Attitudes toward Gay and Lesbian People Have Grown More Accepting around the World. Why? And What Obstacles Remain?

2016 London Pride. Photo by Katy Blackwood, Wikimedia Commons CC We know that public attitudes towards gay and lesbian people have become more favorable over recent decades in many Western countries, including in the United … Read More

The Highest Paid CEOs: Still White, Still Male

Photo by Fortune Live Media, Flickr CC My local newspaper here in Greensboro, North Carolina, and The New York Times both recently published lists of the highest paid CEOs based on newly released … Read More

US Fertility Keeps Dropping – But That’s Not a Reason to Panic

Photo by Pixel-Shot, Shutterstock CC   This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on May 15 that the … Read More

The Case for African American Reparations, Explained

A racial wealth gap is persisting after centuries enslavement and systemic discrimination. Hyejin Kang/Shutterstock.com This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here.  For the first time, most major … Read More

Diversity and Wealth in Congress Today

In 1972, I took a summer break from graduate work at the University of California, Santa Cruz and went to Washington, D.C. to work for Ralph Nader as a Nader’s Raider. One of my projects was to put together what … Read More

Who Gets the Blame When a Town Explodes?

Williston August 2012, Photo by Tim Pippert. For the better part of the last century, North Dakota has been slowly losing population. Vast oil reserves trapped in shale approximately two miles below the prairie sparked relatively small population booms upon … Read More

What’s Behind Asian Americans’ Academic Protests?

Asian Americans and elite academics are again headline news. Certain Asian Americans are contesting the Harvard University admissions process, arguing that anti-Asian stereotypes paint them as less viable applicants. Many also resent proposed changes by New York City Mayor Bill … Read More

Suddenly Single: A Widow’s Challenge

Widows tend to be invisible in modern society.  Thus, it is ironic that when they reach the big screen in the film Widows (to be released in November, 2018), they are highlighted in the most outrageous and demeaning way. They … Read More

Merit and the Admissions Debates at Harvard University and Stuyvesant High School

Harvard University is the most prestigious university in the country and perhaps the world. Getting into Harvard is extremely difficult; less than five percent of applicants are accepted, and these applicants excel in every way. Getting into Harvard is a … Read More

Much Ado about a Hairdo? Unraveling the Social Significance of Jeremy Lin’s Dreadlocks

“I have dreads now. And you probably have some questions and comments. I definitely want to hear them.” – Jeremy Lin in “So…About My Hair,” published in The Players’ Tribune, Oct. 3, 2017   On October 3, 2017, at … Read More