Beyond $800: Justice for Young Dolph and the Cost of Inaction
A collective gasp echoed through Memphis after a shocking revelation from the Young Dolph murder trial. Confessed killer Cornelius Smith admitted receiving only an $800 advance payment for what he described as a paid hit against Dolph. While social media fixated on the paltry payment—as if any amount could justify murder—buried within Smith's testimony were other crucial details that spoke to the larger “why,” details that indict us all.
The Compass at the Crossroads: A Tribute To Professor Selwyn Cudjoe at His Retirement Symposium
As a first-year student at Wellesley College, self-doubt swirled within, yet 17-year-old me still had the audacity to enroll in an upper-level elective – a night class on African American theater called Black Drama. We studied classics like Amiri Baraka's Dutchman and George Wolfe's The Colored Museum. A lifelong theater kid, I was excited to finally see myself reflected in the literature. But that excitement dimmed when Professor Cudjoe graded our first essays.
The Behind-the-Scenes Battle that Dimmed Mona Lisa Smile
At Wellesley, I learned how to be a strong woman who would “make a difference in the world.” But I also learned that fighting injustice and breaking glass ceilings leaves open cuts and vulnerable wounds.
Duty to Intervene: The Wisdom of Miss Addie Brown on the Campus of Miss Porter’s School, 1867
Miss Addie Brown, a Black seamstress and cook, arrived to work at Miss Porter's in the spring of 1867. The United States was then, much like today, facing debates over voting rights and racism, thus Brown has much to teach us about duty in a time of disarray.