by Tom DeWolf | Nov 26, 2013 | Author Stuff, Writing, Other Musings
This Friday’s game isn’t just about winning a football game. Oh, no… I can’t recall a desire to beat Oregon State more intensely than I feel this season. A little background: This is the 119th anniversary of the “Civil War,” the...
by Tom DeWolf | Nov 22, 2013 | History, Genealogy, Other Musings, Politics, Trauma and Healing
Fifty years ago I sat in my 4th grade classroom at San Jose Elementary School when Mr. Monteith, the 5th grade teacher from the room across the grassy space between our buildings was suddenly banging on the window of our room and shouting something unintelligible...
by Tom DeWolf | Nov 19, 2013 | Coming to the Table, Gather at the Table, History, Genealogy, Race, Oppression, Privilege
This post was originally published at Gather at the Table November 19, 2013 marks the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. PBS and documentary filmmaker Ken Burns launched a national effort to encourage people to video record themselves reciting...
by Tom DeWolf | Nov 10, 2013 | Movies, Reviews, Race, Oppression, Privilege, Trauma and Healing
My wife Lindi and I went to see 12 Years a Slave yesterday. It wasn’t a film I wanted to see. It was a film I needed to see. It is harsh and searing and honest in its depiction of the institution of slavery in the United States. I hope (and encourage in...
by Tom DeWolf | Nov 6, 2013 | Politics, Race, Oppression, Privilege
Wouldn’t it be an ironic twist of fate if racist, right wing efforts at voter suppression end up backfiring by preventing conservative white voters from voting? From the “things don’t always go as planned” department… I got a...
by Tom DeWolf | Aug 26, 2013 | Author Stuff, Writing, Books, Reviews
Akee Tree: A Descendant’s Quest for His Slave Ancestors on the Eskridge Planation, written by Stephen Hanks, was recently published by American History Press. I was particularly interested in the publication of this book for a couple of reasons. First,...
by Tom DeWolf | Aug 21, 2013 | History, Genealogy, Politics, Race, Oppression, Privilege
I take a healthy dose of satisfaction when privileged people in power are stifled in their wrong-headed attempts to exert control in clearly damaging ways. Case in point: When Mitch Daniels was still governor of Indiana he attempted to influence the removal of books...
by Tom DeWolf | Jul 19, 2013 | Race, Oppression, Privilege, Trauma and Healing
In the aftermath of the “not guilty” verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman over the death of Trayvon Martin, I’ve been astounded at the lengths to which some white folks have gone to defend the jury’s decision in terms of issues of race....
by Tom DeWolf | Jun 24, 2013 | Author Stuff, Writing, Media
I recently participated in one of my favorite media interviews ever. I don’t know how many times I’ve spoken with reporters over the years, but it’s been a lot. My close encounters with news microphones began in the late 1970’s when I managed,...
by Tom DeWolf | Jun 12, 2013 | Race, Oppression, Privilege, Trauma and Healing
It was fifty years ago today, June 12, 1963, that an assassin’s bullet took the life of Medgar Evers in the driveway of the home he shared with his wife, Myrlie Evers, and their three children in Jackson, Mississippi. I strongly encourage my readers and friends...
