**Spoilers for last season of Orange is the New Black ahead** Author’s note: I originally published this piece in March, around the time the world shut down due to the pandemic, which we are still in. …

I am happy to have the opportunity to review Rich Thanks to Racism: How the Ultra-Wealthy Profit from Racial Injustice (publication date April 15) by civil rights lawyer Jim Freeman, courtesy of Press Shop PR. This book is a current look at how systematic racism is deeply rooted in the…

This post is a little off the beaten path of my usual stuff, but it is still related to women and empowerment-even more so today because it is Betty White’s 99th birthday!! Among her many roles over her 80+ year career (!!!!!) was , where she played the ditzy but…

I am happy to have the opportunity to review Workers on Arrival: Black Labor in the Making of America (2019) by Professor Joe Trotter, courtesy of Press Shop PR. The themes and history Trotter explores in this book are greatly relevant to our understanding of black and labor history and…

I am thrilled to announce that the very first Underground Groundbreakers ebook is here! …

After a bit of a break due to a combination of despair over how the Democratic primary fizzled out after having so much hope as well as the upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic, I am back with newfound inspiration that I hope can withstand even the utter hopelessness we are…

Disclaimer: This piece is not intended to portray Timothy McVeigh as an Underground Groundbreakers hero. It is simply exploring the idea and fascination with last meals, a generally unexplored topic. “Death is not a penalty, it’s an escape.” — Timothy McVeigh, better known as the Oklahoma City bomber, on the subject of the death penalty, which he received when he was executed in 2001 You might be wondering why a picture of lovely-looking mint chocolate chip ice cream is paired…

Originally published on Underground Groundbreakers When I arrived at the office of New York State Senator Robert Jackson in the Inwood neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as busy as it was on a Friday afternoon in August. But I had arrived during quite an…

Originally published on Underground Groundbreakers Continuing my theme of interviewing New York State Senators who defeated members of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Senator Alessandra Biaggi. Biaggi represents the 34th District, which includes parts of the Bronx and Westchester Counties (Pelham and…