Category Archives: Uncategorized

Leadership Mini-Series: Joseph, Ethics, and Leading with Conviction – Transforming Lives

From Prison to Purpose: Leading with Conviction Joseph in Prison in Egypt and his remarkable story of return mirror that of modern “leaders with conviction”—formerly incarcerated leaders who transform their lived experience into advocacy and change. In the last 20 … Continue reading

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The Anatomy of Advocacy, Part 4: Lessons Learned from a Winning Campaign

Five actionable lessons from the campaign that ended lifetime parole for many in New York—and how to apply them to your advocacy. Continue reading

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My Friend Kathy Boudin

News of Kathy Boudin’s demise quickly spread, as quickly as news spreads through the prison grapevine, and I had hoped that it was greatly exaggerated!  When I Googled “death of Kathy Boudin,” many articles popped up on my screen, far … Continue reading

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Spirit-Busting Patriarchy

Have you ever read the translation of an author’s work and had a strong desire to read it in the original?  One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez, for me, was that book.  During a three-year period I … Continue reading

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Derrick Albert Bell Jr. — The Godfather of Critical Race Theory

Derrick Albert Bell Jr. should be as well-known as Thurgood Marshall.  He was a lawyer, civil rights activist, and professor.  In 1971, he became the first tenured Black professor of Law at Harvard Law School.  From his reputation alone, Professor … Continue reading

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Maya Angelou, A Muse for All Ages

On this Day of Love, also known as Valentine’s Day, I want to uplift an author and one of her books, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.  I love Maya and this book! Maya Angelou was challenged by none … Continue reading

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The Work of Reconstruction Continues. . .

Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880, by W.E.B. DuBois, is a must read.  One Amazon reviewer wrote, “This book is a great clue to the puzzle of how we got where we are today.”  Indeed, this period would inform the next … Continue reading

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Octavia E. Butler — Amen I Say to You! Amen!

Octavia E. Butler went where no Black women writers had gone before – her writing is out of but of this world!  Butler was the first science fiction writer to ever receive the MacArthur Fellowship.  And though Butler can be … Continue reading

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A Love Letter to George Jackson

“When was the last time you hand wrote a personal letter?” Twice a year, in the fall and spring semesters, for a number of years, Lawrence Mamiya, Professor Emeritus of Religion and Africana Studies at Vassar College, who passed away … Continue reading

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Almost Sonnets

Today I have a bonus book recommendation.  I confess it’s a bit of self-promotion, since it is my book.  In fact, I began Black History Month by recommending my award-winning book, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass: Remembrance … Continue reading

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