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

Don’t let climate change kill us – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

‘Hot’ only begins to describe the weather over the July 4th weekend. Let’s try some other terms: blistering, burning up, and Armageddon. A life-threatening heat dome brought extreme heat to more than 260 million people, And the storms which accompanied the heat led to mass evacuation of the National Mall in Washington D.C. ‘Stupid’ only begins to describe the claim by some Maga folks that the weather had been ‘geoengineered’ by left-wing types to sabotage Trump’s July 4th events. Let’s try some other terms: conspiracy theories, lethal ignorance.

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DL Opinion columns

Honoring an interfaith voice like no other – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

The interfaith world is no doubt grieving at the recent passing of The Rev. Dr. John Pawlikowski, OSM. I sure am. I first met John when I was Interreligious Affairs Director at the American Jewish Committee’s Chicago office about 40 years ago. I was brand new and staring pathetically out the window of my office when this 6’4” guy in priestly robes appeared at my door holding a book. “You’re going to need me, and my book,” he said. My response? “I have no idea who you are, but I’m sure you’re right.” 

My ignorance didn’t deter him from working with me, and being my mentor in the process. Together, we coordinated the 1990 National Workshop on Christian-Jewish Relations. Only later did I discover his impressive background. John was not only Director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies Program at Chicago’s Catholic Theological Union (CTU), he was a CTU founding faculty members. (His students included Pope Leo XIV.) He was a presidential appointee to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, President of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ), and a Board member of the Parliament of the World’s Religions.

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DL Opinion columns

Folks reflecting on July 4th – by Deborah Levine

(column for The Chattanooga Times Free Press)

Approaching July 4th, I decided to ask folks what this day meant to them. Some said that it was all about family: getting together, enjoying food, and watching fire works. Celebrating with family was everything. But others wanted to go beyond family gatherings. “I’m ashamed to say that it wasn’t until our country’s unique experiment began to feel threatened that I started to seek more than general knowledge of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Amendments. The Fourth of July and its significance have always meant parades, picnics and fireworks. My patriotism is deep and genuine. My foundation of fact is weak. I suspect that I’m not alone.”

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DL Opinion columns

Scammed by AI’s pseudo-famous folks – by Deborah Levine

(originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press) 

AI can let us have conversations with folks who are long gone. Fascinating! That’s what I thought when I read this by Stéphane Peter, founder and CEO of Catloaf Software, Inc. “Text With Jesus was created to help people engage with Scripture and faith in a more approachable and interactive way…With Voicemails, users can request a spoken response when they want the conversation to feel more reflective, personal, or prayerful.” Truly inspired, I got a conversation going with Albert Einstein. I loved texting back and forth with him and ignored the huge downside to this AI technology.

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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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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

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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Go Green, Levine articles

Going Green is Tough Public Policy — by Deborah Levine

1 Comment

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, 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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