Clik here to view.
If I Were a Middle-Class White Kid
Gene Marks’ instantly infamous “If I Were a Poor Black Kid” column (Forbes, 12 Dec. 2011) is a classic example of how privilege remains invisible to the privileged. Though he acknowledges that he is...
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25 Years After; or, 10 Things I Learned at My High School Reunion
I am not nostalgic for my high school years. As a teen, I was acutely self-conscious, chronically insecure, often depressed. Yes, I also experienced a wider range of emotions (including joy and...
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Regarding the Pain of Racism
When people ask me about the steps to empathize with someone who’s been incarcerated, as if — and in some ways, there is a grand liberal tradition of wanting to imagine that you can feel black pain,...
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Charleston, Family History, & White Responsibility
I come from a long line of southern racists. My predecessors come not from the American south, but from the African south — specifically, South Africa. An uncle of mine ran for office under the...
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For Mom
My mother was my first best friend. My mother is the reason I have succeeded in life. My mother is the reason I managed to live through adolescence. There have been many other important influences....
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Again. And Again. And… ENOUGH!
I can’t watch the latest videos of police murdering black men. I feel that I should watch them, to bear witness. But… the depressing regularity of these videos threatens to engulf me in despair. So, I...
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Context, Privilege, and Pain
Last month, there was some on-line discussion about this quote (from me) in a CNN.com article: But Nel argues that the answer isn’t simply removing “problematic” children’s classics like Mark Twain’s...
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Delights
If you have yet to read Ross Gay‘s The Book of Delights (2019), here is an invitation to pick it up. A collection of 102 brief essays he wrote over the course of a year, the book is about the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
If I Were a Middle-Class White Kid
Gene Marks’ instantly infamous “If I Were a Poor Black Kid” column (Forbes, 12 Dec. 2011) is a classic example of how privilege remains invisible to the privileged. Though he acknowledges that he is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
25 Years After; or, 10 Things I Learned at My High School Reunion
I am not nostalgic for my high school years. As a teen, I was acutely self-conscious, chronically insecure, often depressed. Yes, I also experienced a wider range of emotions (including joy and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Regarding the Pain of Racism
When people ask me about the steps to empathize with someone who’s been incarcerated, as if — and in some ways, there is a grand liberal tradition of wanting to imagine that you can feel black pain,...
View ArticleCharleston, Family History, & White Responsibility
In response to concerns expressed by some members of my family, I have removed this blog post. This marks the first time that I’ve removed or changed something for reasons other than finding an error...
View ArticleClik here to view.
For Mom
My mother was my first best friend. My mother is the reason I have succeeded in life. My mother is the reason I managed to live through adolescence. There have been many other important influences....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Again. And Again. And… ENOUGH!
I can’t watch the latest videos of police murdering black men. I feel that I should watch them, to bear witness. But… the depressing regularity of these videos threatens to engulf me in despair. So, I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Context, Privilege, and Pain
Last month, there was some on-line discussion about this quote (from me) in a CNN.com article: But Nel argues that the answer isn’t simply removing “problematic” children’s classics like Mark Twain’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Delights
If you have yet to read Ross Gay‘s The Book of Delights (2019), here is an invitation to pick it up. A collection of 102 brief essays he wrote over the course of a year, the book is about the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Plague Is Halfway Over (If You Want It)
I wrote the following this morning, in my journal. I thought (perhaps wrongly) that it might resonate with — or even help — others. So, I am sharing it here. Welcome to pandemic day 250. If your...
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