Not growing up black but growing up overweight and with hair that frizzed into a wild puff as soon as I stepped out into the St. Louis summer humidity no matter how long I spent blow-drying and ironing it, the first thing I noticed when I saw the “Before” and “After” images in this ad…
DetailsGood morning! On today’s episode of “The Pretend Jew,” our heroine waivers on hosting the Hanukkah open house in her home because her Christmas tree is still up. And who doesn’t love her confused expression every time she’s in synagogue (she doesn’t speak Hebrew!) and has no idea when to sit down! And here’s your…
DetailsWhen I saw the Cricket transit ad, “Todo el Poder de Android a una Fraccion del Precio,” I knew it said “all the power of Android, at a fraction of the cost.” But as I looked around me—on a busy corner of downtown Chicago during the after-work rush—I wondered how many others did. And if…
DetailsThe short version of the review of Hop is that People Magazine gave Hop 3 (out of 4) stars and my son liked it. It features a cute bunny and a cute leading man…something for the kids and for the moms…plus 100’s of adorable baby chicks. How could you go wrong, right? But early on…
DetailsAs I settle into a new position with an organization that works with people with developmental disabilities, chronic mental illness, or other things that often lead to social exclusion, I’m delighted to be confronted with so many unconscious beliefs that I didn’t know were there. Yay! While I sort them out, here’s a past post…
DetailsI was talking to a good friend, a man of color, a leader in the field of diversity, intercultural competence, engagement and inclusion. He told a moving story of being inspired as a child by his dad, who jumped to enlist in the military after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but then faced spitting in…
DetailsMy son enjoyed watching this “multicultural” advertisement for the msi notebook x-series when this post first published in 2009. Out of the blue today he asked to see it again, by name, apparently not because he suddenly took an interest in multicultural marketing, but he remembered there was something about butts (note to self for…
DetailsDave Barry was always able to just take vacation and run old columns. For me, I’m entering a new world that is based in economic disparity and developmental disabilities–absolutely at the top of the engagement and inclusion/social exclusion list, but new territory that hasn’t quite gelled. So in the meantime, I’m periodically re-running posts that…
DetailsI had three different signs I’m getting older this week. 1. Got helped walking across the ice. Not because someone was flirting and wanted to hold my hand, but because they really thought I was going to fall; 2. I fell asleep at 8:30 last night. After one glass of wine; and 3. I don’t…
Details5-years-old seems really young to explain to a child about racism, prejudice, inclusion and exclusion. Yet we know that even at that tender age our kids are already barraged by images and messages on TV and media and have possibly already experienced being left out or made fun of for being different themselves. Just ask…
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