by James Melson | Jun 10, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
Loving Day on June 12 commemorates the 1967 landmark Supreme Court case of Loving v. Virginia that struck down state laws banning interracial marriage. At the time of the unanimous decision, 16 states still had laws that made interracial marriage illegal. Virginia’s...
by James Melson | Jun 2, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
Until recently the vast majority of white Americans were totally unfamiliar with the Tulsa Race Massacre that took place 100 years ago this week. The thriving Black neighborhood of Greenwood was destroyed with up to 300 Black people killed and around 10,000 people...
by James Melson | May 26, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
May 25 was the one year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police. That tragic act of brutality sparked a national and worldwide movement focused on the ongoing struggle for racial justice. A question on the minds of many...
by James Melson | May 19, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
Sixty years ago this month, in May 1961, Black and white people known as the Freedom Riders put their bodies and lives on the line for racial justice. They tested a 1960 Supreme Court decision (Boynton v. Virginia) that banned segregation in interstate transportation...
by James Melson | May 12, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
Over the last few weeks, several state legislators have introduced bills to outlaw the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT). The rationale for such legislation is that CRT is divisive and anti-American. This criticism is often based on stereotypes and misinformation...
by James Melson | May 5, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
On May 6, 1882, Congress passed and President Chester A. Arthur signed The Chinese Exclusion Act. It was the first major legislation banning immigration by a specific group of people as well as preventing naturalization and citizenship for Chinese people already in...
