Author: Frank Staropoli

The topic of race causes social consternation for many, and the phrase “the race card” may be the most sensitive hot button within that topic. I’ve been reading articles, watching videos, and talking with people about the idea of the race card.  What happens?  Why is this topic so fraught with anxiety?  And what can… Continue reading The Race Card: Black Wariness Meets White Fragility

Though I’ve touched on the development of the white mindset before, I continue to uncover more historical and present dimensions of it – in myself and in others. Most recently, Dr. Ibram Kendi’s National Book Award Winner Stamped from the Beginning:  The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America has been a source of new… Continue reading The Great White Hoax: Who Told You You Were White? And Why?

You know the stats by now:  Rochester NY is high on many undesirable lists regarding racial segregation.  Through decades of systemic policies and disparities in income and access, white people and People of Color rarely live near each other.  We might pass each other at times, might happen to shop in the same plaza at… Continue reading Authentic Relationships

I have the good fortune to spend time interacting with leaders, mostly business leaders, some NFP, governmental or community.  Recently several white leaders have told me stories that share a common theme:  stepping out and taking risks in order to counter historical institutional racism.  A few examples: The white CEO of a publicly-held company in… Continue reading White Leaders Taking Risks

This is a question that I’ve often read or heard in conversations with white folks about racism, particularly when police brutality or “Black Lives Matter” are on the table.  The challenge is used by the alt-right but also by sincere white questioners.  So I’ve been taking a look at the contention to understand the issue,… Continue reading “What About Black-on-Black Crime?”