January 10, 2023 ICYMI: When I was a professor (in the early 00s), abortion was a major topic in my psychology of women class (a fun and informative course everyone should take). I’d end the lecture by saying that the fight against abortion was just a shot across the bow, that conservatives would be coming for birth control next. My students scoffed, insisting no one would dare try to take away birth control from American women. Uh-huh. I wish I could tell you I was wrong but, of course, I wasn’t. It truly sucks to be Cassandra. To wit: the …
Collin County Politics: In Search of a More Perfect Union
April 27, 2021 Allen City Council: Racism was the name of the game at the most recent meeting. It started with a delightful man spending his 3 minutes of public speaking time using racist dog whistles to complain about the protest in Allen against the murder of Marvin Scott III. He trotted out oldies but goodies, like protesters being a “public nuisance” comprised of “outside agitators” and that “we” pay for these streets. Just who is this “we” he’s talking about? My business is in Allen, so I pay taxes there but he’s certainly not speaking for me! This upstanding …
The Curtis Flowers Case: Racism Made Visible
The United States has a problem with race. This has always been true since we’re a country founded on genocide and built by slavery but things have improved since then. We ended slavery and Jim Crow laws, codified civil rights, and increased representation of people of color in all aspects of society. Yay us, right? Well, not so fast. Racism hasn’t been eradicated; it’s merely gone underground (and not that deep either). But the surface invisibility served its purpose. It allowed someone like me, someone who was so proud of my wokeness, to truly believe things were getting better. But …
Implicit Bias Training Reduces Racism
In order to combat racism, we must focus on solutions. Implicit bias training is something that can help people unlearn their prejudices.
Forged in the Crucibles of Difference: The McKinney Texas Pool Party
Police brutality at a McKinney Texas pool party reinforced just how bad race relations have gotten in the U.S. It’s time for us to confront our implicit bias and move toward solutions.