Yesterday New Yorkers celebrated the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, the uprising credited as the beginning of the LGBTQ liberation movement. I wasn’t aware of it until my friend Kate told me about it, and like so many movements, this one appears to have started by accident. On June 28th, 1969, patrons at an unlicensed, speakeasy …
Jussie Smollett: Guilty Until Proven Innocent?
So, actor Jussie Smollett is officially on fire. The Cook County State’s Attorney charged him with felony disorderly conduct for making a false police report, he was arrested Thursday and later released on a $100,000 bond. Until the office charge came down, I was still hoping that all the hubbub was just that, some kind of grandiose …
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Silence, Armchair Activism, and Award Shows: Why More Men Should Speak Out
There’s a certain amount of arrogance in choosing to remain silent. There's also resolve. You could throw in some privilege, a hint of the spoiled, disgruntled and the rock solid certainty that what has gone before absolutely does not definite what is or what will be. I’m talking about myself here. But I’m also talking …
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Starbucks and Bias: a Common Tale of Two Black Men in a Store
So, Starbucks is on fire this week because last week, two black men, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, were arrested for being black – pardon, suspicion of trespassing – in a Philadelphia store. Apparently the two men were waiting there for a third party to have a meeting when one asked to use the restroom. …
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