All posts by Editor-in-Chief

Deborah Levine founded the American Diversity Report in 2006. She is a Forbes Magazine top "Trailblazer" and award-winning author of 20 books. Her published articles span decades including: American Journal of Community Psychology, Journal of Public Management & Social Policy, The Bermudian Magazine, The Harvard Divinity School Bulletin.
DL Opinion columns

Time to join the autism activists – by Deborah Levine 

 (column originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press)

I was hypnotized by the obituary of The Rev. Lamar Hardwick, pastor at Tri-Cities Church in Georgia. It wasn’t his degrees that caught my attention, although they were certainly impressive: Master of Divinity (Emory U. Candler School of Theology), Doctorate of Ministry (Liberty U. School of Divinity). It was his nickname, “The Autism Pastor”, that got me.  At age 36, he’d been diagnosed with autism and became an activist, helping autistic church members. He then wrote about how all churches could better prioritize people with disabilities. That’s when memories of my younger brother Johnny bubbled up inside me.

Johnny was brilliant, but his autism affected basic skills such as reading. And his people skills were non-existent. I loved and comforted him however I could. We’d sit together in the TV room watching science fiction shows. They were fascinating to me, but vital for him. He hoped to find another world where he’d be welcomed. This one was solitary and cruel! Fellow students from elementary school, high school, and college insulted him, harassed him and even attacked him. Horrifying! 

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DL Opinion columns

Grateful for generations of do-gooders – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

Chattanooga’s Jewish history is a product of many generations. The Mizpah Congregation synagogue is definitely part of that history. It was built in the mid-1800s by Adolph Ochs who bought The Chattanooga Times and later purchased and developed The New York Times. You may remember Ochs’ granddaughter, Ruth Holmburg. As publisher of The Chattanooga Times, she took positions supporting the civil rights movement and against government corruption and environmental pollution. The Ochs family has been greatly influence, and they’re not alone.

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Go Green, Levine articles

Going Green is Tough Public Policy — by Deborah Levine

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Editor’s note: Written 12 years ago but timely as ever.

Environmentalists may not be happy with some of the solutions to climate change.  In a recent article in Wired Magazine, “Inconvenient Truths: Get Ready to Rethink What It Means to Be Green”, the top 10 ways to save the planet are likely to drive environmentalists crazy. Calling for Greens to unite around the issue of greenhouse gasses, the article makes the case for public policies that favor nuclear energy and urban density. The outcry from readers was memorable as they criticized the single mindedness of the article, its lack of supporting data, its in-your-face sensationalism, and overall creepiness.   Yet, the discussion of climate change and public policy does and should raise these most difficult issues as new reports show irreversible damage.

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DL Opinion columns

Corruption weaponized with tax dollars – by Deborah Levine

 Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

Trump’s proposed Anti-Weaponization Fund of $1.776 dollars is shaking up a lot of folks. Reports of corruption that would have been denied or minimized are now dramatically public including: 1) Insider Trading: Trump made money from stocks whose prices were affected by his influence, 2) Immunity: The Internal Revenue Service won’t  scrutinize any past or present alleged tax irregularities by the president and his family. 3) Bribery: The Food and Drug Administration allow flavored e-cigarettes after a $5 million PAC (Political Action Committee) tobacco company donation. What accounts for this visibility? It’s that Anti-Weaponization Fund using our tax dollars.  

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DL Opinion columns

Instruct and Inspire – by Deborah Levine

Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

The drive from Chattanooga to the Nashville area is a long haul. I wasn’t looking forward to the more almost 5 hour round trip in the car as I prepared to speak at an Interfaith Conference sponsored by the TN Holocaust Commission. Fortunately, a friend offered to drive and I ended up loving the trip for its incredible beauty. I’ve always felt a spiritual presence in trees and there we were surrounded by plenty of them. It’s always emotionally difficult speaking about my dad, a World War II Liberator, but I could feel his spirit encouraging me. I was reminded that I’d been invited to speak about dad’s legacy for good reason. So by the time we arrived at the conference location in Hermitage, the Emanuel Lutheran Church, I was ready to do my presentation, “Lessons of a Liberator Assigned to Interrogate Nazi POWs”. 

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DL Opinion columns, Tech & AI

Conversational AI comes to Chattanooga, again – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

Project Voice 2026 marks a decade of Conversational AI and it was a pleasure to attend at its conference at the Chattanooga Convention Center. I’m in total agreement with the organizer, Bradley Metrock, (General Partner, Project Voice Capital Partners) and his explanation of the celebration. “We’ve been very pleased to host Project Voice for the last ten years here in Chattanooga. Every time I get asked “Why Chattanooga?” I respond “Why not?” The city is growing, vibrant, and hungry, and those working with voice AI and conversational AI from around the world that have attended over the years have witnessed that energy first-hand. The conference itself moves the voice AI world forward, and quietly has established a reputation as a central event for this young but growing technological domain.”

There were more than 160 attendees for amazing sessions like: Alexa, What’s Next For Voice AI?, Security Reimagined in an Age of AI, Hiring In The Age Of AI, Conversational AI in Modern Healthcare, and Measuring AI’s Effectiveness in Customer Service.

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Interfaith Podcasts

Ibrahim Anlı Podcast – Interfaith dialogue leader

Ibrahim    Ibrahim Anlı is the Executive Director of Rumi Forum in Washington, DC, where he leads initiatives advancing interfaith dialogue, religious literacy, and civic belonging. A scholar-practitioner with more than two decades of experience, he has built flagship programs, launched research platforms, and convened multi-stakeholder partnerships across North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Hear Ibrahim discuss:

  • Interfaith dialogue,
  • Depolarization,
  • Religion in public life.

Takeaways that the audience can continue to discuss include:

  • Renewal in interfaith efforts,
  • Religion serving as a prophetic voice.

CLICK for PODCAST

DL Opinion columns

These women are making history around the world – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

When I got the invitation from the annual virtual Women’s Empowerment Expo to be featured among the 40 organizations from around the world, I thought it was a joke. Maybe that’s because the Expo is organized by Harvard Alumni for Global Women’s Empowerment (GlobalWE) and includes CEOs, ambassadors, inventors, I’ve always addressed the challenges that women face, my Radcliffe/Harvard time was more than a half century ago. Overwhelmed by their incredible attempts to build a better world, I’ll let others from the Zoom conference comment.

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DL Opinion columns, The Arts

4 Bridges Arts Festival a wonderful gift – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

Thousands of folks join me in thinking that the 4 Bridges Arts Festival is, as a Bishop friend in Bermuda used to say, “wonderful, marvelous, glorious.” The Festival is presented annually by the Association for Visual Arts (AVA) and has been with us for 26 years.  AVA’s tag line is “ Connecting Art with Community’ and it’s supported by the TN Arts Commission, Lyndhurst Foundation, and ArtsBuild as well as dozens of sponsoring organizations and individual patrons.  While 4 Bridges grows bigger as the city expands, its home continues to be the First Horizon Pavilion near the Southside district of downtown Chattanooga. That’s where I went.

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DL Opinion columns, Levine articles, War

Creative souls needed in war zones – by Deborah Levine

 ( based on column for The Chattanooga Times Free. Press)

When my hubby and I saw that Iran had bombed Bet Shemesh, a community outside of Jerusalem, we were horrified. That’s where our daughter Elana and 4 grandsons live. Photos of the decimated village and stories of nine dead in the bombing filled the news. It was 24 hours before we heard from Elana. You can imagine what a relief it was to see her post this on 

Facebook: “War has started again. Thank G-d we are all ok…” 

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