9/11: Still Remembering
May we continue to remember, even as we move forward to create a better future. Many of us have a 9/11 story. Here’s mine.
Violence and Tragedy
A Tragedy in Charleston and Across Our Country
I am deeply saddened today by news of the mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina, a crime apparently motivated by racism. Ferguson, Baltimore, Charleston—and the many places that never make national headlines. When will it end?
Facing Injustice for Eric Garner
I’m furious today and thinking about race. Barely a week after a grand jury in Missouri refused to indict a White police officer in the shooting death of a Black teen, a grand jury in New York refused to indict a White police officer in the choking death of Eric Garner, a Black man and father of six.
Boy in Viral Ferguson Photo Has Two Moms
You’ve probably seen the photo: a young Black boy exchanging a tearful hug with a White police officer at a protest about the shooting of a Black teen in Ferguson, Missouri. It was a small moment of hope at an otherwise bleak time. But did you know that the boy, 12-year-old Devonte Hart, has two moms?
Wishing Peace for Ferguson and Racial Justice Everywhere
I am angry, and sad, and frustrated today. My thoughts are with the people of Ferguson, Missouri, especially the family of Michael Brown, as a grand jury chose not to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer charged in the shooting death of the teen. Let us not forget that we must all continue to work together for racial justice.
Poetry and Hope on 9/11
Once again, it’s 9/11. Somehow, the observance seems dampened this year, with yet another spin around the sun between us and the tragedy. Yet the currents that led to the event still swirl through our world. I’ve written in past years about working next door to the World Trade Center until two business days before the tragedy. This year, I turn to others’ words — words of poets.
Injustice Anywhere: Thinking of Michael Brown
Many of us who have any sense of social justice — nay, of humanity — are angry, outraged, and saddened by the shooting death of Michael Brown, a Black teenager in Missouri. I find myself once again scared for my son’s friends who are Black. I find myself hoping I can raise my son, who is White, to be a strong ally and help continue to erase the racism in our world. I hope I can be a good role model in that regard.
Another School Shooting: When Will We Have Had Enough?
My thoughts go out today to the community of Troutdale, Oregon, where a student and a suspected shooter are both dead after the later opened fire at Reynolds High School. When 27 people died after a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut two years ago, ABC News reported that there had been 31 school shootings since the one in Columbine, Colorado in 1999. Now, we learn that there have been 74 school shootings since Newtown. How many is too many?
On Tragedy and Remembrance
(This was originally published last week as my Mombian newspaper column.)
A safe and successful Boston Marathon one year from the one that broke all our hearts.
11-Year-Old Boy Who Loves “My Little Pony” in Critical Condition After Attempting Suicide
Michael Morones is an 11-year-old boy living in North Carolina. He loves My Little Pony, in part because he has ACHD and relates to the character Pinkie Pie, an excitable pony. Schoolmates bullied him and called “gay” for liking a “girls'” program, however. He is now in critical condition in the hospital after a suicide attempt.
