Start the Conversation

View of downtown St. Paul, the Mississippi River, and the High Bridge. Photo taken by the author. Do conversations on diversity, equity, and inclusion ever get easy? No matter how many years of training and … Read More

In Transit

Metro Transit buses at Washington Avenue bus stop on north side of Coffman Memorial Union on the University of Minnesota East Bank campus. Photo by Runner1928 via Wikipedia. I … Read More

Power of Social Trust and the Pandemic

A young man executes a “trust fall” into the outstretched arms of his friends. Photo by Barret Anspach via Flickr. Contemporary pollsters often ask us if we trust our government or if we … Read More

Bless Me with a Name

Author’s photo of a winter day in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As evil goes, racism’s greatest power is its ability to evade being named, its definition debated ad nauseum while its insidious impact is felt with the … Read More

Rethinking Minnesota Nice

Aerial photo of houses in Stillwater, MN. Photo by Mwboege via Wikimedia. I’ve always thought of Minnesotans as thoughtful, nice, salt of the earth people. For the most part, I … Read More

Black Life and Death in Minnesota

A welcome sign for the City of St. Paul, Minnesota, in winter. Photo by Tony Webster via Wikimedia Commons. I actually lived in Minnesota twice. Once in the 2009-2010 academic year for a postdoctoral … Read More

Minnesota’s First Posthumous Pardon

The Clayton Jackson McGhie memorial in Duluth Minnesota (photo from claytonjacksonmcghie.org) On June 12th of this year, Minnesota did something it hadn’t done in 162 years of statehood. It issued a … Read More

The Sound of the Police

Picture taken off the deck of the authors’ former house in North Minneapolis. You can see the skyline in the distance. On June 12, the Minneapolis city council voted unanimously to disband the police department … Read More

Reflections on an Exceptional State

A group of Native dancers perform during Open Streets Minneapolis, when major thoroughfares temporarily close to car traffic and open up for walking, biking, skating, and other active transportation. Photo by Fibonacci Blue via … Read More

Protests and Pandemic Jolt Public Opinion

A group of young adults participate in a Black Lives Matter protest. Photo by Johnny Silvercloud via Flickr. A month after George Floyd’s death, protests continue around the nation and the globe. Wikipedia now … Read More