Category Archives: About Us

About the American Diversity Report

DL Opinion columns

Using the power of Interfaith – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

As we celebrate Passover and Easter in our Jewish and Christian homes here in Chattanooga, I had the opportunity to dialogue virtually with the Bermuda Christian Jewish Alliance (BCJA). You may already know that I grew up on the island of Bermuda, part of the British Commonwealth. My grandfather was one of the island’s Founding 400 and we’re the only Jewish family to have lived on the island for 4 generations – going back to the early 1900s. So given the holidays, it wasn’t entirely surprising to get a request from BCJA to speak about my family’s history, especially our experience regarding the Holocaust. 

Continue reading Using the power of Interfaith – by Deborah Levine →

Authors I-Q, Tech & AI

How Digital Access Is Powering Grassroots Good Works – by Rose Joneson

Closing the Gap

Real change rarely starts at the top. It begins in communities, where grassroots organizations work directly with people to solve everyday challenges. From supporting students to helping individuals reenter the workforce, these efforts are often driven by commitment rather than resources. What increasingly determines their success, however, is not just intent, but access to the right tools.

Digital access has become a defining factor in whether community-based efforts can grow or remain limited in reach. Organizations that can connect, communicate, and deliver services online are better positioned to respond to evolving needs. As explored in Community Engagement and Social Impact, local initiatives are most effective when supported by systems and resources that allow them to scale their impact beyond immediate surroundings.

Continue reading How Digital Access Is Powering Grassroots Good Works – by Rose Joneson →

Authors A-H, Holocaust/antisemitism

How Holocaust education makes such a difference – by  Kate Hall

On Monday, April 13th, in observance of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, I attended a lecture by Deborah Levine given to a classroom of Covenant College History students, and I was moved to write this article. A quote from her book, The Liberator’s Daughter,  states “99.9% of Germans were not Nazis, but were complicit” After hearing many questions asked by the students at the conclusion of her lecture and researching antisemitism as it exists and spreads today, I have come to believe that Holocaust education in young generations of students is more important than ever.

Continue reading How Holocaust education makes such a difference – by  Kate Hall →

Authors A-H, Politics, War

Why the West Fails to Defeat Regimes – by Chaim Goldberg

The Secret Pharaoh Hides from the Pentagon

A. The Biblical Question We Never Solved

How does the most sophisticated military force of the ancient world — the army of Egypt, the greatest empire on earth — march deliberately into a split sea and drown?

Think about what had just happened. Ten plagues had systematically dismantled Egyptian civilization. The Nile turned to blood. Crops were destroyed. Livestock died. And just days before that final march, death had visited every Egyptian household in a single night — the firstborn of every family, from Pharaoh’s palace to the lowest servant. Egypt was on its knees.

Yet — Pharaoh’s army charged into the parted waters. Willingly. With full force. Where was their free will? Where was the most basic human instinct — survival?

Continue reading Why the West Fails to Defeat Regimes – by Chaim Goldberg →

Authors A-H, Race & Ethnicity

Threats to the future of the Black Press – by Terry Howard

As a lifetime reader of Black newspapers – among them the Baltimore Afro-American, Chicago Defender, Pittsburgh Courier, New York Amsterdam News – I woke up to the headline, “The Richmond Free Press ceased publication,” a Black newspaper and held onto the fragile hope that someone had played cruel AI hoax on me. I wish I could sit here and say that was the case, but I can’t. Lord knows I can’t. 

Continue reading Threats to the future of the Black Press – by Terry Howard →

Around the world, Authors R-Z, Of Women, Social Issues

Growing Up Female in Hong Kong – by Belinda Wong

Life is never easy in Hong Kong. When I was a kid, the percentage of girls receiving proper education was low.  Girls having higher education was much rarer. Boys were expected to do good at school and then at work.  No such expectations for girls. Luck was always on my side. I passed all the examinations which I needed to pass to move on to the next level.  My formal education ended being a graduate of the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a major in Sociology.  I was having a free time at school and then free choice in my career.

Continue reading Growing Up Female in Hong Kong – by Belinda Wong →

Advisors, Authors A-H, Race & Ethnicity

Renewing Diversity: Part 15: Perspectives from Intercultural Pioneers – by Carlos Cortés

In August, 2023, two of my friends — Sandra Fowler and Daniel Yalowitz — set out to make a difference.  They envisioned a book on the field of interculturalism structured around individual professional autobiographies written by twelve people, mostly in their eighties, whom they deemed to be intercultural pioneers .  I was one of the dozen selected, also the oldest at 91 when the book — Creating the Intercultural Field: Legacies from the Pioneers — was published in 2025.

Within diversityworld, the field of interculturalism is not all that prominent.  It isn’t a widely-trumpeted diversity term like microaggressions or white fragility or critical race theory.   It doesn’t make headlines like DEI.  In fact, although its origins date back to the early twentieth century, interculturalism has operated effectively in the shadows without the widespread public recognition of hotter and more critically scrutinized fields like ethnic studies.

Continue reading Renewing Diversity: Part 15: Perspectives from Intercultural Pioneers – by Carlos Cortés →

DL Opinion columns

Women Storytelling for Women’s History Month – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

Folks often cite famous women in history as their inspiration during Women’s History Month. The stories about Marie Curie, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are good examples. But here in Chattanooga, we have our own inspirational women who have spoken about Women’s History Month and its meaning. Let’s learn from the stories that they share.

Continue reading Women Storytelling for Women’s History Month – by Deborah Levine →

Authors R-Z, Writing

Creative Writing as a Tool for Mental Health – by Diane Storman

Writing Through It

Creative writing can be an effective tool for processing and regulating emotional responses. It can help writers enhance self-awareness, manage their mental well-being through daily writing practices, and foster connections within communities facing shared mental health challenges. (Author’s note: For the purposes of this article, creative writing refers to the practice of deliberately using narrative forms such as storytelling, journaling, and poetry to express thoughts and emotions.  Mental health is defined here as a state of emotional, psychological, and social well-being that influences how individuals think, feel, and act.)

Continue reading Creative Writing as a Tool for Mental Health – by Diane Storman →

Authors I-Q, Social Issues

Stable Money, Fair Credit, Stronger Communities – by Julie Morris

pastedGraphic.pngI

 Why the “Boring” Stuff Matters

When we talk about equity and inclusion, we often picture classrooms, workplaces, and voting booths. But equity is also built (or blocked) at the checkout counter, in the loan office, and at the kitchen table when a family is trying to plan next month’s bills. Access to stable financial resources and fair lending opportunities shapes who can take a risk, recover from a setback, and invest in the future—across every kind of community.

Continue reading Stable Money, Fair Credit, Stronger Communities – by Julie Morris →