Noticing a pair of noise-reducing earmuffs hanging on her school ID lanyard, I asked her what they were for. “Oh, I use them to protect my ears when there are loud noises,” she said. But it was her next comment that shocked me. “You know, like if kids are being loud in the cafeteria. Or if there’s an active shooter in the building.”
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“I don’t see color.” “I treat everyone the same.” “All lives matter.” We’ve all heard these phrases; many of us have said one or more of them—probably with good intentions in mind. Today, in the first installment of our Unpacking Conversations that Matter feature series, I’ll be “unpacking” the harmful messages included in these sentiments and offering some suggestions for how to respond if you encounter them.
Read MoreThis month, the U.S. Soccer Federation hired two lobbying firms to challenge the recent accusation that players on its women’s teams are underpaid. This organization had an opportunity to be a high-profile example of how to get things right regarding equal pay for equal work… and they botched it.
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By my junior year in high school, I knew I wanted to attend a women’s college. To anyone who dared question this choice or offer the unsolicited “I could never be only around women—too much drama,” I retorted with an empty phrase I had memorized: “That’s sexist. Women’s colleges are empowering!” And empowered I would become—not without with some bumps along the way.
Read MoreThe U.S. has recently been reckoning with some essential and long-overdue conversations around policing, bias, use of force, and police relations to communities of color. One related conversation that isn’t on many people’s radar is the subject of police relations to differently-abled communities. One community that often faces cross-cultural challenges, which can quickly escalate to dangerous situations when police are involved, is the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
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