My Beautiful, Broken Minnesota

B-Girl Be group photo by Rebecca McDonald, BFresh Productions. It was a deep freeze in January 2002 when I moved to Minneapolis with my then five-year-old daughter, Tiana. I arrived as a Ph.D. student in … Read More

Will Words Lead to Action?

Image of a man superimposed on the US flag, with a city burning in the background. Image by Image by K. Kliche from Pixabay. I must admit that I didn’t want to write this piece. Read More

How Individual Professional Liability Insurance Could Reform US Policing

A memorial to George Floyd, outside of Cup Foods, where his killing took place. Photo by Stephen Wulff. Introduction & Background In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, activists and policy makers are advocating … Read More

A Letter to an Old Friend about Race

  The author and his son, riding bikes in Minnesota. Dear Minnesota, The fact that George Floyd’s murder took place in Minneapolis took on additional significance for me. I love you, Minnesota. I spent many … Read More

Blackasotan Identity Lanes

Author’s photo of artwork in his office by Oakland artist Leonard Owens. For a little over a year – February 2016 to March 2017 – the webzine Blackasotan published stories at the “intersection of … Read More

Wonderful/Wretched Memories of Racial Dynamics in the Twin Cities, Minnesota

Photo of the historic Witch’s Hat Water Tower in Prospect Park, Minneapolis. Photo by Dan Anderson via Pinterest. We are all shocked and saddened by the tragic events in Minneapolis, Minnesota … Read More

Legal Estrangement and Police Reform in Minneapolis

A police vehicle approaches the intersection of 26th and Broadway in the North Minneapolis neighborhood. Photo by Tony Webster via Wikimedia. This article was originally posted on November 4, … Read More

Refusing to Throw In the Towel

The poster for UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje. Poster by By WP:NFCC#4, Fair use, via Wikipedia. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) just became the first major sport to return to … Read More

Group Interaction in the Age of Zoom

A young woman wearing jeans and a casual jacket looks into a mirror and sees herself dressed professionally in a skirt and blazer. The Zoom logo appears above the mirror. Image by Joelle L … Read More

It’s true. Isolated COVID-19 deaths are terrible. But where does inequality fit in?

If we are troubled by our loved ones being alone at end-of-life and not being able to do anything about it, we should consider what that tells us about more general experiences of living in systems that do not support … Read More