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.

Recently, I was watching We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest, and in it, a young Muslim girl shares how she and her mother (both who were wearing hijabs) went to Pebble Beach, and a white woman yells out at her mother, “Watch out! She’s got a bomb!” The young girl

It would be naïve to believe that once Donald Trump leaves office that we can simply move on because we have removed the “problem.” The problem is not just Donald Trump, but what he represents: A segment of America that is desperately afraid to let go of control and power. A country that is fearful

Someone once wrote that “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Authoritarian regimes have many common characteristics. They often are led by a charismatic leader who preys on the fears of the majority, particularly in times of economic, religious, political and societal uncertainty. Secondly, to unite everyone, this leader must find

Over the years, some of my trainers would come back and complain about how unruly and confrontational some of the participants were in their workshops. I looked at them and simply said: “I know…they just don’t make participants like they used to.” They were shocked and confused, because they weren’t sure if I was mocking