By Evan Williams In nearly every cheesy political drama, there is a charismatic individual who, after much contemplation and, sometimes, a traumatic event, decides to run for office. When they do so, it seems like a team of public relations specialists appear from thin air, prodding said private-citizen-turned-public-figure with questions. The first is obvious: do you have any scandals, any

By Jonathan Green­blatt CEO of the Anti-Defamation League This blog orig­i­nally appeared on Medium Recent events at the Uni­ver­sity of Mis­souri have prompted seri­ous intro­spec­tion. With the deep hurt and rage caused by the death of an unarmed black 18-year old, Michael Brown, serv­ing as the back­drop to per­sis­tent man­i­fes­ta­tions of racism on Missouri’s flag­ship cam­pus, young peo­ple of color and their allies are

RACE IN AMERICA Writing a new chapter on race in America 21 HOURS AGO  •  BY KAREN J. AROESTY A case outside St. Louis sparked a national conversation about race and racism, ignited a movement, and eventually led to a new chapter in American history. Not the Michael Brown case, but rather Dred Scott. In that remarkable history, which originated in Missouri,

STRUCTURAL RACISM Getting rid of structural racism August 19, 2014 12:00 am  •  Karen J. Aroesty   For decades, structures have existed that created and sustained Ferguson’s damaged relationship with its police. They have quietly worked their magic, and brought about the shooting of Michael Brown. They are the structures that create unequal and overwhelmingly disparate outcomes between black and

CIVIL RIGHTS: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM The December Dilemma: Teaching About Religious Holidays Introduction Update January 2014:  Every major Jewish holiday in 2014 will be on a weekday with the exception of Yom Kippur.  Anticipating the needs of students and educators who wish to observe is something to consider now. Every December, public school students, parents, teachers and administrators face the difficult