Op-Ed

Light brown hijabi woman wears taupe headscarf, tan sweater and black dress, looks down at cell phone in her hands
Carmen Scurato, Jessica J. González  Oct 25, 2018 3:39PM EDT

The Best Way to Protect Free Speech Online? De-Platform Hate. [OP-ED]

Internet companies must stop ignoring the racism and other forms of hate that are prevalent on their platforms and acknowledge that the hateful discourse of the few silences the speech of the marginalized many.
Black people stand in line outside gray building that reads "Rose ice and coal co." Black man in foreground holds bag of ice.
Alicia Bell, Collette Watson, Amy Kroin  Oct 18, 2018 10:28AM EDT

It's Time for a Narrative Shift in Post-Disaster Journalism [OP-ED]

Examining news coverage following Hurricane Florence illustrates how post-disaster narratives can compound and perpetuate deep histories of racial and economic oppression.
Dozens of people hold and rally around a massive red sheet with "We believe all survivors" printed on it in navy blue.
Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Marcela Howell, Jessica González-Rojas  Oct 4, 2018 5:54PM EDT

This Is a Defining Moment for Women of Color Who Survived Sexual Violence [OP-ED]

“We saw an educated White woman with financial, legal and familial support testify about being sexually assaulted, and then face the emotionally exhausting experience of being cross-examined for hours and disbelieved by many Senators. We got the message: If they won’t listen to her, it will be even worse for us.”
Awkwafina. Asian-American woman with blond hair, wearing red and white top
Muqing M. Zhang  Aug 22, 2018 6:02PM EDT

Performing Blackness Won't Fill Our Asian-American Culture Deficit [OP-ED]

The fight for media representation has become one of the most prominent rallying cries among Asian Americans. But if we wish to subvert White hegemony, we must step away from the imitation of Whiteness’ exploitation of Blackness.
Large gold fountain in front of white, tan and gold house with massive white columns. Two women walk toward each other, arms above their heads
Iimay Ho  Aug 16, 2018 2:25PM EDT

How This Crazy Rich Asian Fights Wealth Inequality and the Model Minority Myth [OP-ED]

Resource Generation’s Iimay Ho: “I’ve been looking forward to the release of ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ but I’m not surprised that Warner Bros. took a bet on a movie where rich Asians show they can act like rich White people and reinforce the model minority myth.”
A handwritten sign that says "This is what democracy looks like"
Glenn Harris  Jun 19, 2018 11:35AM EDT

Racial Equity Here: A Call to Collective Action [OP-ED]

Race Forward president Glenn Harris: “In order to truly dismantle structural racism we must abandon the business-as-usual mindset that envelops whole sectors.”
Black woman with dredlocks in front of a Starbucks.
Glenn Harris  May 29, 2018 11:30AM EDT

On Starbucks: Looking Beyond Implicit Bias Training to Systemic Solutions [OP-ED]

Race Forward president Glenn Harris on why Starbucks’ mandatory anti-bias training is a good start, but far from a cure for what ails America.
Someone holds sign on back of their head that reads, "WWW not $$$"
Erin Shields, Lucia Martinez  Apr 11, 2018 4:41PM EDT

Broadcasting Hate: How Trump Used the FCC to Punish the Poor [OP-ED]

Erin Shields of Center for Media Justice and Lucia Martinez of Free Press break down what they call the Trump administration’s “war on the poor.”
A Black man wearing a black sweatshirt and red cap over dredlocks and playing a trumpet passes a colorful mural of the Memphis sanitation worker's "I Am a Man" strike
Nina Turner  Apr 4, 2018 10:00AM EDT

It's Our Job to Finish Dr. Martin Luther King's Economic Justice Work [OP-ED]

On the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner reflects on the critical income inequality work he supported and our urgent need to finish it. 
Michael Bennett. Black man in brown and tan checked blazer.
Dave Zirin  Apr 3, 2018 4:49PM EDT

I Wrote A Book With Michael Bennett. Here's Why I Stand With Him Now. [OP-ED]

Dave Zirin, the co-author of “Things That Make White People Uncomfortable,” on why there’s nothing at all uncomfortable about standing by the activist athlete.
Crowd of protesters hold red and white signs that read, "It's about freedom" and "Unrig the system."
Rashad Robinson  Mar 2, 2018 3:41PM EST

Unions Helped Build the Black Middle Class. The Wealthy's Political Lackeys Are Out to Gut It. [OP-ED]

As the Supreme Court considers the future of unions in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31, Color of Change’s Rashad Robinson examines how racism conspires to keep workers of color from uniting to reach their full potential.
A collage of news clippings symbolizes urban unrest in the late '60s
Rinku Sen  Feb 28, 2018 6:25PM EST

As the Kerner Report Turns 50, I Actually Have Some Good News About the Media [OP-ED]

Rinku Sen: “I’ve read thousands of justifiable words about how little has changed and has even gotten worse for people of color in the media. But there’s no question that the last 50 years would have been immeasurably worse without the actions of reporters and news consumers of color.”
A collage of news clippings symbolizes urban unrest in the late '60s
Janine Jackson  Feb 28, 2018 2:56PM EST

The Kerner Report Called for More Black Journalists. Major Newsrooms Remain a 'White Man's World' [OP-ED]

When the Kerner Commission indicted U.S. journalism for its misrepresentation of Black communities in 1968, the report called on media companies to hire, train and promote Black journalists. FAIR program director Janine Jackson argues that corporate media is still failing to confront its own racism.
A young Brown woman holds up a sign that says "I am a Dreamer. You can't deport ideals" at a New York City protest
Rinku Sen  Jan 23, 2018 4:31PM EST

How the GOP is Using the Budget Process to Destroy Immigration as We Know It [OP-ED]

Rinku Sen argues that the Congressional budget process is just a tool for the GOP to reach its ultimate goal—a radical reordering of 50 years of immigration policy that is transparent in its hostility toward immigrants of color.
A Black man in a blue uniform shirt smiles
Emile DeWeaver  Oct 31, 2017 4:00PM EDT

The Prison Reform Movement Must Center The Voices of Incarcerated People [OP-ED]

Emile DeWeaver is the co-founder of Prison Renaissance and has been incarcerated for 20 years. He discusses the influence of activist and author James Forman Jr. on his work, and the importance of centering the voices of incarcerated people in the prison reform movement.
Arielle Iniko Newton  Oct 19, 2017 9:45AM EDT

What I Learned From #MeToo: Stop the Instant, Harsh Critiquing [OP-ED]

RaceBaitr editor Arielle Iniko Newton admits she was quick to dismiss #MeToo. Here, she reflects on how harsh, premature critiques of the online, decentralized campaigns so many of us use can hinder our growth.
A Black woman with mid-length, wavy locs speaks at a table of people of color.
Shanelle Matthews  Aug 25, 2017 4:26PM EDT

Why the Movement for Black Lives Is Using the Media to Build Empathy [OP-ED]

Through real media representation and healthy debate, this movement led by Black, queer and gender nonconforming people is bringing democracy within reach.
Brown man in blue shirt in front of yellow and purple screen and black background
Sameer Rao  May 25, 2017 11:29AM EDT

Hasan Minhaj Can't Cure Racism, But He Can Help Brown Kids Navigate It [OP-ED]

Minhaj’s new Netflix special, “Homecoming King,” explores his experiences growing up in a South Asian-American family surrounded by Whiteness.
Kanye West stands in front of a large group of White models wearing his flesh-colored Yeezy collection of leggings, shirts, body suits and other garments.
Akiba Solomon  Dec 13, 2016 5:10PM EST

Kanye West Does Not Speak for People of Color [OP-ED]

The superstar who once blurted out that President George W. Bush didn’t care about Black people met with President-Elect Donald Trump to discuss “multicultural issues” today. Herewith, a PSA.
Rinku Sen  Mar 25, 2016 11:01AM EDT

Implicit Bias in the Time of Trump [OP-ED]

For the past 10 years, the concept of implicit bias—the race prejudice we hold in our unconscious minds—has been a key concept in our racial justice strategy and programs. In this Trumpian age of in-your-face racism, we’re reconsidering how we use this tool.