As I near a final publication date for my latest ‘ripped from the headlines novel, Betrayal in Black, life continues to imitate art, as another African American citizen is shot by police. Another black man was recently gunned down by a white police officer, this…
Cardinal Sean O’Malley has announced that the Archdiocese of Boston will use the reporting system, EthicsPoint, to allow people to anonymously file complaints of clergy abuse against church leaders. While this may seem a promising step in the right direction, I have to wonder if it…
One of the country’s largest neo-Nazi groups has a new leader – a black activist who has vowed to dismantle the group. How did that happen? In 2007, civil rights activist James Hart Stern plead guilty to five counts of mail fraud. While serving his…
In his speech at the end of the four-day Vatican Summit, Pope Francis condemned clerical sexual abuse. He promised to confront abusers with “the wrath of God,” end cover-ups within the church, and make victims a priority. He also called the abuse involving children a…
Although the Vatican has defrocked some priests for sexual misconduct since the worldwide crisis began nearly two decades ago, Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick is the highest-ranking church leader and the first cardinal to be dismissed. In most cases, until the priest became a well-known pedophile,…
In December 2018, USA Gymnastics (USAG) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, claiming, in part, that it was to “expedite resolutions of claims” filed by survivors of Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse. USAG has been criticized for how it handled complaints and many victims have said…
Former Michigan GOP governor (1991 – 2002), John Engler has resigned as interim president of Michigan State University (MSU). After former president Lou Anna Simon stepped down amid accusations that she ignored warnings about Dr. Larry Nassar, the MSU Board of Trustees only considered two…
Since King’s August 28, 1963 speech on the Lincoln Memorial steps, our country has undergone dramatic changes in civil liberties, slowly moving closer to a society that nurtures justice and equality for all people, regardless of race, creed, color, religion, or ethnicity. Today should be…
In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Alabama. This simple act of defiance launched the civil rights movement in the United States. Activists coordinated a bus boycott and chose Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.…
An Oregon woman has filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s for $1.56 million after her 14-year-old daughter allegedly suffered serious burns after being scalded by a cup of hot water the restaurant served. According to the claim, the 14-year-old suffered second-degree burns on her abdomen and…