White fragility and interracial coupling do not go hand in hand — On our third date, the man who would become my husband told me, “You get it.” The “it” he was referring to was racism. At the time, I was flattered to have a Black person acknowledge my wokeness. But I’ve since realized that three dates in, I didn’t really get…

I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes with my daughter — My 10-year-old daughter asked me The Question the other day. “What is sex?” she wanted to know. I’d been planning for this moment for quite some time. Despite the involuntary knot of dread that was hardening in my stomach, I was glad it had arrived because I would far rather…

If I were in the same situation now, I might even do it again — At first, I found the attention flattering. Like most girls of my generation, I’d been told that when boys were mean to me, I should take it as a compliment. It meant they secretly “liked” me, but they lacked the emotional maturity to express their true feelings. Poor things. Of…

A story of the little school that could — I know I’m supposed to complain about my children’s public school. There is so much wrong with our country’s education system — scarce resources, overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating facilities. Too much standardized testing; not enough recess, P.E., music, art. Racial inequities, class inequities. Underpaid, burnt out, and disempowered teachers, unequipped to…

Even though I’m more on hetero side of the sexual spectrum — I’ve always been into men. Well, not always — before men, I was into boys, starting with the one who sat next to me in my second-grade Spanish class. He had black-framed glasses and wavy hair. I spent much of class acting as bored as possible, trying to impress him…

The growing financial, mental, and social costs of higher education — Yes, you read that right — my partner and I owe over $356,000 in student loans. Did you just wince? I did. At age 41, I’m still paying off the $24,000 in loans I graduated with 20 years ago. The rest has been accumulated during my partner’s 11-year postsecondary educational…

On the importance of gathering and tradition — Whenever I think of Michigan, my olfactory memory kicks in first, flooding my nostrils with the musty odor of our cottage basement. Each year, when I first descend down those basement steps, the odor smacks me in the face. It’s not unpleasant, just forceful. With it, I am struck by…

Fans find last three seasons “disturbing” and “disappointing” — It’s official: Summer will not be returning in 2023. For hundreds of years, fans have turned to Summer for laughs, nostalgia, and carefree fun, but recent seasons have taken a dark turn. It’s not that earlier seasons of Summer didn’t have their tragic moments. Longtime fans will never forget the…

The workplace user experience for this demographic sucks. Here’s what we can do about it. — We live in a world designed by white men. Our workplaces and all of our major systems — healthcare, justice, government, education —have grown and evolved over the years, but they are still rooted in sexist, racist soils. We’ve made some promising advancements in the realms of diversity, equity, and…