From the Bronx to Netroots Nation
I was born and spent most of my childhood in the Bronx, NY. My parents moved into an apartment in the Edenwald Public Housing Projects when I was less than 6 months old. We lived there until I was 11...
View ArticleThe Other N Word - Nappy
I was having a particularly stressful day trying to find a good Adult Day Care provider for my mother who has Alzheimers when I got a Facebook message from a friend.My friend messaged me about the...
View ArticleGood Luck MSL Team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Almost by serendipity, I found myself working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) beginning in the late 1980's.People tend to think of scientists, engineers and astronauts when they think of...
View ArticleMedicare, Poverty, and Alzheimers
I started to write this piece with a pounding headache. My husband, Dick, sensing that something was wrong, asked - in the kindest way possible - what was the matter? For reasons I don't completely...
View ArticleRemembering 9/11
It was June 2001 and I was the proud mother of a soon-to-be Vassar College graduate. My mom and I flew from Los Angeles, where we live, to New York to attend the graduation and also to visit old...
View ArticleSudden and Unexpected
Yesterday my husband received a call from his brother in Hawaii. He has three brothers - no sisters and he (my husband) is the eldest (or is it oldest? I can never remember). The four brothers are...
View ArticleProbate Attorney in Nevada
A couple of days ago I wrote about the sudden and unexpected passing of my brother-in-law. He had just celebrated his 58th birthday. All outward appearances suggested that he was doing great. My...
View ArticlePassing Without a Will
In the last couple of diary entries I talked about losing my brother-in-law. As of this writing, we still don't know the cause of death. To recap, on Sunday, Sept 30, 2012 my husband received a phone...
View ArticleDiversity and Democracy
I had a strong bond with my uncle Leopold -- my mother's brother. He lived with us for most of my childhood and teenage years. He was quick witted and fun - but most of all, he was loving. He brought a...
View ArticleLA Progressive on Hidden Racism
Recently, Daniel Politi wrote a piece for Salon.com that began, "In the four years since the United States elected the country’s first black president, a majority of Americans express outright...
View ArticleRacist Rants in Post-Racial America
My husband and I publish an on-line social justice magazine. We are a bi-racial couple (he's White - I'm Black) and have posted a picture of ourselves in the "About Us" section of our site since its...
View ArticleEmpathy and Race
Many years ago, in conversation over dinner with a man I had just started dating, we got on to the topic of Thomas Jefferson. Turns out we were both reading Jefferson biographies. It didn't take long...
View ArticleNN13 Booth Contest
I ran a campaign to win a free booth at the upcoming NN13 in San Jose. I didn't mention it here but today is the last day and I have a slight chance of winning so I thought I'd ask those of you who...
View ArticleDid the NRA block the use Explosive Taggant Technology?
After the tragic bombing at the Boston Marathon, and while the authorities were frantically searching for the perpetrators “OccupyTheNRA” posted a graphic on Facebook that said, "We have technology to...
View ArticleIf Your House Was on Fire, Would You Whisper, "Fire"
First Lady Michelle Obama made headlines after being interrupted as she was giving a talk at a D.C. fundraiser. Ellen Sturtz -- an outspoken activist for the gay rights group GetEQUAL -- demanded that...
View ArticleNN14 Still Lacking Racial Diversity
Netroots Nation is in California! I'm at one of the largest gatherings of progressives in the country writing to you from a hotel in the wee hours of the morning of the third day of the Netroots...
View ArticleIs Race a Problem for the Left?
I procrastinated in writing this piece. Then I delayed the process by not making it public. Perhaps because the first part of this story got attacked by a bunch of rightwing idealogues.Few articles...
View ArticleShutdown Waived for Congressional Gym
The exclusive Congressional health club in Washington D.C. which is subsidized by taxpayer dollars, is closed to the public - only members of Congress are granted access. As with other taxpayer...
View ArticleThe New Jim Crow
Per capita, the United States incarcerates more of its citizens than any industrialized nation in the world. Over 2.3 million Americans are living behind bars. According to a report in the New Yorker...
View ArticlePublic Airwaves Myth
These days it's hard to argue with people who believe the major political struggle in this country is not between the Left and the Right but is between the top and the bottom. I'm convinced they are...
View Article
