2014: A conversation with my father I walked with my father to the store in the rain. “So…” my dad said. “I heard that you were gay.” “I am,” I said as I moved from underneath his umbrella. “Well, you know you are going to hell, right?” I paused, getting drenched in the rain. “And who… Continue reading Love as a String
What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?
Delivered July 5, 1852; Corinthian Hall; Rochester, New York Mr. President, Friends and Fellow Citizens: He who could address this audience without a quailing sensation, has stronger nerves than I have. I do not remember ever to have appeared as a speaker before any assembly more shrinkingly, nor with greater distrust of my ability, than I… Continue reading What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?
Why I Stopped Identifying with the Struggle
On “Real,” from his debut album Food and Liquor, Lupe Fiasco rapped, “struggle…is just another sign that God loves you/cuz on the low, being po’ also teach you how to hustle.” Those lyrics became a mantra, a personal ideal to live by as the struggle had been something I’ve had to deal with my entire… Continue reading Why I Stopped Identifying with the Struggle
Makers
Making things is hard. Making things with technology is even harder. Where do you start? What technologies do you use? Who can you trust? In my lifetime, I’ve witnessed dramatic shifts in the rate of technological innovation, and it only appears to be accelerating. Want to create a personal web page? That’s easy. Need a… Continue reading Makers
A Necessary Start
The part of Florida I’m from is remarkably more like Mobile than Miami. From Grandma’s house, it’s a short drive to the Alabama border, the gateway to the Heart of Dixie. Riding in the backseat as kid, with Mom driving, I was always amused by the fact that, as we crossed that border, at some… Continue reading A Necessary Start
Seeing things through
I built my first website in 2005 for a class project. I was an information technology major and my class was tasked with building an “Interactive Resume” (in essence, a personal website). After hacking together my site using a free HTML and CSS template, I could have collected my passing grade and moved on to… Continue reading Seeing things through
The Tragedy of Small Expectations
Ask a hundred students at Harvard Business School if they expect to be up for a good job when they graduate, and all of them will say “yes.” Ask a bright ten-year old girl if she expects to have a chance at a career as a mathematician, and the odds are she’s already been brainwashed… Continue reading The Tragedy of Small Expectations
Sexuality, Race, & #MyGayPride
I’m not ashamed to admit that I was a homophobic and racist man: not because I’m proud of it, but because I understand that my mindset was a result of systemic marginalization and programming. From the aggressive inner city to the ultra-masculine military, I wasn’t given the best environments to cultivate my understanding of my… Continue reading Sexuality, Race, & #MyGayPride
Cold-Blooded Killer or Mentally Disturbed?
You often hear about mass shootings on the news, but when it happens in your hometown, a small part of you dies. A few nights ago, a small part of me died. It was killed by emotions of anger, sadness, disappointment, a lack of understanding, and unabated rage. As a white man walked into what… Continue reading Cold-Blooded Killer or Mentally Disturbed?
Explaining Baltimore to My Six-Year-Old Son
Editor’s Note: With the latest sickening domestic atrocities spinning incessantly in the 24-hour media cycle, the Baltimore protests almost seem like ancient history. Almost. At the time, we received an essay from a black father and husband about the challenges of discussing the protests―and the racial state of affairs in America―with his two small children.… Continue reading Explaining Baltimore to My Six-Year-Old Son