Category: Blog

I’m writing with a heaviness of heart, and at best a trickle of hope. I have seen the video of the murder of George Floyd far too many times already.  I try closing my eyes when I know it’s coming, even entertaining the ridiculous hope that when I open them again, this would not have… Continue reading From Minnesota to Rochester

Since direct volunteer opportunities are limited for me (no one seems to want a 75-yr.-old high-risk guy hanging around!), I’ve been considering other ways to support all the people who are so impacted by COVID-19. That thinking brought me back to an important distinction.  As clearly as I’ve seen this put: Charity Justice Charity =… Continue reading Beyond the Pandemic: Charity vs. Justice (Part I)

This post is a departure from the norm.  I encourage you to read the article at the link below.  While I don’t ascribe to every claim in it, I do believe the author draws some very credible parallels and inferences. He unpacks the troubling, even criminal possibility that has been on my mind for the… Continue reading Underlying Dynamic: Indifference About Who is Dying

I continue to read about the experience of this pandemic for many African-Americans.  As predicted, the disparities in so many systems are exacerbating the impact of COVID-19. Many Black workers hold down jobs in the “essential” fields, mostly on the intensive labor end of the spectrum:  health care, maintenance, grocery store clerks, bus drivers, refuse… Continue reading Black Exposure and Black Resilience

Here is a concrete opportunity to step up and speak out.  First some background: Rochester is at or near the top of numerous national statistical lists defining racial inequity.  Perhaps no local institution embodies these tragic failures more than the Rochester City School District. New York State stepped in two years ago, appointing a Distinguished… Continue reading Home-Bound White Action