The events of Charlottesville have me thinking about my role as an historian and teacher. This was reinforced by these comments by James Alex Fields Jr.’s high school history teacher. I don’t think any one teacher can be responsible for the ideas of a single student. But perhaps if I teach more broadly I can… Continue Reading
An old division is rearing it’s head again in the Democratic Party. It’s gone public in the disruption of Bernie Sanders’s speeches by #blacklivesmatter protesters, first at Netroots Nation in July and then again in Seattle on Saturday (see here). For those who consider themselves left, liberal, or sympathetic to these movements in general, such disruptions can… Continue Reading
In honor the 4th of July weekend, I’m sharing this post I wrote last year at this time: I recently had the opportunity to sing “American the Beautiful.” The lines that most hit me are in the third verse: Oh, beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife, Who more than self their country loved, And… Continue Reading
“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” – Ninth Amendment During the ratification of the Constitution, critics worried about how their rights would be preserved in the context of a new, much stronger federal government. In response, supporters suggested a Bill… Continue Reading
“We are capable of bearing a great burden once we discover that the burden is reality and arrive where reality is.” – James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time I fear that America is not capable of this. This was in stark relief in the aftermath of the South Carolina shooting. A white young man entered… Continue Reading
At this point, trying to discern who is winning the (mostly invisible) Republican presidential contest is like reading tea leaves. But some clues this weekend suggest that Marco Rubio is in position to take a solid lead. First, let’s start with what his competitors are saying. Lindsey Graham (ok, not really a competitor, but also… Continue Reading
There’s a claim that pops up occasionally in feminist circles: That when it comes to equal rights/opportunities, women always come last. At least in the context of race, this is simply not true. The most common evidence cited for this proposition is the discrepancy between the 15th Amendment and the 19th Amendment. The former, banning the… Continue Reading
It’s been three months since I wrote the last update, and what’s really remarkable is how little has changed. Yes, we’ve had a string of announcements (with more coming this month), but the state of the field has remained basically static. My guess is that behind the scenes things are tightening but that we won’t know… Continue Reading
The riots in Baltimore (a small part of the overall protest) really should not be that difficult to understand. To see why, consider the following hypothetical: Continue Reading
I’ve been thinking more about the other side (beyond body cameras) of police/social reform might look like. How do we tone down police-community conflict which still cutting down on crime? Continue Reading
Header image by Tom Plewe © 2015
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