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Untangling the images that shape our thinking  This essay uses the backdrop of comics and superheroes to highlight how we our unconscious bias has been form through childhood images. When people took to the internet to criticize the new Black Batwoman, it reminded me how we had green superheroes and a dog before we had a popular Black superhero. This essay explores how that harmed us and provides us tools to undo that impact.
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Blacks and Jews once modeled a path to end racial distancing  To escape the horrific racism and systemic oppression in the South, beginning in 1916, millions of southern Blacks migrated north and west to places like Chicago, East St. Louis, Compton, Oakland and Baltimore. And to Harlem, which at the time was home to a sizable Yiddish-speaking Jewish community, also trying to make their own way in a still challenging America. Blacks and Jews were each other’s neighbors, customers, and employers.
One result of that was Black men and women becoming Jewish cantors. Cantors lead the Hebrew (and back then Yiddish) prayer songs on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. This odd entry into Jewish religious life presented an opportunity for Jews and Blacks to get to know each other and end what I call racial and ethnic distancing. This essay explores that fascinating time in our history. Why everyone's so scared  A primary tenet of critical race theory is the oft-ignored reality that racism is ordinary and normative. It’s not a few nut cases. It’s not aberrational. It’s not individualized. It’s you. It’s me. It’s our systems. It’s part and parcel of society. Racism, according to CRT, is deeply part of our American psyche, affecting all of us. The result, which is why so many are in uproar, is that every person would not only need to critically examine the country we were taught was the champion of freedom. But that we must look inside ourselves. At our biases. Our attitudes. Our behaviors. This essay explores CRT in an intellectually honest manner and outside of the extremes and distractions. The stars and stripes of racism  Independence Day for me as a kid was always a joyous occasion. Beautiful red, white, and blue flags everywhere. Burgers and hot dogs. Lighting sparklers. Sitting on blankets in a field watching fireworks. Columbus Clippers baseball games.
But for some people, it wasn't all picnics and barbecues. This essay delves into systemic racism and how we can begin to heal. How to use personal trauma to practice empathy of others  Most of us, Black or white, have experienced some trauma in life. Whether it’s an awful childhood, a bad parent, an abusive partner. Severe financial hardship or divorce. Disability. A scary illness. Yelling and screaming in the house. Extremist religion. The death of a parent or child. Or if you’re Jewish, Muslim, Asian, Latino, gay, trans or in some other marginalized group, you’ve undoubtedly dealt with xenophobic-laced challenges. There are few among any of us who haven’t experienced impactful trauma.
This essay dives into how we can use our own trauma to practice empathy for others. It's about understanding and trust  Do-gooders have come out of the woodwork since the tragic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and others.
For most of us fighting for social and racial justice, it’s a welcome and long overdue awakening. Black and brown people have waited years for a national outcry like this. For people to take to the streets. Protest. Speak up. Vote. Never in the United States’ two and a half centuries of existence has there been this level of simultaneous compassion and outrage. It’s a great renewal of the civil rights activity of the 1960s. The Challenges of Intersectionality  So many people wear different hats in society, bringing with them different types of challenges and privileges. This essay breaks down the challenges of intersectionality and how we can start addressing those unique experiences.
 In this deep and hard hitting poem, activist Jeffrey Kass gives us powerful pause to think about how society has treated its Black and Brown citizens. This is a must read. Breathe as you digest.
JEWISH LESSONS FOR COMBATTING OPPRESSION  Passover Seder Symbols/David Cohen-Shutterstock Passover is the story of the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. From brutal oppression and harsh conditions, the Jewish people were able to cling to their identity, help their fellows and connect with allies in their journey from bondage to freedom. Jeffrey uses the lessons of the Jewish story as a blueprint for our modern race problems, borrowing from his years of learning ancient Jewish texts with renowned rabbis in Israel, New York and St. Louis.
AN ANTI-RACIST MODEL FOR WHITE PEOPLE. BE MORE LIKE ALBERT  Image: Muhammad suryanto/Shutterstock Albert Einstein is of course known as arguably the greatest scientist of all time, but what most of us don’t know was Einstein’s work towards a more inclusive world. Einstein worked tirelessly to eradicate racism and unjust systems. He used his position of power to speak out in support of his Black and Brown fellow citizens. He wrote for publications advocating significant change. He befriended and treated as equals many Black men. Einstein was even known to go for walks in Black neighborhoods to do some of his best thinking. Einstein was an original anti-racist. Author Jeffrey Kass shares Einstein’s beautiful life and actions as a guide for us today. This particular essay was read over 4,000 times and shared by major online influencers. It’s a must read.
DOLLS MAY SOUND TRIVIAL, BUT IT’S THINGS LIKE CHILDREN’S TOYS THAT HELP FORM UNCONSCIOUS VIEWS OF OURSELVES AND OTHERS  The faces of Barbie for decades Images form much of our unconscious bias. And unconscious bias is what us humans base most of our decisions on. Like it or not. Whether it’s an untreated childhood trauma. Bad experiences in relationships. Or even race and gender. The images we are fed from early childhood form our unconscious views. Jeffrey Kass uses the history of Black dolls in America to show how these images can negatively impact not only how white people view Black people, but also how Black people view themselves. It impacts self-esteem.
HOW ABOUT ALL YEAR ROUND  Black Inventor Lewis Latimer’s Carbon Filament Light Bulb Black History Month obviously is an important time to learn about the challenges and contributions of Black people in America. But those contributions are far more than just the civil rights movement. Black Americans have been far more involved in America’s advancement than most of us have been taught. This essay dives into why Black history needs to be taught as part of American history and not just in one short month of the year.
DID YOU HEAR THE ONE ABOUT BILL GATES, FAUCI, THE ROTHSCHILDS, AND THE MARTIAN?  Alien stopping point Area 51 Society has become obsessed with conspiracy theories and blame games. Intelligent well-meaning people are even spreading bizarre theories. When COVID hit, it was 5G and intentional virus spreading. Then it was Bill Gates controlling the world population through dangerous vaccines. The theories spread so fast, you can’t keep up with them. But the effect of all these Y2K type theories of the day is that we ignore what really ails this country, especially when it comes to race. Author Jeffrey Kass calls it a convenient way to avoid confronting racism. This essay explore this issue in more depth.
This is an interview conducted by Megan Marini. Megan helps high-achievers, who know that there is untapped potential within, face what holds them back and bring their mind/body back into balance, so that they can operate at peak performance. Below is Megan's unedited version of her interview! And for more on Megan's podcast or coaching head over to our HQ: www.meganmarini.com LET’S FIND A BETTER BALANCE BETWEEN SAVING THIS COUNTRY FROM SEDITION AND ANOTHER CIVIL WAR AND ALLOWING PEOPLE TO SPEAK THEIR WARPED MINDS  A web user watching his content get censored So many people these days are expert on everything. Climate change. Epidemiology. And yes, constitutional law. Author and lawyer Jeffrey Kass digs into what types of speech are kosher and what types of speech are not protected by the First Amendment. As America recovers from the attack on the Capitol, Kass picks apart the balance we need to strike between allowing people to say dumb or even racist things against not allowing speech that is designed to encourage violence and insurrection.
BLACK LIVES MATTER, VERSION 20.21  Alone and Excluded in a Cafe This essay uses the Netflix show The Good Place as the backdrop for discussing how our society likes to present itself as The Good Place when, for far too many people of color, it can often be a bad place. Rather than point fingers, Author Jeffrey Kass asks readers to just practice empathy and hear what types of things hurt and ail much of the Black community. To listen to others’ pain. To understand why people embrace Black Lives Matter.
STORMING OF U.S. CAPITOL IS THE FINAL WARNING  Charlottesville Extremists March Extremism is on the rise at a rapid pace. It’s reminiscent of the militias back in the 1990s. But we know what happened then. It rose so much that it eventually led to Timothy McVeigh and others bombing the Oklahoma City Building. The anger and disdain in 2021 parallels that dark time in American history. This essay is the warning to learn from our past and not return to domestic terrorism.
VACCINATING AGAINST UNCONSCIOUS BIAS  A Typical Dinner Table Diversity trainer and author Jeffrey Kass has developed a method for ending racial strife with a method he calls End Racial Distancing. It involves creating space in our after 5:00 p.m. spaces and more intimate spaces in life for people who are different than ourselves. We can’t possibly learn and respect each other on a deeper level if we don’t start integrating our homes. If we don’t end racial distancing. This is the key to ending unconscious bias that plagues so many of us.
TIME FOR EUROPE TO PAY FOR THEIR RACIST SINS  Beautiful Portugal The focus has always been on America for its racism and slavery past. But Europe seems to get a free pass even though it was Spain, England, the Netherlands and others who traded and profited from the slaves. The Europeans used their wealth to build their countries and shipped the slaves to the U.S. instead of to Europe. This essay advocates for holding European countries partly responsible for fixing the problems that still plague America from this evil part of history. Activist Jeffrey Kass gives us a refresher course on the African slave trade that helped build Europe.
THE FAILED AMERICAN MELTING POT EXPERIMENT  The story of Chanukah has nothing to do with gifts. It’s the story of the Jewish nation in the land of Israel living at the hands of Macedonian rulers. But unlike other abusers of the Jews, these rulers just wanted the Jews to assimilate. To blend in. To become part of the majority. This essay uses the backdrop of the Chanukah story as a guide for us not using the idea of us all melting into one type to achieve national success Author Jeffrey Kass advocates instead we appreciate and celebrate our own and others’ differences rather than melt them away.
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