From One Karen to Another
Yes, my name really is Karen. And it’s not a surprise: I am white and middle aged. I grew up in suburban, segregated New Jersey (a state that likes to pretend it’s not segregated, when it’s one of the...
View ArticleFor Those Who Say, How Can We Defund the Police, Let’s Talk about Systems...
For those who say, we need to support the police. For those who say, but there are good cops… Let’s start with systems. I want to step back from thinking about individual police officers you may know...
View ArticleFor Those Who Say How Can We Defund the Police, Let’s Talk About What...
In my first blog post in this series, I urged you to consider the larger system of policing rather than focus on individual police officers who you may know and to recognize how policing was originally...
View ArticleFor Those Who Say How Can We Defund the Police, Let’s Talk About What Makes...
In my first and second blog posts in this series, I urged us to step back from focusing on individual police officers and instead to look at the larger system, which means getting a sense of the...
View ArticleFor Those Who Say How Can We Defund the Police, Let’s Talk about Using Our...
My first three blog posts in this series (scroll down in this link to start with Part 1) attempted to lay some groundwork for taking more seriously the idea of “defunding the police.” I addressed the...
View ArticleBlack Lives Matter in Somerville, NJ
I am so appreciative that my local Black Lives Matter group (Ville NJ BLM) asked me to speak at their two most recent protests. I’m sharing my comments here. While the media has chosen to stop covering...
View ArticleWhite Supremacy and Jan. 6, 2021
Yesterday’s attack on the Capitol was yet another reminder of the power of white supremacy. What more will it take before we decide to end white supremacy once and for all? Yesterday was perhaps one of...
View Article“One Karen’s Perspective on Our Whitewashed History: The attacks on critical...
Thanks to Public Seminar for publishing my op-ed. Please check it out here: https://publicseminar.org/2021/07/one-karens-perspective-on-our-whitewashed-history/ -Karen Gaffney
View Article“Are White People Really in Decline? No, but when the mainstream media...
Thanks to Public Seminar for publishing my op-ed. Please check it out here: https://publicseminar.org/2021/09/census-ethnicity-question-white-decline/ -Karen Gaffney
View Article“Countering the Rise of White Nationalism”
Thanks to Inside Higher Ed for publishing my op-ed. Please check it out here: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2023/02/16/colleges-need-address-rise-white-nationalism-opinion To supplement the 3...
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