Lost in thought, I missed my exit. That’s not unusual for me. I once drove almost half an hour past the exit to my own house. This time it was a fortunate mistake. I was driving from Tennessee, where our…
Civil Rights Icon Whom Trump Called A ‘Hero’ Erased From Arlington Cemetery Website
Medgar Evers — who served with the U.S. Army in World War II before coming home to fight segregation in the civil rights movement — is among notable Black veterans that have seen their histories wiped from sections on the Arlington National Cemetery’s website.
How Jesse Jackson embodied Southern politics − and changed American elections
Holding hands with other prominent Black leaders, the Rev. Jesse Jackson crossed the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 9, 2025, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” Like several survivors of that violent day in 1965,…
Nat King Cole’s often overlooked role in the Civil Rights Movement
Six decades after Nat King Cole’s death in 1965, his music is still some of the most played in the world, and his celebrity transcends generational and racial divides. His smooth voice, captivating piano skills and enduring charisma earned him…
60 years of progress in expanding rights is being rolled back by Trump − a pattern that’s all too familiar in US history
For many Americans, Donald Trump’s head-spinning array of executive orders in the early days of his second term look like an unprecedented effort to roll back democracy and the rights and liberties of American citizens.
I cannot stay silent about erasing the Tuskegee Airmen
As a historian, educator and scholar of the Tuskegee Airmen, I cannot stay silent about the removal of pivotal lessons on American history from U.S. military classrooms. The Trump-era Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy that led to this decision is…
White women stood by their men again
Many white women made it clear on Nov. 5 — just as they did in 2016 — that their true allegiance is to their men and the white supremacy paradigm upon which America was built and continues to live and…
This is what it feels like to be ‘collateral damage to your rage’
Donald J. Trump has been president or running for president my entire voting life. 2016 was the first presidential election I could vote in. I remember waking up that November and feeling, like many Americans, wholly shocked by the election…
Voters must choose between two religious visions
The 2024 presidential election is a head-scratcher. Donald Trump is intentionally violating every canon of American political etiquette. His interminable campaign speeches are aimed at no one outside the MAGA base. Outside of a few washed-up celebrities like Kid Rock…
From the 1960s to today: The transformed symbol of a clenched fist
“Let him begin by treating the Patriotism … as part of his religion. Then, let him, under the influence of partisan spirit, come to regard it as the most important.” (C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters) Edward P.J. Corbett, in…
From the Protestant Reformation to Columbia University, some thoughts on protests
Typically, historians view Oct. 31, 1517, as the beginning of the period known as the Protestant Reformation. Ordained as a Roman Catholic priest a decade earlier, Martin Luther came to a deep conviction of the need for reform in the…
A musical playlist for commemorating Martin Luther King
As I write, the fifth day of Eastertide (which began on Easter eve and ending 50 days later on Pentecost Sunday) draws close. As does the moment in 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated while standing just outside…