FAIR Perspectives: In this episode, we speak with Dr. Erec Smith. We discuss his field of rhetoric, what led him to it, African-American Vernacular English versus Standard English, the implications of what activists call "linguistic justice

Individual Rights, Social Cohesion, and the Quest for Equality

Opinion. As a radical moderate, I identify as neither liberal nor conservative, Democrat nor Republican. I’m an independent who is suspicious of both sides of the political aisle, especially at their extremes. So, as partisan ideologues and opportunists use race as a political football...

Retire the word and focus on ideas

A Review of Isabel Wilkerson's "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents," Part 1 of 2

On the left, people considered “the wrong kinds of Black people,” because their views don’t align with certain racial orthodoxies, are treated worse than problematic whites. Their refusal to toe the woke line is seen as betrayal. At best, they are accused of “multicultural whiteness,” i.e.,...

The Significance of Skin in Nigeria, in the UK...and to Me

Othersuch Constructs @benjaminboyce Olympia, WA. Producing media that deepens discourse.

Years ago, I wrote an essay like Eduardo's that chronicled my social rejection for the crime of inauthentic blackness. In that essay, I made an argument comparable to Eduardo's: Thanks to this rejection, I had resolved to forego racial labels; instead, I argued for a radical individualism based...

Growing up, I was often accused of being "white." My taste for Led Zeppelin and Queen over Puff Daddy and Busta Rhymes was called "white." My appetite for reading was called "white." Even my wardrobe, which failed to reflect the norms of late 90s hip-hop culture, was "white." It was intended as...

The nation is currently engulfed in a debate about critical race theory, a social science that emerged in the mid-1970s that analyzes how racism has been used as a system to disempower people of color. 

In 2020, it is bold for me to contend that the majority of White Americans are not racist and that the majority of Black Americans are not victims of systemic or overt racism.

the literature showing why diversity training fails shows ways that the training could be reimagined to better serve its purposes.

Let's have a really uncomfortable dialogue about retention and graduation in higher education.

Our world has been turned upside down. The supposed staunch defenders of civil rights and equality have engaged in the senseless and primitive practices of name-calling and public shaming.

The evidence is clear: diversity-related training is generally ineffective, often causes blowback, and comes at expense of other priorities.

On this episode of Studio B Unscripted, philosopher Alain de Botton is in conversation with stylist and social commentator Ayishat Akanbi. A best-selling auth...

Diversity training has become a standard feature of American corporate culture. Its origins date to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which codified protecting employees against discrimination and resulted in numerous lawsuits filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the...

An award-winning journalist shows how workplace diversity initiatives have turned into a profoundly misguided industry--and have done little to bring equality to America's major industries and institutions.

What about psychology? Do we really know what's best for us? Should prisoners vote? What is an unforgivable crime? National ID for voting? Who should be forg...

Where affirmative action was about compensatory justice, diversity is meant to be a shared benefit. But does the rationale carry weight?

Hearing the words “white power” is deeply painful for me as a black woman. But it’s worse for the broken people chanting them.