Category Archives: Social Issues

Social causes, activism, and projects

Authors A-H, Race & Ethnicity, Social Issues

20 Interview Questions I Should Have Asked – by 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 →

Advisors, Authors A-H, Social Issues

Domestic Violence and the man in the mirror – by Terry Howard

Hey fellas, it’s me, your humble columnist.

I decided to send you a letter and gift you with a mirror to gaze at as you read this narrative. You see, the gift of self-reflection (and mirrors) are the greatest gifts you can give yourself if, taken together, they lead to positive change on your part and on that of others.

But first, I’ll ask you how’s everything in the bar, the locker room or on the golf course while you’re “shooting the breeze” with the boys? Lots of talk about sports, national politics, your trip to Europe and, eh, I’m guessing, the opposite sex, huh? 

Continue reading Domestic Violence and the man in the mirror – by Terry Howard →

Authors A-H, Education, Social Issues

Faith, Science and the First Amendment – by 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 →

Advisors, Authors A-H, Social Issues

“Toni,” what else could I have done? – by Terry Howard

Today’s story is about “Toni” and the point her story makes as we look back on October, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

ME: Good morning, Toni. How was your weekend?

TONI: (Subdued) Okay, I guess.

ME: Wait, are you okay? Is that a bruise on your forehead. Did you take a fall? 

TONI: No, my husband beat me up again. Yesterday he hit me upside my head with the Holy Bible. Can you believe it?

ME: Oh my! I, uh, I’m so sorry, and…

TONI: Thanks for asking. I’ll be okay. This is my second marriage, and like my ex-husband, this husband beats me up too. The story of my life is that I seem to attract abusive men. 

Continue reading “Toni,” what else could I have done? – by Terry Howard →

Authors I-Q, Inclusion, Of Women, Social Issues

The Psychology of Displacement and Projection – by Olya K-Mehri

In professional and organisational settings, the word “aggressive” is often applied in response to tone rather than conduct. What is described as aggression in these moments seldom concerns hostility; instead, it reflects an emotional defence mechanism in which discomfort is projected onto the speaker. Through processes of displacement and projection, the listener redirects their unease rather than examining its source. subsequent labelling of their expression as “aggressive” functions less as an objective observation and more as a psychological strategy to preserve equilibrium and reaffirm dominant notions of professionalism (Hochschild, 1983; Ahmed, 2004).

Continue reading The Psychology of Displacement and Projection – by Olya K-Mehri →

Advisors, Authors A-H, Politics, Social Issues

Political Violence & Inclusion – by Deborah Ashton

Throughout history, political discourse in the United States has oscillated between civility and conflict. There were notable times when individuals from opposing perspectives engaged in constructive debate, exemplified by the 1965 exchange between author James Baldwin and conservative commentator William F. Buckley Jr., as well as the bipartisan relationships of leaders such as Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill during the 1980s. Yet, it is important to recognize that political violence is deeply rooted in the nation’s origins. The American Revolution itself was marked by actions that, had they failed, would have been deemed treasonous. As we complain about masks being worn to hide the perpetrator’s identity, colonists dressed up as Native Americans when they engaged in the Boston Tea Party. Hiding one’s identity is not new.

Continue reading Political Violence & Inclusion – by Deborah Ashton →

Advisors, Inclusion, Social Issues, Teams & Leaders

Confessions of an unashamed DEI Hire – by Terry Howard

BREAKING NEWS: Recent Department of Labor statistics show that nationwide, Black women lost 319,000 public and private sector jobs from February to July this year compared to 142,000 and 176,000 increases, respectively, by white and Hispanic women. White men saw an increase of 360,000 over that same period of time. 

Now that I got your attention, denial, urge to fact check me or fire off a letter to the editor look, just chill out as we turn our attention to all those unqualified “DEI Hires” we’ve been hearing about. If you believe the pundits, those “DEI Hires” have infiltrated every organization, taken over our nation and taken our jobs, that is except the thousands of (“DEI Hires”?) who, out of fear of deportation, have abandoned the backbreaking jobs picking fruit and vegetables in California, mopping floors in hospitals and putting in long hours in restaurants and on construction sites leaving their employers desperate for new workers.  

Okay readers, let’s peel back the onion on the who and why behind all the “DEI Hire” shenanigans, shall we? 

Continue reading Confessions of an unashamed DEI Hire – by Terry Howard →

Authors A-H, Social Issues

A Brief History of Humankind – by William Hicks

A RACE TO FRUITION OR A FIGHT TO THE DEATH?

In chapter one of his book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, Eckhart Tolle writes about “The Flowering of Human Consciousness”, using as a metaphor the appearance of the first flower on the planet as a seminal event in the evolution of the flora with which we humans are most familiar and, nowadays, take almost universally for granted. But the event, deemed somewhat insignificant in the history of the planet, is monumental in that it signals a growth in a direction of fantastic beauty and presence that enhances the very being of the planet itself and its human occupants.

Continue reading A Brief History of Humankind – by William Hicks →

AI, Social Issues

As We Code, So We Reap – by Debanjan Borthakur 

1 Comment

The  Roots of Biased AI

Human prejudice stretches back millennia, and the seeds of racism and bias that we sowed long ago have now taken root and flourished within artificial intelligence. Bias existed long before machine learning algorithms emerged; whenever society invents a new technology, it inherits the prejudices and discrimination of earlier eras. In the nineteenth century, redlining maps dictated who could receive loans—systematically denying Black Americans access to mortgages, insurance, and other essential financial services. Today’s credit-scoring algorithms still mirror those same exclusions. As AI extends into recruitment, administration, medicine, and the media, alarm bells are sounding: if we do not imbue our machines with ethical values, they will merely magnify our deepest biases.
           Continue reading As We Code, So We Reap – by Debanjan Borthakur  →

Authors A-H, Education, Make a Difference, Social Issues

Intergroup Relations – by Debanjan Barthakur

4 Comments

Lessons from Life and the Classroom

This year, I had the opportunity to teach Intergroup Relations at the University of Toronto as a part-time instructor. It was a new and enriching experience. While at the University of Rhode Island, I once took a course titled Non-Violence and Conflict Reconciliation—at the request of a friend. Since then, I’ve been deeply interested in issues of social harmony and justice. The question of how we can build peace in our society has often occupied my thoughts. Initially, the plan was to teach a different subject. But quite unexpectedly, I found myself teaching this course at a time when divisions between groups—across the world—are becoming sharper. Conflicts based on ideologies, religions, and identities continue to shape current political realities. The urgency of improving intergroup relations is not just felt in North America, but equally in India and elsewhere, I was born in India and I closely observe the socio-political issues pertaining to both societies. 

Continue reading Intergroup Relations – by Debanjan Barthakur →