Author: Lori Tharps
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How to Celebrate the 4th of July When You Don’t Feel Free
Hello Meltingpot Community, Tomorrow is the 4th of July. Normally that would mean time for parades, family barbecues and lots of pyrotechnics. But we’re in the middle of a global pandemic which means parades and parties are definitely out of the question. Fireworks could still be an option if people watch from the safety of…
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5 Meltingpot Podcast Episodes to Be a Better Anti-Racist Warrior
Hello Meltingpot Community, This is my first week “off” from the podcast. Normally on Fridays, I would be releasing a new episode, but this is my first week of my summer break. That being said, I still wanted to share five episodes I’ve done, culled from all four seasons, that will help on your journey…
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Reading in Color is Anti-Racist Work:How Colorful is Your Bookshelf?
Hello Meltingpot Community, I have a simple question for you? How colorful is your bookshelf? If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you know how much I love to read and you know how much I love to read diverse books. Heck, 2020 is the year I launched my diverse reading challenge. Personally,…
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Extra! Extra! Use the Capital B When Referring to Black People!
Hello Meltingpot Community, I feel like celebrating! More than five years ago, I wrote a post here on the blog, that then led to an opinion piece in The New York Times, advocating for journalists and publishers to capitalize the B in Black when referring to Black people. On Friday – yes Juneteenth Day –…
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MAMP Podcast Ep #42: Why Colorism Matters at this Moment
On episode 42 of the podcast (the final episode of Season 4 by the way), I’m giving a lesson on colorism – that is the preferential treatment given to others based on the color or shade of their skin. At this pivotal moment in American society, as people grapple with dismantling racism, it is critical…
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We Don’t Need “Allies” We Need Partners in this Fight
Hello Meltingpot Community, I have a pet peeve I want to share with you. And like my last pet peeve regarding the uppercase B when referring to Black people, this peeve also revolves around language. Can we please stop using the word ally to refer to non-Black people who want to join the fight for…
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Celebrating Loving Day is a Blow to White Supremacy
For those of you who don’t know, Loving Day is the anniversary of the 1967 United States Supreme Court decision, Loving v. Virginia which struck down all anti-miscegenation laws remaining in sixteen U.S. states. What that means, is that on this day 53 years ago, it finally became legal for people of different races to…
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White America, Master Your Mindset, So We Can All Be Free!
(Yesterday, I gave a sermon at a Unitarian Universalist Church imploring white Americans to master their mindset. What follows is a version of what I said.) Hello Meltingpot Community, For the past 20 years I’ve been using my words to celebrate diversity and undo racism. I’ve been doing this work quietly without really thinking about…
