Category: News
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My Comments for Crime Victim’s Rights Week 2021
I was invited to participate at a media event in support of New York’s Fair and Timely Parole Act and the Elder Parole Bill as part of a 2021 Crime Victim’s Rights Week event on April 22, 2021. I was in an amazing lineup of speakers (mostly other women of color!) who broke down why […]
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The Other “I-Word” – When will “Illegal” go the way of “Illegitimate?”
The New York Times ran a story about the revelation that the Archbishop of Canterbury’s biological father is not the person listed on his birth certificate. This is not necessarily “news,” except for his high station in the church is unusual for someone who could be described as “illegitimate.” But you won’t see the word “illegitimate” in the Times article. Other news outlets have used the word in the story or headline, but not the Times. That’s right, the newspaper that has rejected the Drop the I-Word campaign and won’t change its style manual to stop using “illegal” or “illegal immigrant” to refer to people based on immigration status has declined to use the other “I-Word” word for a news story when describing the head of the Church of England.
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“Criminals,” “Illegals,” “Terrorists” and #AllLivesMatter
My heart broke just a little bit more every time I saw the reactionary #AllLivesMatter hashtag. Because mostly, white people were using it as a rude rebuke to undermine the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. That’s sad on so many levels. And of course, all lives do matter, so I think we should take over the #AllLivesMatter hashtag, […]
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Yes, go somewhere and read the names of people killed in Gaza
On Tuesday, I went with my wife Dana to one of the actions calling for an end to the violence in Gaza organized by “If Not Now,” a Jewish group here in NYC. I wanted to thank them, and also encourage everyone I know, Jews and non-Jews alike, to participate in their events if you’re in […]
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For Christmas, let’s remember what’s fundamentally Christian
My wife is Jewish, and I was raised Catholic (confirmed and all) but I’m no longer a practicing Catholic. Even so, I find myself explaining some of the finer points of Christianity in our household. That’s because there are so many supposedly Christian folk who do very unkind and ungenerous things. Since my wife is […]
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Iran: Where the story starts matters
I got to hear a great piece about Iran on WNYC yesterday: Robin Wright gave an insightful interview on what the approaching inauguration of the new Iranian president could mean for U.S.-Iran relations, especially given that the U.S. House has voted to yet again renew and deepen economic sanctions against Iran. Wright mentions that the relationship […]
