“Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” -Harper Lee Would you be afraid if you saw me jogging in your neighborhood and did not know me? Would it matter if you did know me? I am a 6'2", 230 pound, black male — do I fit the profile of…

“It will be ok. They have no idea what’s coming next.” — Kobe Bryant, speaking to Rachel Nichols as a 18-year old rookie for the Los Angeles Lakers. My first memory of Kobe Bryant was when I was 15. He made his debut in the NBA All-Star game in Madison…

“Decide the type of person you want to be.” -James Clear With all due respect to the importance of plans, sometimes hope can be a strategy. In times of crisis, it may be the only strategy we have to realize the best of plans. It is what we cling to…

A few years ago there was a blizzard and I had to shovel the driveway. Shoveling is one of those activities that does not reward initial energy or intention; you reap the rewards from endurance. And a pretty wide shovel. So shovel away I did. I felt like I had…

“We are not in this fight to win. We are in this fight to struggle.” -Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings Have you ever heard the phrase “opening Pandora’s box,” and immediately thought of something disastrous? Maybe you are sitting around the family table around the holidays and THAT family member opens his…

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” — James Baldwin In most neighborhoods across the country, school has either started or is scheduled to start very soon. The beautiful breath of summer is exhaling for the last time and the…