Civil Rights

Pro-active legislation, defensive politics. — I’ve found it hard to reign in my political opinions into a label, let alone a party. And, either way, labels of that kind are, at worst dogmatic and imposing, and, at best, unbelievably boring and clichéd. However, I do have a general framework– a lens or underlying substance– that…

A few years ago I got stylistically schooled on voting rights. I had wrongly presumed the political affiliation of a top African American. For whatever reason, I assumed all blacks were Democrats. Anyway, the polls and increasing voter turnout prove that the majority of the minority groups and other demographics…

I struggle with talking about race. Not because it makes me uncomfortable, but because I don’t know what I can speak about. I’m a straight, white man. I’ve spent my life in rural, comfortably middle class luxury. I’ve only ever really known, in my entire life, one black person. I’m…

This is my profile of the writer Harper Lee, author of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” I have not included here any discussion of “Go Set a Watchman,” whose publication I consider a travesty. It is an early draft of her great book, but has been marketed as something independent. It’s…

“…how we understand violence, its use, and its place in United States history depends on what sort of violence is being described and who is describing it.” -This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed In July of 2020 I found myself sheltering from the humidity of a North Carolina summer in…