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The Grammys forgot Palestine

  “Stand with humanity against apartheid and collective punishment.”   In past essays, I have written about news cycles and how quickly they move, causing us to forget what happened in the previous cycle. Last week, the world was treated to another example of influential people gathering to celebrate one another through music at the Grammy Awards. For the record, I haven’t watched many episodes over the years because I’m not really into mainstream music. However, this year I watched because of Kendrick Lamar, the rapper who shook up last year’s Super Bowl halftime show. His song, “Not Like Us,” still rings in my head, and I have often yelled, “I see dead people,” followed by screaming, “Mustard,” in the hallways of Saint Peter’s University during my lunch hour. I have no idea what the students or other professors think of my weird actions; I’m just expressing my feelings at the moment. Lamar was nominated in a few categories this year, and there was also a new artist to m...
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Who are You/We?

  “Parents never truly die; they continue to live on within their children.” Dr. BLR     Sometimes I wish I could live in a bubble and profess ignorance of what is going on in the world around me, but that’s not who I am or have ever been. I have empathy for those people I don’t know, and thinking about them makes me wonder why more people don’t feel similarly.  In recent months, numerous events have dominated the news cycle, including Israelis killing Palestinians, Sudan’s civil war, gang violence in Haiti, Russians killing Ukrainians, ICE terrorizing undocumented immigrants, and, of course, the public release of the Epstein files. The one common thread across all of these situations is us, the Americans.  I could never speak for everyone, but when I look in the mirror, I ask myself who are we as a society and how did we get here. It seems we’ve reached a point where nothing else matters but ourselves. The desensitization took place over many years and has infe...
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Pardon Me

  "In a profit-driven society, you'd be foolish to think people will adhere to an honor system."  Dr. BLR   When I was growing up, my mother always told me to be respectful. I thought this meant that when you step in front of someone, you say "pardon me" or "excuse me." Either would suffice to show respect. However, the phrase "pardon me" has taken on a very different meaning. The practice of granting pardons is rooted in the Constitution, specifically in Article II, Section 2, which states, “the President has the authority to ‘grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.’” These same powers were recognized at the state level during the 19 th  and early 20 th  centuries.  I didn’t pay attention to any of this political rambling because I’m just one person with the right to vote for a politician, but I understand they’ll do whatever they want anyway. They all lie. So why am I writing about...
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A cellphone or a wallet equals a gun

  “Acknowledging the suffering of others positions your heart to never petrify.” Dr. BLR   If you’ve ever just sat with your thoughts, you’d be surprised by what you’d come up with. I just gave my students an assignment on the First and Second Amendments in light of the recent shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As I sat back and thought about what they would say, my mind took me back to 1999. I was a detective in the Central Security Unit of the New Jersey State Police when the world was shocked by the events at the New York City Police Department. While searching for a rape suspect, four plainclothes detectives accosted an unarmed 23-year-old Guinean student, Amadou Diallo, standing in front of his building. The detectives believed Diallo fit the description, drove up to him, and demanded that he show his hands. For an unknown reason, Diallo ran into his building, and when asked to show his hands, he reached into his pocket to retrieve his wallet. At that moment, the de...
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The Constitution or bust

  “When human rights for some become debatable, we’ve lost as a civil society.” Dr. BLR   A month or so ago, I had a conversation with my niece about the state of this country. She has a little daughter and was concerned about specific books about Black Americans and other non-white groups being pulled from the shelves in libraries and bookstores. As a collector of several books on Black history, I assured her I had plenty to pass on to my children. She then asked me if I had a copy of the U.S. Constitution, which has seven articles and 27 amendments. I was baffled by why she asked me this question, because this is not something I thought she would be concerned with, given her age. As this was a FaceTime call, I told her to hold on while I retrieved my school bag. I went to my office, grabbed my bag, and returned. I then pulled out a pocket-sized copy of the Constitution that I keep with me.  Over the years, I’ve become more attuned to the ins and outs of politics. While ...
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Anne Frank or Anna Francisco

  "How much longer must we wait until your conscience bothers you before you start to change?" Dr. BLR   Several years ago, a colleague and I accompanied about 30 students on an overseas trip to Germany, Amsterdam, and Brussels. It was a great experience for all of us as we visited several police departments, courthouses, museums, and  Prinsengracht 263 in Amsterdam.  You may ask yourself who lived at that address in Amsterdam. That was the first thing I thought when the tour guide led us there and said it was where Anne Frank wrote her famous diary. If you don’t know who she is, you will need to do a Google search or read a book to find out, because this isn’t what this essay is about. As many of you may know, the city of Minnesota has been inundated with a few thousand ICE agents, who are allegedly looking to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. If this were the case, there would be no need for me to share my thoughts, but this is the furthest thing from the ...
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America’s 250th anniversary

  “Your arrogance makes you think that everyone sees the American dream the way you do.” Dr. BLR   As the United States is about to embark on a monumental celebration, I had to ask myself whether I wanted to partake. There is no doubt this country is a wonderful place to live, particularly if you can afford the rising prices. That said, this country also has a history that often gives me pause.  My entry into this country began in 1964, when I technically didn’t have all the rights afforded to white Americans. My freedom from this discrimination began eleven days after my birth on July 2. To add insult to injury, if I had been of voting age, I still wouldn’t have been able to vote without discrimination until August 1965. Looking at it from a numbers game, minorities have only been legally free from discrimination for approximately 62 years. Let me park that for a moment. According to Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of the 1619 Project,  slavery is the foundation of...
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