What a disaster, let’s scrap it and establish UBI — On August 22, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), better known as “welfare reform”. Passed by a Republican Congress and signed by a Democratic President, the measure was designed after years of racially coded language that undermined public support for a…Racial Justice6 min readRacial Justice6 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Jun 10, 2021Member-onlyYes, the NFL’s Race-Norming is Bad — But it is Not an Isolated CaseSystemic racism exists in other places, too. Let’s root it out together. — By now you’ve undoubtedly heard about the NFL’s practice of “race-norming” in their concussion settlement program to determine which players are eligible for a financial award for the cognitive decline they experience due to brain injuries from playing the game. …NFL5 min readNFL5 min read
Published in An Injustice!·May 25, 2021Member-onlyAn Unequal PriceHow the Housing Finance Industry Penalizes Black and Brown Homebuyers — Fifty-three years after the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act that outlawed discrimination in the housing market transactions, Black homebuyers today are still subject to an unequal playing field when attempting to purchase a home. …Racial Justice2 min readRacial Justice2 min read
