Reconstruction did not end on a given day in 1877 as the history books, and Civil War “enthusiasts” have stated. It’s important to recognize that true equity and dignity are still privileges that most black and brown people have yet to be able to cherish, despite it being their birthright. …

Strange Days Indeed In late-1980 as a 13-year old delivering The Daily News in the New Jersey suburbs, I didn’t enjoy having to be out of the house at 5:30 AM every morning. Like clockwork, I would head off on my bicycle, whatever the temperature. By MICHAEL PHELAN NOV 23, 2020 AT 10:31 PM My late-September 1980 birthday took place only a week after my parents were divorced, an event which brought some peace to our home after years of turmoil and stress, but did create a vacancy which had not existed…

I had that dream again last night where my love was knocking at my door. — Quickly awoken, falling down the stairs and running for the doorknob, but once again there was no one there.

Memes and video clips applauding those who were raised from the 1950s to 1970s for “surviving” have been around since Netscape Navigator. These posts usually criticize regulations like lead paint mitigation and bike helmets, implying that obese children first appeared on earth during the Clinton administration. I understand that it’s…

You don’t need to unscrew other people’s lightbulbs to make sure that the spotlight of success is all yours. Don’t use personal pronouns where you probably should or could be saying “we” and “us.” One can be both sincerely modest and endearing at the same time, without effort. There is power in humility. Share the spotlight and use it to help lead the way for everyone.

Let the past go May these dark months have been merely one chapter in our lifelong pursuit of happiness, kindness, humility, peace, dignity, love, and understanding. May the future look back at us with absolution, wishing that we’d understood that all we really have is now and that we need not be afraid of turning the pages. The future is unwritten, yet it’s all we have and it starts today. We can stubbornly attempt to influence it, yet we’ll still never see it coming.

We’re not so different — you, me, and that person far away, perhaps in a so-called “flyover” state. I try to keep these topics from my children, but the 8-year-old heard and asked about George Floyd this past summer. …

322,022 people and rising. One hundred 9/11's. Younger people who won’t have the thrill of getting fake ID’s which won’t work, causing them to walk the streets of Manhattan until dawn. Those who won’t be eyewitnesses to the future of hip hop, freeze their asses off standing in Times Square on New Year's Eve or get to an age where they’d appreciate Sinatra and Scotch following a life they are proud of.

We’re not so different — you, me, and those between the east and west coasts. Although I try to keep such topics from my children, the 8-year-old did hear about and discuss George Floyd this summer. By now, nothing escapes her thanks to her friend Alexa. At the same time…