Nichelle Nichols and the integration of the fans and nerds
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Nichelle Nichols and the integration of the fans and nerds

Nichelle Nichols, best known for playing Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek, died yesterday. Most of what you’ll read about her celebrates her rule as a trailblazer for Black actors on network television, and what that did for America’s perception of Black people. I’d like to talk about what her appearance meant for me, a sheltered…

Barack Obama and George W Bush inspire in this sad and angry moment

Barack Obama and George W Bush inspire in this sad and angry moment

George W. Bush knows we’ve failed black America. Barack Obama wants to fix things. Together, they point the way forward from this moment of crisis. George W. Bush acknowledges the pain of black Americans While I disagreed with the presidential policies of George W. Bush, I believed that he made decisions based on what was…

Corporate statements that do and don’t work amid the #BlackLivesMatter protests
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Corporate statements that do and don’t work amid the #BlackLivesMatter protests

It’s a terrifying time, now suffused with fear, not just of contagion, but of violence. Leaders of all kinds — political and corporate — must step up in this moment. But what to say? How can these mostly white leaders show that they understand and appreciate the pain that black and brown Americans, including their…

Starbucks’ ambivalent apology for calling the Philadelphia police on two black guys
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Starbucks’ ambivalent apology for calling the Philadelphia police on two black guys

After police removed two black men from a Starbucks in Philadelphia in handcuffs, the Starbucks CEO has apologized. A lot of you wanted me to analyze this: half thought the apology was excellent, the other half terrible. So let’s take the thing apart and see why it’s so controversial. First, what happened in Philadelphia? The…

White House Charlottesville talking points: a “balanced” take on an unbalanced issue
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White House Charlottesville talking points: a “balanced” take on an unbalanced issue

The Trump White House sees itself as balanced and unifying on the violence in Charlottesville. Its talking points are full of true facts and balance, but on this issue, no balanced perspective exists. These are the facts about Charlottesville: A mass of protestors who self-identify as the “alt-right” came to Charlottesville and shouted white supremacist…

How our leaders responded to events of this week
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How our leaders responded to events of this week

Yesterday I told you that our leaders’ responses to events of Baton Rouge; Falcon Heights, Minnesota; and Dallas would tell us a lot about them and the years to come. Today, I rate those responses. President Obama and Hillary Clinton rate well; the other candidates rate poorly. I didn’t have high hopes; this is an…