This month is the 25th Anniversary of Spike Lee’s film Do the Right Thing. I remember seeing the film for the first and only time in 1989. The film portrayed tensions between the local residents and an Italian-American family in the Black neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, on the hottest day of the summer. In a Rolling Stones interview, Lee … [Read more...]
Your Pride Is Our Pride
Last year I experienced Pride Toronto for the first time. It was festive and the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled against DOMA – the Defense Against Marriage Act, a case that had intimate connections to Toronto. This year World Pride 2014 is coming to Toronto, and you can see signs of preparation all around. Businesses have transformed their displays to show … [Read more...]
A Note to Chief Diversity Officers: Be A Rainbow in the Clouds
When I heard that Dr. Maya Angelou had died on May 28, I was sad to hear she had passed away. She was such a phenomenal woman that all types of media outlets reported on her death, including Canada’s Globe and Mail. That following Sunday on Oprah’s OWN network, they broadcast several interviews that Oprah had done with Maya Angelou. For three hours I … [Read more...]
Affirmative Action, Affirming Access, and Coates’ Case for Reparations – Part 1
When I arrived home Friday, May 23 after work, my partner asked me had I heard about the Atlantic article by Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Case for Reparations. I told him no. He was somewhat surprised given that I always seem to be on top of everything, but I had not heard. So, immediately I went to Twitter and searched “case for reparations”, and found a … [Read more...]
How Obamacare Helped Me Have a Happy Mother’s Day
Saturday, April 10, 2010 was a normal day. I spent time with my daughter. We had lunch and tackled chores. I spent the evening with my husband and watched some TV. Earlier that day I tried to call my son, the college student, and invited him to lunch, but I wasn't able to reach him. I assumed I would give him a call the next day. So the day concluded … [Read more...]