All posts by Terry Howard

ADR Advisor Terry Howard is an award-winning writer and storyteller. He is a contributing writer with the Chattanooga News Chronicle, The American Diversity Report, The Douglas County Sentinel, Blackmarket.com, co-founder of the “26 Tiny Paint Brushes” writers guild, recipient of the 2019 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award, and third place winner of the 2022 Georgia Press Award.
Advisors, Sports

Black college athletes: Listen to the NAACP – by Terry Howard

That’s the headline of a column in a recent issue of USA Today. It was written in the form of an open letter to Black athletes and extensively quoted NAACP Board director and Chairman Leon Russell and President and CEO Derrick Johnson in their letter to Charlie Baker, head of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Now since it appeared just a few days after I’d started developing the piece you’re now reading, of course it got my immediate attention and, like a mosquito in a nudist colony, it provided me with lots and lots of stuff to cherry pick from. 

Continue reading Black college athletes: Listen to the NAACP – by Terry Howard →

Advisors, Politics

Governor “King on Steroids” Mark Robinson – by Terry Howard

 

on steroids“Martin Luther King on steroids!”

Huh? Did I hear that right? No wait. Maybe it was a buildup of wax in my ears. Did I see that right? Or perhaps it was a coffee smudge on my eyeglasses. 

But no, as much as I’d like to blame it on my lying eyes or deceitful ears, I heard and read that right. Those were the exact words from the mouth of former president Trump in endorsing Republican Mark Robinson for governor of North Carolina. But he didn’t leave it at that – “I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you’re Martin Luther King times two.”

Okay readers, calm down and take a deep breath. We’ll get through this. I promise.

Continue reading Governor “King on Steroids” Mark Robinson – by Terry Howard →

Advisors, Authors A-H, Generational, Politics

Why not a “Sully” Sullenberger for President? – by Terry Howard

“Some voters are burned out on outrage!” 

That’s the recent headline in a national publication. That outrage? The eyebrow raising rancor, silliness and general awfulness surrounding the upcoming presidential election.

And the truth is that if we strike out the first four letters in the word “outrage” what’s left are three letters many voters are particularly burned out on…. age…as in President Joe Biden’s age! Count yours truly among them. Shucks, if I had a dollar for every time Biden’s age is cited in the news, I could purchase a luxurious mansion in Miami, Malibu (or, eh, Mar-a-Lago). 

Continue reading Why not a “Sully” Sullenberger for President? – by Terry Howard →

Advisors, Race & Ethnicity, Social Issues

“Mrs. Good Trouble”: Amelia Boynton Robinson – by Terry Howard

civil rightsSome people are just made to cause, as the late Congressman John Lewis called it, “good trouble.” They’re contrarian by nature. It’s in their DNA. It ignites their fury. It explains their courage to put life and limb at risk for what they believe in.

Which brings us to African American History Month 2024 and to “Mrs. Good Trouble” herself, the late civil rights pioneer Amelia Boynton Robinson, inarguably the matriarch of the voting rights movement. Now if you subscribe to that familiar saying, “behind every great man is a woman,” then I’ll say, “behind every great movement is a woman.” Many of them in fact.

Continue reading “Mrs. Good Trouble”: Amelia Boynton Robinson – by Terry Howard →

Advisors, Authors A-H, Authors I-Q, Race & Ethnicity

Jewish Allies in African-American History – by Terry Howard

2 Comments

Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers and Fannie Lou Hamer are some of the many leaders who paved the way through the rocky history of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. But the movement would not have succeeded without the contributions of people from all races, among them philanthropist Julius P. Rosenwald, whose name is associated with hundreds of schools for Black students throughout the south.

But first, we should remember the many largely unreported Black/Jewish American partnerships in that history. Case in point is the relationship between Dr. King and close friend and advisor Stanley Levinson, a Jewish American.

Continue reading Jewish Allies in African-American History – by Terry Howard →

Advisors, Authors A-H

The Power of Words: the “said” and the “unsaid” – by Terry Howard

I came across the following quote in the Writers & Poets magazine recently:
                               “Where words prevail not, violence prevails.”

Please pause and sit on that one momentarily. In case you’re wondering, it’s a phrase from Thomas Kyd, a playwright and contemporary of William Shakespeare.

I then squared that quote against another familiar one, “words have power,” meaning that words have energy and power with the ability to help, motivate, demotivate, heal, harm, humiliate and devastate.

With all that said, I also thought about the title of this narrative and its message about the undeniable power of words within the context of the dangers of silence and how silence is sometimes complicit in the spread of hate and violence.

Continue reading The Power of Words: the “said” and the “unsaid” – by Terry Howard →

Advisors, Authors A-H

“Race” Remains a Four-letter Word – by Terry Howard  

“Just as I thought Howard, you’re a racist,” was “Karen’s” message. My initial suspicion was that she fitted the description of the “Karen” caricature that’s become synonymous with white woman these days who call the cops on innocent Black folks who are caught walking in the “wrong” neighborhood, barbequing burgers in “our park,” or otherwise just being Black in the U.S.

As is the usual tactic with people like “Karen,” she slammed the door on an opportunity for me to respond with: “I have nothing else to say to you Howard, so goodbye.”

Continue reading “Race” Remains a Four-letter Word – by Terry Howard   →

Advisors, Authors A-H

Dr. Carlos Cortés – The Gift That Keeps on Giving (Part 3) – by Terry Howard

1 Comment
Carlos Cortes
ADR Advisor Dr. Carlos Cortes

If you’ve been following this series, you’ll recall that in Part One we highlighted the incredible career of Dr. Carlos Cortés. In Part Two, we shared several questions with his answers as a follow up. We now conclude the series with his answers to a few more questions we posed to Carlos.

Long history short, Carlos is currently the Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professor of History and co-director of the Health Equity, Social Justice, and Anti-Racism curriculum of the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside. As admitted to earlier, this is just a miniscule snapshot of his extensive curriculum vitae, let alone the books he’s authored and awards he’s earned over the decades.

Continue reading Dr. Carlos Cortés – The Gift That Keeps on Giving (Part 3) – by Terry Howard →

Advisors, Authors A-H

Failing Better with Dr. Carlos Cortés (Part 2) – by Terry Howard

Carlos Cortes
ADR Advisor Dr. Carlos Cortes

Stop! Before concluding that the word “failing” rather than “feeling” in this title is a typo; no, it’s a purposeful oxymoron. If you remember the late Congressman John Lewis’ “good trouble” motto, then you’ll get my drift. 

Now with that out of the way, let’s move on.

In Part One, we explored the extraordinary career of Dr. Carlos Cortés and, given his background, thought that he’d be the perfect person to speak on pressing issues in today’s world, one rife with unprecedented challenges. Cortés is currently the Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professor of History and co-director of the Health Equity, Social Justice, and Anti-Racism curriculum of the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside. Regretfully, that’s just a tiny slice of his lengthy curriculum vitae. 

Continue reading Failing Better with Dr. Carlos Cortés (Part 2) – by Terry Howard →

Advisors

Introducing Dr. Carlos E. Cortés  (Part 1) – by Terry Howard

Carlos Cortes

Carlos E. Cortés?

Okay, that name might not ring a bell with you unless you’re a close follower of credits for animated films and children’s television. He’s probably best known for his two decades as Creative/Cultural Advisor for “Dora the Explorer” and “Go, Diego, Go!” and more recently Creative Consultant for the movie, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” In fact, when he gives public lectures and does book signings, sometimes more people show up with Dora books for him to sign for their kids, rather than for books he’s written.

Continue reading Introducing Dr. Carlos E. Cortés  (Part 1) – by Terry Howard →