The issue isn’t whether this local mini-celebrity should be canceled. It’s that white Iowans refuse to treat racism as an actual problem. — When I was in eighth grade, a friend of mine dared me to walk into a Walgreens and steal something. My friend said she did it all the time. Now it was my turn. After strolling the aisles, I slipped a container of honey-roasted peanuts under my sweatshirt and walked…

Once again our nation grieves mass shootings perpetrated by young white men. In our horror we desperately try to understand. Yes, it’s because of too many guns. Yes, it’s because of the violence the president emboldens with his racist rhetoric. Yes, it’s because of a culture of toxic masculinity. But…

It’s so easy to point fingers. And in this case, despite what many media outlets are trying to tell us a week out from that Lincoln Memorial encounter, we should be pointing. It’s right to publicly repudiate that smirking, sneering white face peeking out from under a red cap, planted…

On the way out the door to school, the day before yesterday, my almost 8-year-old asked me the question. “Mama, is Christmas Light real?” Christmas Light is our family’s elf. Now before you start judging, let me nuance this a little bit. …

In December of 2015, my beloved dog — a 75-pound rescue husky mix, Huck — died unexpectedly and tragically. He wasn’t even three years old. It was the week before Christmas. To appreciate how shattering this was you need to know we’re a dog family. Our dogs are the center…

It’s not going to be easy, but we don’t have a choice — Amidst the many perils of this political moment, it’s the racial divide between women of color and white women that keeps me up at night. A math analogy comes to mind. Let’s imagine women of color are experts in calculus. They do calculus every single day. They’re brilliant at it…

My young nephew, who is Black**, was playing with a group of children a couple years ago when one of the white kids in the group pointed at him and said, “Your skin’s the same color as poop!” Another kid stepped in. “Hey! That’s racist!” this second white kid responded…

White nationalism is on the loose. Those us who are white have to do more than merely watch in horror if we want history to remember us among those who stood up, showed up, and spoke and acted out. But so much about our political crisis has exposed how little…