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About the American Diversity Report

Advisors, Trends 2025: Chaotic Times

GLOBAL ETHIC: COUNTERWEIGHT TO TRANSACTIONAL MORALITY – by JOHN T. PAWLIKOWSKI, OSM, PH.D.

In recent years American public discourse has often heard the term “transactional morality.” In simple terms it means that getting to a social goal that is deemed worthy of pursuit can be carried on with little or no determined moral constraints. Flexibility is its prime characteristic. And that flexibility can include lies, deliberate misinformation and governmental control of public communication.
I perceive transactional morality gaining an increasing foothold in American society as we enter 2025.  In my judgment this trend
must be confronted head-on with a strong counterweight.  Such a counterweight is the Global Ethic. which emerged from the 1993 convening of the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago.  This 1993 convening celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the initial parliament that was part of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.

Continue reading GLOBAL ETHIC: COUNTERWEIGHT TO TRANSACTIONAL MORALITY – by JOHN T. PAWLIKOWSKI, OSM, PH.D. →

Advisors, Authors A-H, Trends 2025: Chaotic Times

Well, did I answer your question “Deb?” – by Terry Howard

    “We write history, not erase history.” ~ President Joe Biden 

“Deb,” the editor of one of several global publications I write for posed the following question to me and her other columnists who write on issues of culture, religion, race and other issues:

What do you consider the most critical issue facing our nation in 2025?

Wow, where do I start? 

Well, after mulling through a list of top of mind burning issues for me, I kept circling back to the first on that list that crossed my mind….banning books altogether or, at a minimum, rewriting ugly aspects of African American history – think slavery – in the U.S.

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Advisors, Authors A-H, Trends 2025: Chaotic Times

A realistic approach to 2025 – by Marc Brenman

“When You Stare into the Abyss,
the Abyss Stares Back” ~Nietzsche

The most important event in the new year for the United States will be Trump’s resumption of the Presidency. Will this mean the end of American democracy, as he has pointed to with pronouncements like being a dictator, inciting insurrection, encouraging legal prosecution of critics and Democratic legislators, opposing a peaceful transition of elected power, nominating bizarre people for the highest Executive Branch positions, etc?

There has been much discussion as to what good-thinking people should do. Much of the verbiage concerns self-care, marching around, doubling down on beliefs unpopular with half the American electorate, etc. This reminds me of trigger warnings, safe spaces, and correct pronouns. I’ve been focusing instead on the following:

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Authors A-H, Politics, Trends 2025: Chaotic Times

Political Commitments 2025 – by Kerry Hayes

A few days before November 5, I opined on social media that democracy isn’t a crockpot – you can’t set it and forget it. It’s more like a risotto: something special and quite wonderful, but needing constant attention unless you want it to turn mushy or burn altogether.

 The outcome of the election seemed to reinforce this notion. I guess it would be more accurate to refer to the November 5 elections, as turnout data indicates that every county in the United States, from California to Colorado to New York, moved rightward. The national popular vote bore this out, as did the results of many contests for the U.S. House of Representatives, the Senate, and myriad state and local races.

By the time the sun rose on November 6, it was clear that the right had risen well. We’d failed to stir the risotto; now it was sticky as all hell.

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DL Opinion columns

The power and influence of storytelling – by Deborah Levine

(originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press)

Once upon a time, there was a storytelling festival held in Chattanooga’s Coolidge Park called TaleSpin. I remember this 2008 event because I was recruited by Vincent Phipps to be one of the storytellers. I hesitated, but he reassured, coached, and encouraged me until I changed my mind and attitude. TaleSpin no longer takes place here, but I was set on a storytelling path that expanded exponentially. Vincent evolved into the top 1% of the World’s Best Communication Experts. This matters because in these “interesting times”, storytelling is key to being heard and seen.

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Advisors, Authors A-H, Social Issues

Holiday Connections – by Dr. Gail Dawson

There’s something special and perhaps a little magical about the Holiday Season. As the weather starts to cool and the leaves start to change, there seems to be excitement in the air in anticipation of the holidays. We tend to look for greater human connection as we plan gatherings from Thanksgiving feasts to New Year’s celebrations. While some see the holidays as the opportunity to connect with family and friends through festive celebrations of their faith, others may enjoy the more commercialized aspects of the season. 

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DL Opinion columns

Need a break? Take in history on the riverfront – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

We’ve been glued to the news on TV and internet day and night. Definitely time to take a break from holding my breath. What to do? We decided to go to the riverfront, become one with the river’s flow and check out the replicas of Christopher Columbus’ Nina and Pinta. This history buff was fascinated by the ancient boats that sailed the seas. And they brought back fond ocean memories of my island girl youth.

Levine articles, Wellness

Ultra-Processed from Halloween to Thanksgiving – by Deborah Levine

Every year, we struggle to resist the temptation minute to minute to over-sugar ourselves.  It begins with Halloween candy and proceeds to Thanksgiving dinner, exploding with holiday eating extravaganzas with the year’s tastiest foods. By the New Year, the scale shows our over-indulgence. It’s no coincidence that 12% of gym members join in January. And it’s discouraging that 80% of New Year’s resolutions disappear in February.

Authors A-H, PSK, Race & Ethnicity, Social Issues

Build a Stronger Economy: Focus on Minorities & Opportunity Zones – by Rachel Hooks

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Everyone is familiar with Wall Street in New York where stock trades are made, but are you familiar with Black Wall Street, an area in Tulsa, Oklahoma? It’s the place where African Americans built their own economy with grocery stores, schools, homes, churches, hospitals, hotels, and other businesses. By 1921, they owned 35 square blocks of property in this community where they flourished, until one day, there was the Tulsa race massacre where this entire community was burned to the ground.

Unfortunately, this community was never the same again and very few people were able to keep their family homes that were destroyed. In a time of segregation, this type of community was necessary to carry out the law, “separate by equal”. I can recall my grandmother, Jimmie Hooks, born in 1930, before her passing this year at age 93, stating that her grandfather had a business, but could not own a home. She would say, “Ain’t that crazy”. This is no longer the case today, every man is considered equal, or are they?

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Authors R-Z, PSK, Race & Ethnicity, Social Issues

Letting Go of Perfectionism: an Act of Antiracism – by Janelle Villiers

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I’ve attended the Undoing Racism Workshop offered by The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, twice. I’ve gone on to facilitate several DEI workshops and I am also  the co-creator of an Intra-Professional Antiracism Dialogue and Discourse Series (IPADDS). While preparing for and facilitating all of these workshops and IPADDS events I was always reminded of a foundational tenant of the Undoing Racism Workshop and that is “Racism de-humanizes us all.” It doesn’t matter what race, Black, White and everything in between, we are all de-humanized by racism.

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