Category Archives: About Us

About the American Diversity Report

Advisors, Authors A-H, Wellness

Diversity and Speech Part 31: Health Equity – by Carlos Cortés and Adwoa Osei

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In July, 2020, the two of us met for the first time as inaugural co-directors of the University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine’s new Health Equity, Social Justice, and Anti-Racism (HESJAR) curricular initiative.   Beginning with our initial conversations it became clear that addressing speech — physician speech, patient speech, medical school speech — would be central to our journey.   

For an entire year (2020-2021) we planned.  This involved reading, particularly about efforts at other medical schools.  It also involved listening: to students; to other faculty and staff; and particularly through a series of community conversations in which medical students interviewed local residents about their experiences with the health care system.  Those conversations deeply informed our curriculum development.   

Continue reading Diversity and Speech Part 31: Health Equity – by Carlos Cortés and Adwoa Osei →

Advisors, Authors I-Q, Go Green

UN Declares the Right to a Healthy Environment – by the Rev. Dr. John Pawlikowski

On July 28, 2022, the General Assembly of the United Nations took a bold step in the ongoing process of caring for the creation we have inherited. By an overwhelming vote of 161 – 0, with eight member nations abstaining, the General Assembly approved a resolution which establishes a sustainable and healthy environment as a basic, universal right of all people. Over one hundred nations co-sponsored this resolution. The large co-sponsorship (unfortunately, the United States was not a co-sponsor) testifies to the strong support for this resolution among the UN delegates and their national governments. 

Because a livable human context is absolutely central to the continuing viability of creational life on our planet the United Nations’ vote placed this right at the core of our understanding of the longstanding human rights tradition, which includes social/political values such as freedom. This newly affirmed right is seen as standing at the very heart of that tradition. Its recognition and enhancement are not marginal but integral to the maintenance of the entirety of humanity and the universe with which we are intertwined. 

Continue reading UN Declares the Right to a Healthy Environment – by the Rev. Dr. John Pawlikowski →

Authors A-H, Social Issues, Wellness

The lifelong regret – by Terry Howard

regretThis picture is a replica of the one from a remote spot in a parking lot across from a local Walmart. Until recently, that spot was occupied by a blue pickup truck with watermelons for sale on the back. I’ll get to the story behind that photo momentarily. 

But first, let’s go to Marriam-Webster for a definition of the word “regret,” the crux of this narrative and for my fair-minded readers, something to think long and hard about when reexamining your life.

“Regret is a feeling of sadness or disappointment about something said or wrong about a mistake you made and wish you could have done differently or better.”

Aha, “done differently!” 

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Authors A-H, Social Issues, Wellness

The Lifelong Regret: Part 2 – Terry Howard

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Apparently my recent, “The Lifelong Regret,” touched (and torched?) a few raw nerves. Proof positives are the many lengthy phone conversations on the topic of “regret” that made me cringe at the thought of the size of my next phone bill.  

You see, some conversations were longer than I anticipated since I’m not skillful at effectively hinting, “hey, gotta go.” And others were of the brief “sorry but I don’t want to talk about that stuff,” category. 

Now the common thread in all those recollections were the immediacy of the responses to my query and the length of time transpired that caused those regrets; a few more than five decades ago.
 Continue reading The Lifelong Regret: Part 2 – Terry Howard →

About Us

ADR TESTIMONIALS – 2022

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THANK YOU!

LotteryMany thanks to all of you who participated in writing 2022 testimonials! We are delighted to quote you and share your thoughts with our readers around the world. If you’d like to add your testimonial, please do so in the Comments section.

  • Heidi McCarthy – Winner
    The lack of diversity and understanding in the corporate environment is crippling creative, thoughtful individuals from success in their careers; leaders must be credentialed in understanding the bias that accompanies diverse populations in the workplace. Deborah Levine- you have been my mentor – as well as a source of inspiration and hope since graduate school at Vanderbilt University; you helped me understand how my cultural background as the first American born daughter of a Yugoslav alien post WWII shaped my ethics , worldview and life path through your books and articles.💙🎶🙏🎹
  • Venita R. Thomas – Winner
    As a Veteran (U.S. Army) with a disability, I’ve learned from ADR the much-needed importance of DEI. Lessons I’ve learned and will teach; the “E” is not just for “equity”, but for “endurance”, and diversity is not just for the theory of acceptance, but for appreciation.
  • William Hicks – Winner
    As a kid growing up, one of my very favorite television programs (when television was in its early adolescence…yes I am that old!) was “Superman” starring George Reeves. At the very outset of the show, with the ‘Superman’ march playing in the background, was the superhero’s statement of purpose: Superman fought for “truth, justice and the American way!” Deborah Levine today stands in the place of the fictional “Superman” and fights for truth and justice in the American Diversity Report (ADR). Entries to the monthly American Diversity Report are vetted as to accuracy of fact and documentation of source materials cited. ADR addresses the important issues confronting us with integrity and with respect for their complexity.
    Ms. Levine, founder and editor, an award-winning author in her own right, provides a forum for writers with integrity, the highest of moral and scholastic standards and skill to share their sense of justice and truth with others towards the betterment of the human condition. While the fictional “Superman” leapt “tall buildings in a single bound” in pursuit of his crusade against crimes against the “American way”, the American Diversity Report cuts through the tangled webs of deception and confusion to present us with food for thought about pathways to a better human interaction in such diverse areas as education, politics, art and religion. I highly recommend the American Diversity Report for those interested in “truth, justice and integrity of thought.”
  • Isowo Smart. G – Winner
    Thank you once again Deborah for all you are doing in the humanitarian world. The priceless impact you are making in the lives of inmates in and outside of the correctional facility walls speaks volume. We have followed your work keenly, and at this point we must say you remain not only as a beacon of Hope to the inmates but also as a role model to our NGO as well.
    We at CENPRIR (now Impact One Plus Foundation) are deeply appreciative of your impactful work.

Continue reading ADR TESTIMONIALS – 2022 →

Authors A-H, Gender, Of Men, Social Issues

Are Men Necessary? (Part 2) – by Terry Howard

I can’t keep up with bad behaviors by men nowadays – not all men before you lapse into cardiac arrest in anger at me – but those dudes who can’t seem to deal with their demons, fears, mental illnesses and hatreds in ways other than through the barrel of an AR-15.

So was it not men who flew planes into the World Trade Center, the field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon on 9/11? Was it not the “Alt Right” men who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 protesting the removal of the statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee that led to at least one death and scores of injuries? 

Was it men who murdered nine church parishioners in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015 and who gunned down six Asian women in Atlanta two years ago? Weren’t the gut-wrenching shootings at Texas’s Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School and at the July 4th parade near Chicago committed by men?  Was it a demented man who killed 11 worshipers at a Pittsburg synagogue? And more recently, was men who killed six Muslims in Albuquerque, or a man who plunged a knife into the neck of author Salam Rushdie in New York?
 Continue reading Are Men Necessary? (Part 2) – by Terry Howard →

Academic Articles, Advisors, Authors A-H

Equity Rising: DEI Expertise in the Boardroom – by Dr. Deborah Ashton, Tracie Hall

Abstract

After the killing of George Floyd, Equity Rising, a group of Black professionals, came together to address social justice and equity in the government and in corporations. They believed that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) expertise is essential to the total sustainability strategy of corporations and, therefore, is an essential boardroom function. The DEI expertise brings both functional and demographic diversification of board members.  This article contends that since traditionally the DEI function has been populated primarily by people of color and women, DEI expertise will add to the demographic diversification of the board. With the increase in demographic diversity for other functional board positions, DEI experts will aide in establishing a critical mass of women and people of color in the boardroom. 

Continue reading Equity Rising: DEI Expertise in the Boardroom – by Dr. Deborah Ashton, Tracie Hall →

Authors R-Z, Social Issues

Microaggression and Stereotype – by Julia Wai-Yin So

You were at a house-warming party hosted by your immigrant friends from Mexico who just bought their first home. Your excitement was genuine. As you hugged your friend and his wife, you said, “I am so happy for you and your new home, especially in this neighborhood. Unlike other Latino immigrants, you are so accomplished.”

Your comment might have meant to be complimentary. Unfortunately, your Latino friend might have felt you just insulted his entire ethnic group. According to Dr. Derald Wing Sue from Columbia University, such remark falls under microaggressions–verbal, behavioral, or environmental slights that reflect the speaker’s conscious or unconscious stereotyping certain minoritized groups. Other examples include complimenting the English spoken by an Asian, or congratulating a college graduate while saying “You made me proud. I don’t think I have one black friend that has a college degree”. Though meant to compliment the recipient; such comments sadly also insult the ability or intelligence of the social group which the receiver belongs to.
Continue reading Microaggression and Stereotype – by Julia Wai-Yin So →

About Deborah Levine, Liberator Series, Music, theater, TV, dance, World War II Documentary

TV Pilot Script: The Liberator’s Daughter

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The Liberator's Daughter LOGLINE

A World War II Liberator’s daughter honors his legacy by battling disabilities, discrimination, and hate in her journey from being disabled and homeless, to repairing our broken world.
6-part TV Series
(c) 2022…Deborah Levine Enterprises LLC

32+  FILM FESTIVAL  AWARDS
The Liberator’s Daughter has 32 WINNER AWARDS at international film festivals including:
1) WRPN Women’s International Film Festival, 2) Hollywood Blvd Film Festival, 3) Cineplay International, 4) Dallas Shorts, 5) Indiefare International, 6) Airflix Film, 7) Multi Dimension International, 8) Bright International, 9) EdiPlay International, 10) Magic Silver Screen Festival, 11) Medusa Film Festival, 12) Movie Play International, 13) Red Moon Film Festival, 14) Krimson Horyzon International Film Festival, 15) Cult Movies Festival, 16) Crown International, 17) Swedish International, 18) NYC International Film Festival, 19) London New Wave Cinema Awards, 20 & 21) Indie Cine Tube Awards, 22) 4th Dimension Independent film Festival, 23) Cooper Awards, 24) Tokyo Shorts, 25) 8 & Halfilm Awards, 26) New York Neorealism  Film Awards, 27) Golden Giraffe International film Festival, 28) Liber Films International film Festival, 28) Cooper Awards, 29) ASAA Abdolrahman Sarraei Academic Awards, 30) Sofia International Film Festival, 31) Your Way International film Festival, 32) Alpine IFF.

Continue reading TV Pilot Script: The Liberator’s Daughter →

Authors I-Q, Education, Social Issues

Impacting Education in Low-Income Countries – by Pearl Kasirye

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Educators like Dr. Gillian Kabatereine believe that education is the key to developing young minds and helping them improve their economic circumstances. Dr. Gillian got her PhD in education and curriculum design at Columbia University in New York and returned to East Africa to use her knowledge and skills to make a difference in the education sector.