Next week, school children will bring home cheerfully crafted Thanksgiving-inspired hand turkeys and pilgrim hats. Families and friends will travel to mark another year, perhaps focusing on gratitude, perhaps doing little more than tolerating one another as family bonds fray amidst divisive political forces. Either way, one thing we can count on is the ongoing, … Read more

Guest blog from Gaby Alter, “award-winning songwriter and composer of musicals, soundtracks and straight up pop songs.”  I discovered this letter thanks to FaceBook and asked Gaby if I could share it via my blog. His stance of compassionate tough love stopped me in my tracks. Thank you Gaby Alter for sharing it with us all! Dear … Read more

The silver lining of the racial unrest we Americans find ourselves in today is that white supremacy’s durability is in plain view. The age of colorblind denial is gone. For those seeing white supremacy anew, or for the first time, there can be intense feelings of confusion, hopelessness, and urgency to do something. Now is … Read more

“I’m so sick of this PC bullshit. Black History month? My God, if I suggested a white history month, I’d be skewered!” ~ too many white Americans Welcome to Black History Month, the time of year when white people still fully trapped in the white paradigm wonder  — authentically or cynically, silently or aloud – … Read more

  When Waking Up White came out three years ago, I set a book sales goal of 50,000. My research told me that if I could get to that number in a year or two, the momentum would carry the book from there.     Well, it took three years, but in mid December that … Read more

Imagine a service concern who’s experiencing low customer return rates responding with, “What is wrong with those customers?!” In a universe where repeat business can be lifeblood, this would never happen. The question instead would be, “What can we do better?” and “We need to fix this yesterday!” The pursuit of excellence would begin with … Read more

Below is a recent hometown interview I did in Q & A format. It's a good snapshot of where I am in my onoing journey to understand racial issues and the language I'm using to convey those understandings. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow as I engage with a range of communities, … Read more

      Brace yourself.   Brace yourself for the impending student uprisings that are brewing on your campuses, that is, if they aren’t already in full swing. And when I say ‘brace yourself,’ you may be surprised by what I mean.   In my (dominant white) cultural upbringing, bracing myself meant steeling myself, hardening myself … Read more

I woke up yesterday to news of nine dead in Charleston. Black people dead at the hands of white. Not the other way around. There’s a pattern here, newly visible to some,  a 400-year unbroken chain to others. Just as I was making my way through the South Carolina shooting coverage, news of a second … Read more

    One unintended consequence of video technology is the public unveiling of a phenomenon long unknown to many white Americans: The unjust treatment of African Americans at the hands of white authorities. Also made visible is bias in action.      These days, Americans of all colors are getting a front row seat in … Read more