The Tyrannical Rule of Race

“Men must be governed by God or be ruled by tyrants.” ~ William Penn Whether due to natural causes or that of humanly expedited circumstances, it seem that the death of tyrant after tyrant has become commonplace in our news. An  Arab nationalist and the fifth president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein along with his army is believed […]

Read More

“Santa Claus is a Black Man”: Race and the Imaginary

“Santa Claus is a Black man; Santa Claus is a Black man And he’s handsome like my daddy, too Santa Claus is a Black man; Santa Claus is a Black man And I found out; that’s why I’m telling you.” This is the chorus of a song that I grew up listening to during Christmastime […]

Read More

Undoing Race: Keeping Race Away From the Manger

Like most Americans, there are certain things that I must experience during the Christmas season. A part from the meals and opportunities for fellowship with family and friends, there are songs that I must hear in order for it to feel like Christmas. Motown’s Christmas collection is on repeat with The Temptations singing “Silent Night” […]

Read More

Think About These Things

Conversations about race are almost always done in secret, open for public discussion only when it involves a celebrity or a politician. Old myths rear their heads, our unspoken rules are repeated to members in our cultural group, stories of offense involving race are exchanged and we say, “This is why things are the way […]

Read More

Snap Out Of It

“One must be careful not to take refuge in any delusions– and the value placed on the color of the skin is always and everywhere and forever a delusion.” ~ James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time Race is an illusion, a false belief that has placed us in a constant state of deception. We are […]

Read More