Category Archives: Race, racism and related issues

The Electoral College Was Created To Protect Slavery

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Ampersand

The common belief that the electoral college was created to protect the interests of smaller states is a myth. Historian Paul Finkelman writes (pdf link): The implication of Hardaway’s argument is that the electoral college was created to placate the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections and politics, Race, racism and related issues | 53 Comments

Cartoon: Who We Call Racist

Posted on March 21, 2017 by Ampersand

Please support these cartoons at Patreon. One thing that continually bugs me is the “racists are unicorns” view, which I hear usually but not exclusively from the right. Basically, in this view, almost no one is racist, and no act … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Race, racism and related issues, Racism | 125 Comments

I Just Learned About the Equal Justice Initiative – If You Don’t Know About It, You Should

Posted on February 19, 2017 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

In “The Lines That Antisemitism and Racism Draw,” a series of letters I composed during the summer of 2016 that were published in December of that year, I wrote about the stolpersteine, an art project started by the German artist Gunter … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-racism, Anti-Semitism, antiracism, Race, racism and related issues, Racism | 6 Comments

Quote: Jesse Williams on Critics of Black Lives Matter (plus the petition to get him fired)

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Ampersand

From actor Jesse Williams’ award acceptance speech at the BET Awards, June 2016. And let’s get a couple things straight, just a little sidenote – the burden of the brutalized is not to comfort the bystander.That’s not our job, alright … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-racism, Free speech, censorship, copyright law, etc., Race, racism and related issues | 5 Comments

A New Essay of Mine Has Been Published: “The Lines That Racism and Antisemitism Draw: Reflections on White Jewish Intersectionality”

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

The piece is up at Unlikely Stories. Here’s an excerpt: I fully recognize that because of my skin color I benefit from the continued white male dominance of our society, whether I want to or not. Nonetheless, I can’t help but … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, antiracism, Race, racism and related issues, Racism | 9 Comments

On Twitter, White Men With Followers Can Change Racist Behavior

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Ampersand

This researcher programmed bots to fight racism on Twitter. It worked. – The Washington Post The Post’s headline isn’t quite accurate. For one thing, they weren’t really “bots” (which to me suggests a program operating somewhat autonomously); they were puppet … Continue reading →

Posted in Language Politics, Race, racism and related issues, Racism | 3 Comments

Stop Touching Her Hair, White People!

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Ampersand

Transcript: Panel 1 There are two women in this panel, a white woman and a black woman. Both are smiling. CAPTION: MONDAY White woman: Your hair is so beautiful! Can I touch it? Black woman: Thanks, but no. Panel 2 … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Race, Race, racism and related issues, Racism | 9 Comments

From “Am I Alive Today Because I’m White?”—An essay in progress

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I am at work on an essay about white privilege that I am tentatively calling “Am I Alive Today Because I Am White?” It’s actually something I started trying to write about a year ago, after Michael Brown was shot and killed … Continue reading →

Posted in Race, racism and related issues | Comments Off on From “Am I Alive Today Because I’m White?”—An essay in progress

It’s a Frightening Thing That Someone in the 21st Century Would Seriously Make the Argument that Jeffrey Lord Makes in This Video

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I did not see the full exchange, and I hope Lord did not get the last word, as he does in this video excerpt, which I found in a piece in The New York Times by James Poniewozik. It’s worth reading the whole thing. Here … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections and politics, Race, racism and related issues | 16 Comments

These Vindictive Responses To Students Saying Awful Things Are Disproportionate And Wrong

Posted on January 23, 2016 by Ampersand

Six white seniors at Desert Vista High School in Arizona took a photo of themselves wearing shirts that spelled “ni**er.” ((In this post, I’ve blurred the faces and omitted the names of the people I’m talking about; but that’s not … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Free speech, censorship, copyright law, etc., norms of discourse, Race, racism and related issues | 54 Comments