Hundreds showed up Wednesday morning for the funeral of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. Tamir was black, and all but a handful of his mourners in the pews were black, too. A group of white people was in the balcony, armed with cameras and media credentials. I point out the lack of white mourners at Tamir’s funeral […]

The morning after the Republicans won, well, just about everything, I spent a good half-hour staring at a favorite piece of artwork that hangs in a prominent place in our home. From a distance, the piece looks like a 13-by-9-inch version of the American flag. Thirteen red and white stripes are stitched to perfection and […]

After a self-congratulatory rollout to rival the ruckus of God’s six days of earth-making, Marriott International has begun leaving envelopes in hotel rooms to encourage guests to tip housekeepers the corporation refuses to pay a living wage. “Our caring room attendants enjoyed making your stay warm and comfortable,” the envelope reads. “Please feel free to […]

A short time ago, three buses filled with undocumented immigrants — most of them mothers with young children — were forced to turn around in Murrieta, California. The families were reportedly fleeing violence, murder and extortion from gangs in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. After they reached Murrieta, they were fleeing angry Americans. We can […]

The letter, written in my mother’s loopy backhand, is dated July 4, 1980. The outside of the card depicts a drawing of a chipmunk wearing a prairie dress and holding a bundle of mail. One hundred percent Janey Schultz, right there. Her note on the inside begins with holiday plans and a couple of questions […]

A few questions for all of you parents: What would you be willing to do to save the life of your child being held captive by the Taliban? If you thought his or her captors might better hear your pleas spoken in their native language, would you learn it? If you knew your child’s rescue […]

Ah, motherhood. From the moment I first laid eyes on my children, all I wanted to do was bathe, feed and burp ’em. Every diaper was a discovery. Once they were old enough to talk, I hung on their every word all day, every day, until their precious heads hit the pillows tucked into cases […]