This year's 4th of July came suddenly, like a boulder crashing down a mountain. The mountain stands as a symbol of the hierarchy of power and privilege built over centuries in the country we call the United States. The myths of meritocracy and equal opportunity are falling, much like the statues of one time heroes [...]
The excruciating death of George Floyd, captured on video and seen around the world has shocked people and institutions across the US. In Rochester and its surrounding suburbs come demands for police reform. We are face to face, however, with the reality that this is not just a police problem. Institutional racism is endemic in [...]
In the U.S. we take pride in looking after one another. That is, as long as people look like us, act like us, speak like us, and follow the rules we put in place to preserve law and order. In other words, maintaining our power and authority. When people who don't look, act or [...]
The National YWCA is promoting a series of activities and events across the US October 15th–19th. The focus is on ending gender-based violence. Well before looking into the activities and posted talking points for the initiative, I began to look inward. I realized could spend the entire week without ever leaving home reflecting on my [...]
Business leaders in the field of diversity, inclusion and equity think outside the box, envision what could be and inspire others to follow. In short, they make things happen. All three elements are building blocks, and the language used to describe and implement them constantly evolve as our knowledge base grows. The journey is both [...]
When I was offered the opportunity to write for this NCBI blog, I agreed. And then I started thinking about what it means to write. The blog captures a moment. Will what I write stand the test of time? Will I read it later and regret my decision? What makes me afraid of committing my thoughts to paper? [...]
In the film “Deej,” part of the Reel Mind Series currently playing at the Cinema Theater in Rochester New York, we meet D.J. (Deej) Savarese, a brilliant, nonspeaking autistic young man who with the aid of a computer advocates full inclusion for people with disabilities. First impressions might indicate otherwise – Deej sometimes jumps in [...]
In many conversations lately, friends use emotionally-laden language to describe people who hold opinions different from theirs on a wide range of topics. My friends are pretty angry; their words and tone show it. They say “resist, fight, attack, undermine and overcome” the opposition. Win at all costs. The fire and brimstone in their rhetoric [...]
These thoughts are not what I intended to write about. But the more I wrote, the more I felt something was missing. What follows will not address poverty in our region, diminish racial inequity, or enhance educational success in our urban schools, at least not in in the short run. But before we embark on [...]
I have long felt a stir of emotion and kinship whenever I come upon a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., knowing intuitively his vision included me as much as anyone. I was a 22-year-old VISTA Volunteer in North Georgia the summer he was assassinated. I knew nothing about structural racism. Yet every day I [...]
