Category Archives: About Us

About the American Diversity Report

I’ve always been a bit perplexed when it comes to the intersection of economics and diversity. Maybe this is inevitable because of the sprawling, multifaceted, and contentious nature of the field of economics itself. As the old saying goes, “You can stack all of the world’s economists end to end and never reach a conclusion.”

So rather than belaboring you with false certainties and pat generalizations about the economics-diversity nexus, I’ll tell you a story. It’s a story about one acquaintance and two friends, each of whom contributed to my still-developing thinking about this topic. Here goes.

Continue reading Renewing Diversity Part 11: The Mysterious World of Diversity and Economics – by Carlos Cortés →

DL Opinion columns

The hurricane of stupidity – by Deborah Levine

November 7, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

I was surprised to see the Times Free Press article: “Bermuda prepares for hits by hurricanes Humberto, Imelda”. I grew up on the island of Bermuda and preparing for hurricanes at this time of year was the norm. But American newspapers don’t often talk about how Bermuda withstands these storms: “Bermuda is a wealthy British territory with strong concrete structures capable of withstanding serious storms.”

Continue reading The hurricane of stupidity – by Deborah Levine →

Authors A-H, Race & Ethnicity

20 Interview Questions I Should Have Asked – by Sharon Hurley Hall

November 6, 2025 Sharon Hurley Hall

More than 300,000 Black women have lost their jobs this year. As a Black woman who’s navigated similar systems, it’s made me think about the interview processes I faced: extremely stressful, multiple rounds, and not a person who shared my identity at any of them. I know from my own experience that there are double-takes as you walk in the door. There’s extensive questioning about birth, nationality and my right to be there, and extreme scrutiny of my qualifications. And even if I then get the job, there’s no guarantee it’s a safe place to work.

I know I’m not the only one to experience this. But what if you could use the interview process to get the answers you really need as a Black person? You might not get the job, but you’d be a whole lot clearer about whether it was the right workplace for you.

Here are 20 questions I wish I’d been able to ask. Continue reading 20 Interview Questions I Should Have Asked – by Sharon Hurley Hall →

Authors I-Q, Go Green

Two Nations, One Climate – by Tor Arne Jørgensen

November 5, 2025 Tor Arne Jørgensen

Along Norway’s southern coast, I have watched the winters change. Periods that once held frost now arrive as rain. What should be cold arrives mild. Not every year, but often enough. In Grimstad, people still talk about the winters we used to have. Snow that stayed. Ice that held. Now cold spells come and break quickly. Rain replaces snow. The pattern no longer holds.

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute has documented this shift. Coastal winters in Southern Norway are warmer now than in the 1960s. The change is gradual but steady. River flows shift. Insurance warnings multiply. Municipal flood plans expand.

Something is changing. Not suddenly, but unmistakably. And it is not only here. Across the Atlantic, America’s coastlines tell similar stories. Miami watches tides creep higher. California counts longer droughts. Two nations. Different politics. Same physics. Both built their modern wealth the same way—on oil.

Continue reading Two Nations, One Climate – by Tor Arne Jørgensen →

Authors A-H, Education, Religious Diversity

Faith, Science and the First Amendment – by Richard Foltin

November 3, 2025 Richard Foltin

What to Know About Religious Beliefs in the Classroom

This article was originally published by Freedom Forum

Among 2025’s marquee U.S. Supreme Court cases was Mahmoud v. Taylor, in which a group of Maryland parents claimed a First Amendment right to opt their children out of certain LGBTQ+-inclusive readings in local public school classrooms. The parents argued that mandatory exposure to the books’ themes, which contradicted their religious beliefs, undermined their First Amendment right to direct their children’s religious upbringing. The court ultimately ruled in favor of the parents, saying that the schools’ lack of an opt-out option interfered with the parents’ right to the free exercise of religion.

While the case did not deal with the teaching of science, it has much in common with a long history of parents’ concerns about public school science curricula and health classes that conflict with their religious beliefs.

This article explores these teachings that may conflict with religious beliefs and how the First Amendment comes into play. It also discusses key court cases on this issue.

Continue reading Faith, Science and the First Amendment – by Richard Foltin →

DL Opinion columns

Engage in community. Having fun counts! – by Deborah Levine

October 31, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

When we moved to East Ridge 25 years ago, Camp Jordan was a rural land mark where you could walk quietly and virtually alone. Purchased in 1930 by the Tennessee National Guard, it was named after Major General Paul Jordan. In 1946, the land was auctioned off as military surplus, but the name “Camp Jordan” remained even when the City of East Ridge purchased the farmland property in 1973. Now, the 275-acre park is operated by the East Ridge Parks and Recreation Department with a mission to serve the community. What began as 2 ball fields developed into 13 baseball/softball fields, 14 soccer fields, a 18-hole Disc Golf Course, 2 Beach Volleyball Courts, 2 picnic pavilions, an amphitheater, a RV campground, a 30,000 sq. ft. arena, along with stores, restaurants and a hotel. It’s like a small village!

Continue reading Engage in community. Having fun counts! – by Deborah Levine →

Authors R-Z, Native American

What Is Thanksgiving? – by Glenn Welker

October 31, 2025 Glenn H. Welker

What do you think of, when asked about Thanksgiving?

We learned from the wisdom of our elders to thank the Creator for; Mother Earth… Father Sky… Grandfather Moon… our Uncles the Four Winds… our Cousins the Stars, and… our Brothers and Sisters the animals. The Algonquins believed that humans were not distinct from or superior to nature, but rather part of nature. We also believe that animals could take human form. Moreover, we believed that a long time ago, humans and animals spoke the same language. Then there was a cataclysm that upset the universe and only a few shaman retained the ability to speak with the animals. We thank the Creator for all our relatives, for what is good in the world, and for all our harvest, not just one crop, but all. We give thanks for the strawberry, it is the first berry of the new spring, we give thanks to the tree spirit, for the warmth it provides in our fires and the saps that flow in the fall, we honor the animal spirit, who laid down its life in order for the people to go on. Subsequently we give thanks for each harvest year round. It is said, when the Creator created the Universe, “He placed his hand on the Whole thing… so everything is spiritual.” He never told us to separate anything… but to look upon everything that he has made us as holy and sacred and act accordingly with respect.

Continue reading What Is Thanksgiving? – by Glenn Welker →

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