Black Pain as White Entertainment

Black Pain as White Entertainment

Black people’s pain and humiliation have long been turned into entertainment, from minstrel shows to modern “gotcha” media moments that turn Black suffering into content. The BAFTA broadcast that aired a racial slur directed at Black actors Michael B. Jordan and...
Is ICE Having Its Bull Connor Moment?

Is ICE Having Its Bull Connor Moment?

Those of us who have been around the track more than a few times are familiar with the feeling that comes in response to certain patterns of experience: “I think I’ve seen this movie before.” More than 60 years ago, in the decade-long process of nonviolent...
MLK Day is Not a Time for Comfort

MLK Day is Not a Time for Comfort

I vividly remember the exact moment. I was in seminary, having fled my native South to New York City. I was embarrassed at being a Baptist, at being a white Southerner, and not entirely sure if I was a believer. But the “God question” wouldn’t go away. A mighty...