Commentary

DENIAL

Monday, 17 June 2013 11:46 Dr. Peter Hayden

Denial, in ordinary English, is asserting that a statement or allegation is not true. It is a psychological defense mechanism seen when a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence.

Stress, trauma, loss, rage

Monday, 17 June 2013 11:27 Marian Wright Edelman

What if we looked at violence in America as a public health crisis rather than a crime problem? What if we look for promising practices and expanded the ones that work to eliminate the epidemic of violence that keeps our graveyards, jails, and prisons full? That is exactly the approach recommended by a panel of the nation's leading gun violence researchers in a report released this week by the Institute of Medicine. Convened by the federal government in the wake of the Newtown shooting, the panel provides a national road map for the research that needs to be done to prevent gun violence and improve public safety, especially for our most vulnerable.

What “never again” means to me

Friday, 07 June 2013 11:22 Mirah Riben

I’m a Post WW II Brooklyn born Jewish woman living in retirement community. I didn’t choose to live here for its disproportionally predominantly Jewish population, but here I am. I have enjoyed all of my life, since leaving my family of origins, living in more heterogeneous environments, yet there is the comfort of chicken soup being here surrounded by those I feel a shared history with, and being reminded of the few, long-forgotten Yiddish words and phrases I recall from my childhood.

My Tea Party 'Taliban' comment...What is the lesson here?

Tuesday, 28 May 2013 15:44 Julian Bond

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - I have always suspected that racists didn't like being called out for their racism. Now I have proof.

We need more charter schools

Monday, 20 May 2013 13:08 Fred Easter

Nobody asked me, but it is unassailable that charter schools are doing an admirable job with our kids.

Prison calls: Put families before padded corporate profits

Thursday, 16 May 2013 13:43 Dr. Artika R. Tyner, Clinical Law Faculty, Community Justice Project

Martha Wright is an 87-year-old grandmother and a retired nurse. When her grandson, Ulandis Forte, went to prison in 1994, she was determined to keep in touch. Wright knew her grandson had made a mistake, but she did not want him to feel abandoned. More than grandmother's intuition, research also shows that prisoners who maintain family connections are much less likely to re-offend, breaking the crime cycle.

Accountability, incentives key to eliminate achievement gap

Thursday, 16 May 2013 13:36 Bruce P. Corrie, PhD, Guest commentary

Minnesota is on the threshold of making some groundbreaking changes in educational policy and funding this legislative session. We know that the increased funding for e-12 and higher education is a much needed investment to make our youth competitive in the global economy. We thank the Legislature for its focus on specific needs of the ALANA (African Latino Asian and Native American) students and efforts to close the achievement gap by developing a robust model from preschool to career pathways.