Category Archives: Social Issues

Social causes, activism, and projects

Levine articles, Social Issues

Was Charleston Terrorism or What? – by Deborah Levine

2 Comments

Nine people were killed by Dylann Storm Roof in Charleston’s historic black church and the debate about how to categorize his actions is fierce. Is it domestic terrorism or mass murder? Is it a case of drug-induced mental illness or a hate crime? The debate embraces some of the most controversial issues of our time: guns, race, alienated young men, and the confederate flag. The question before us should not be which of the labels and issues are relevant and correct. Rather, the question should be how to address the volatile mix now surfacing in terrifying blasts with increasing frequency.

Continue reading Was Charleston Terrorism or What? – by Deborah Levine →

Authors I-Q, Social Issues

Los Angeles 1992 to Baltimore 2015: Washington’s Changed Response to Urban Crisis – by Bruce Katz

The recent unrest in Baltimore occurred almost 23 years to the day after the riots in Los Angeles set off by the beating of Rodney King. As many observers have pointed out, the factors that precipitated these events—concentrated poverty, high unemployment, abuse of police power—remain disturbingly the same. And like Baltimore (and Ferguson before it), the Los Angeles riots were treated as a “wake-up call” for the country. What has changed, however, is the nature and scope of the federal response.

Continue reading Los Angeles 1992 to Baltimore 2015: Washington’s Changed Response to Urban Crisis – by Bruce Katz →

Levine articles, Social Issues, USA Culture

Can Immigrants and Minorities Work Together? – by Deborah Levine

Dr. Fiona Citkin urges minorities and immigrants to work together to bring meaningful, positive change in the U.S. in her Huffington Post article, “Immigrants and Minorities of America, Unite!” Yes, there are many benefits to bringing minorities and immigrants together, but there are also numerous pushes & pulls involved in uniting them, in establishing their local-global connection. I have long maintained that “Harmonize NOT Homogenize” is key to our working together, but today’s highly emotional environment makes even this approach difficult.

Continue reading Can Immigrants and Minorities Work Together? – by Deborah Levine →

Levine articles, Social Issues, Women in STEM

Je Suis in Cyberspace, Reluctantly- by Deborah Levine

1 Comment

The “Us vs. Them” mentality is universal. It’s embedded in how we define ourselves as individuals and as communities. For every “Us”, there’s a “Them”. Whether by nation, region, religion, language, or religion, it’s human nature to differentiate.  Fortunately, while the phenomenon is a given, the related actions are not. In a world where limited resources can whither away communities, cultural differences increasingly generate violence. Watching the news today is an exercise in confusion as to which war we’re seeing, which era, and which players are currently killing each other off with a seemingly endless supply of arms. It’s tempting to think that little has changed. Yet, the attack on the French satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, compels us to re-examine the change that impacts us all: technology.

Continue reading Je Suis in Cyberspace, Reluctantly- by Deborah Levine →

Authors R-Z, Race & Ethnicity, Social Issues

Do you laugh at stereotypes? – By Julia Wai-Yin So, PhD

Do you recall the last time you heard a casual remark about the stereotype of one particular racial/ethnic group? These are not blatant racist jokes, but stereotypical comments such as:

“White men can’t jump.”
“Latinos are lazy.”
“Blacks are better runners.”
“Natives are drunks.”
“Asians can’t drive.”

Continue reading Do you laugh at stereotypes? – By Julia Wai-Yin So, PhD →

Authors A-H, Social Issues

New Year and the Gong Struck – by Pat Garcia

The gong struck, and the New Year ushered us into what? The answer to this question will appear as we move further into a year that promises to be a challenge for us all.   It is my personal belief that this year will test our methods of communication by bringing us face to face with the double talk that we speak, which ignites chaotic confusion and hinders our ability to communicate with each other.

Continue reading New Year and the Gong Struck – by Pat Garcia →

Authors I-Q, Religious Diversity, Social Issues

How My Mother and Bob Hope Taught Me the True Meaning of Christmas – by Joel L.A. Peterson

1 Comment

It has been fifteen Christmases since my mother passed. But, I can’t help remembering all the lessons she taught me – especially one regarding what Christmas is all about. It was Christmas Eve, 1987. I was a young naval officer and I had been at sea nearly 100 days straight escorting U.S.-flagged tankers through the Persian Gulf in the largest convoy operation since WWII. On this particular Christmas, my ship, the aircraft carrier, USS Midway, was just outside the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Iran, while Iran and Iraq were approaching their sixth year of war with each other.

Continue reading How My Mother and Bob Hope Taught Me the True Meaning of Christmas – by Joel L.A. Peterson →

Authors R-Z, Race & Ethnicity, Social Issues

Imagine All the People – By Yvor Stoakley

Close your eyes. Imagine that you are the average white American in the early 21st Century. You can visualize yourself as president of your country (or country club). You can see yourself as the object of widespread adulation for winning an Oscar or Olympic gold. You have no difficulty picturing yourself as a graduate of Stanford or Harvard or Duke, as an inventor, as a diplomat or a thousand and one other achievements. But when you focus your mind on your fellow Americans of African or Asian or Native or Latin heritage, what do you imagine then? What images spring to mind?

Continue reading Imagine All the People – By Yvor Stoakley →