Archive
In OtherWords: August 10, 2016
Here at OtherWords we've been running a series of pieces on racism in America's criminal justice system. But racial inequity in our country goes far deeper than the legal system — it's encoded into the economics of virtually every American household. This week,...
America’s Racial Wealth Divide Is Nothing Short of Shocking
Most media coverage of racial injustice has understandably focused on our country’s unfair policing and criminal justice system. But to fully understand the current reality of racial inequality in America, we also need to take an honest look at our nation’s shocking...
Surveillance Isn’t Colorblind
During the 1960s, the FBI and NSA followed, wiretapped, and bugged Martin Luther King Jr. — all under the veil of proper legal process. Today, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security spy on Black Lives Matter activists under the guise of "counterterrorism" and...
Waste Not, Save More
On average, each person in the U.S. throws away five pounds of solid waste each day. While many eco–conscious citizens do their due diligence to recycle, compost, and reduce waste, others remain apathetic about preserving the environment. Wherever you might land on...
The Challenges of ‘Leaving No Trace’
I just got back from hiking 95 miles in the Sierras. (Yes, just like that Reese Witherspoon movie Wild, only far fewer miles.) I returned from my trip with something eating at me. Backpackers are supposed to "Leave No Trace." It's not just a nice concept, but a...
Trump Buddies Up to Putin
Please, people — stop denigrating Donald Trump as a foreign policy ignoramus. After all, he's a global real estate tycoon with special insights into U.S. adversaries, like Vladimir Putin of Russia. "I got to know him very well," The Donald has assured us voters. Only,...
Trump vs. Khan
In OtherWords: August 3, 2016
Like a lot of people, I was deeply moved when Khizr and Ghazala Khan mourned the loss of their son Humayan, a U.S. soldier who was killed in Iraq, in a speech at the Democratic convention. Humayan never would've been allowed into the country if Donald Trump had his...
My Mother, Stopped for Driving While Black
When the police pulled their guns on my mother, I reached for my phone and told her to be calm and do as they say. My parents and I had just been swarmed by police cars, sirens blaring, as we drove on I-64 through Virginia. Shock and fear consumed my family as we came...
The Sacrifice Muslim Soldier Khan Shouldn’t Have Had To Make
It was impossible not to be moved as Khizr and Ghazala Khan, two Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, stood before the Democratic National Convention and mourned their son Humayan, a U.S. soldier who'd been killed in Iraq. Humayan, his grieving father recalled, was "the...
