Lots of feelings came up for me this morning as I was watching the ending to the film, Castaway with Tom Hanks. The ending is so touching as he has to let go of the woman he loved and their dreams of being together…a lot like my journey of trying to come back after my

Each year, at this time, we are inspired by the possibilities of yet another beginning. Yet, if we have not learned from our past, then we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes. It has now been over thirty-five years that I have been doing diversity work and making films on racial and gender issues.

Just saying seventy-five years old is pretty daunting, let alone a bit startling. Sometimes the looks on some people’s faces are: REALLY? or damn, you sure don’t act like it! The latter of which I’m not too sure how to interpret. The truth be told, I never thought I’d make it this far. I always

I was once asked what it was like these past thirty-five years doing workshops on diversity, and my first thought was being “in the eye of the storm.” I remember our instructor for family therapy once telling us in graduate school that every semester he would ask his class to raise their hands if they

So many times I have heard comments about not ‘retraumatizing’ people of color by having them retell their stories of discrimination. First of all, I totally agree that this happens, but there is more to this interpretation that needs to be addressed. As a person of color, I am not ‘retraumatized’ when I retell my stories of racism. Many times folks are moved and change takes place.

A white woman in one of my recent workshops asked what whites can do so BIPOC folks don’t always have to be the ones to tell their stories in order for white people to finally get it. I’ve pondered over this question for years because it is a dilemma facing BIPOC folks each time there

I was born at precisely at five a.m. on the morning of October 25, 1946. When I see that date nowadays, it seems so ancient. Maybe because it really was a long time ago. I came into this world the fourth oldest and the second youngest (just checking to see how good your math is) with five

Jeremy Lin, a famous Asian basketball player, says that he is upset with all the recent anti-Asian violence, but also afraid to speak up because it might escalate the situation and give the perpetrators more reason to hurt other Asians. On the surface that might sound reasonable, but what he shared reminded me of what

A few years ago, in a neighboring city near my home, a group of concerned families held a school rally in response to a racial incident at their mostly white, affluent high school. Several students of color had been targeted on Instagram by someone posting their photos in a highly derogatory and racially offensive manner.