ArcaMax

Two weeks ago, I came across a thought-provoking article posted on CNN.com by Janelle Davis titled "How 'ma'am' went from being a respectful word for some -- but polarizing for others." Davis, a senior producer of integrated content development for CNN, provides an intriguing perspective on how some younger women are often offended if someone ...Read more

As Women's History Month celebrations continue, my column this week focuses on Dr. Dorothy Height, whom former President Barack Obama called the "godmother" of the civil rights movement. My generation probably remembers Height best for strategically reaching out and encouraging us to commit to social activist work as we were coming of age during...Read more

The contentious fallout from "Dilbert" creator Scott Adams' alarming YouTube tirade encouraging Whites to "get the hell away" from Black people had me yearning for a simpler time, a time long before "cancel culture" infiltrated the news. As a kid of the '80s, I loved reading comic strips that made us laugh about the antics of family life in "The...Read more

The East Lansing community is still reeling from the Michigan State University mass shooting last month that resulted in five students being critically wounded and three losing their lives. The students who tragically passed away -- Arielle Anderson, Alexandria Verner and Brian Fraser -- all had bright futures ahead of them. Arielle had ...Read more

Like many educators, I am learning more about ChatGPT and its potential impact on student writing for the future. The "GPT" stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, and this chatbot was developed by the artificial intelligence company OpenAI. ChatGPT was made available to the public last November, and there are concerns in higher education...Read more

As sports writers' reflections on Super Bowl 57 are now being archived until football ramps up again during the upcoming fall 2023 NFL season, I've continued to think about the message in Anthony Mackie's pre-game "Ragged Old Flag" promotional spot that was aired to get viewers into a stirring, patriotic mood.

Using the theme from Johnny Cash's...Read more

For the past several years, the women's ministry at my church have put on what we call our annual "Love Fest" during the weekend before Valentine's Day. At this gathering, we receive encouraging words from our pastor on how to take comfort in loving ourselves through Christ's unfailing compassion for us and how to uplift others with our giving, ...Read more

I finally brought myself to watch a shortened clip of the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols by Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith, the five former Memphis police officers who have now been charged with second degree murder. It was absolutely sickening to view the repugnant vulgarity, ruthless ...Read more

The last Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative event that I attended this month was a civil rights and sports program hosted by The Ohio State University's College of Education and Human Ecology. Former Buckeye safety Malcolm Jenkins, who retired from the NFL last year after 13 seasons in the league, was the speaker for a fireside chat with the ...Read more

I took some time this week to watch the MSNBC National Day of Racial Healing town hall sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Hosted by MSNBC's Joy Reid and Chris Hayes, the town hall discussion examined the ongoing danger that White supremacist ideology poses to our nation, as well as the challenges many schools have in teaching the truth ...Read more

In my television diversity course that I teach at Ohio State University's Lima campus, one of the first subjects that my students are asked to examine is the cultural ideology of the American Dream. This is the major critical inquiry that is analyzed in the 1992 documentary "Color Adjustment," which serves as the foundation for our scholarly ...Read more

"You may lose a limb, but you never thought you would lose a life." -- Michael Irvin

This quote from Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin was one of the most thought-provoking statements I read while looking at constant news updates on the condition of Buffalo Bills' safety Damar Hamlin. After seeing Hamlin's scary ...Read more

With 2022 nearing its end, I reflected on the words that I wrote this time last year regarding not entering January with the burden of fear. For me, this definitely warrants a review because when looking at the final headlines of December the national news is far from great. We're basically dealing with many of the same anxieties and concerns ...Read more