originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

Reading the emails from Harvard president Alan Garber that accompanied my various 55th reunion invitations was enlightening. It looks like there’s a movement to take Harvard back to its origins in 1636 when Harvard catered to wealthy, White Christians. DEI didn’t exist then, or in the 1900s when Harvard’s president tried to suppress the number of Jewish immigrants like my dad. Fortunately, diversity became an asset with Harvard’s merged with the women’s Radcliffe College in 1967. The bans on Cliffies from campus areas like Lamont Library were lifted. Exciting! But an equitable presence wasn’t easy given the signs defacing library walls: “Cliffies Go Home!”

Continue reading Harvard and the Future of Universities – by Deborah Levine →

Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

I was amazed when Biden, just before his end as president, declared the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution. About time! Did you know that 85% of UN Member States already protect against sex and/or gender-based discrimination in their constitutions.  And recently, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women asked Biden to ensure the ERA’s role. So exciting! But I have no doubt that there will be push back and legal challenges echoing our century-long fight for gender equality. 

Continue reading Stop ignoring sexual misconduct – 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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(originally published in the Chattanooga Times Free Press)

Always a fan of international projects, I eagerly attended the recent reception marking Chattanooga’s new collaboration with Ukraine’s city of Trostyanets. What a pleasure to meet its mayor, Yuriy Bova! Mayor Tim Kelly had formalized a cooperative agreement with the war-torn Ukrainian city that’s only 20 miles from the Russian border.

Speaking with Mayor Bova  and his interpreter was a real pleasure. I was delighted when he mentioned his desire to be online. I told him about my podcast and asked if he’d like to do an interview. Never imagining that he would say yes, I held my breath as his staff made the arrangements to connect my office in East Ridge with his in Ukraine. Would this actually happen?

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Originally published in the Chattanooga Times Free Press

Chattanooga is a hub for artists and aways has been. On September 25, ArtsBuild will celebrate 55 years of building our city through the Arts. There will also be a celebration of 10 years of the Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Awards with this year’s awardees: Cam Busch, Rita Lorraine Hubbard, Alan and Norma Mills, and Anna Baker Vancura. Several Holmberg relatives recently visited Chattanooga’s Mizpah synagogue which Ruth and her Ochs family helped create, as they’d done with The Chattanooga Times. Meeting them was a reminder that the past and present are interwoven through our city’s creative souls and their supporters. Whether it’s architecture, visual arts, dance, or music, we have a rich legacy of artists shaping our community. That legacy includes generations of writers, as demonstrated by the local Authors Fair hosted by the downtown public library this past weekend.    

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Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

Watching the news this weekend was another exercise in political upheaval. I was grateful for a brief intermission on CBS with its “Sunday Moment in Nature”. Seeing the beautiful mountain scenes and watching the birds up close was heart warming, and much needed. But I needed more so we hopped in the car and drove over to Fort Oglethorpe. I wanted to revisit one of my favorite places, the old log cabin that belonged to the Native American Chief John Ross. The surrounding ponds with their fountains were truly a gift and I hoped that they would have still have birds flocking to them.
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Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

I originally planned to write about the massive number of politics-oriented texts that I’ve been getting on my phone. They were unsolicited and annoying, regardless of which candidate they’re promoting. I know that many of you were inundated with these texts and shared my concern. When I searched online for directions on how to stop all this, I discovered that the Federal Trade commission doesn’t block political campaign texts and calls. Political campaigns are run by legitimate organizations that know how to go around the rules meant to stop robocalls and robotexts. I was going to share the advice of a blog, “How To Survive the Election Year and Political Text Spam That Comes With It”. But so much changed with the weekend assassination attempt.

Continue reading Can’t We All Stop the Political Violence – by Deborah Levine →