Twenty years or so ago, I tried to write a book about multiracial identity and media called Mixed Messages. For a variety of reasons, the book never happened. But one piece of the project did wind up in print as a journal article on Eminem . . . and there was a lecture that went […]
18 Things
Larry Grossberg (who was my Ph.D. adviser) retired this year. There was a lovely gathering in May of 40+ years worth of his friends, family, colleagues, and students (past and present) to celebrate Larry and wish him well in this next chapter of his life. As part of this event, I was asked to moderate […]
Fifty shades of red
The more I read about the Rachel Dolezal story, the angrier I get. But not at her. Because, as I mentioned before, none of us know enough to say with any certainty who or what she “really” is. Race isn’t that simple. Identity isn’t that simple. Yet all sorts of people — too many to […]
Out of the mouths of mothers [Rerun Sunday]
Mom’s got dementia/Alzheimer’s. It’s not fun to witness. She’s still (mostly) able to recognize me and my siblings as people who she knows and loves, though she’s not always clear on exactly who we are in relation to her (back in May, for example, she clearly thought my sister and I were married to each […]
Home? [Rerun Sunday]
I’m in DC for a few days to visit Mom. It’s the city where I did most of my growing up (assuming, of course, that I actually did grow up) and it’s always a little weird to come back. There are parts of it that still feel very much like home (whatever that means) and […]