Tonight, I looked at my gis laid out and realized they tell a story I don’t always take time to honor. They are more than training uniforms. They are reminders. Each one represents a different chapter of my life. Different cities. Different seasons. Different people I once stood beside. Over the years, I’ve moved a…
On August 22, 2026, I will attend the 15th annual Hope For More Foundation Fashion & Hope event. At first glance, it looks like what many charity galas aspire to be: fashion, glamour, local celebrities, runway showcases, and philanthropy wrapped into one evening. But underneath the lights and polished presentation is something more important. The…
They say change is the one constant in life. That sounds simple until life actually starts shifting underneath your feet. A relationship ends. A job changes. A friendship fades. Your faith evolves. Your body changes. Your peace gets interrupted. Suddenly the version of life you thought was stable no longer feels familiar. Life be Life-ing….
Why Brotherhood Still Matters Recently, I stepped away from the usual pace of life to celebrate the birthday of a friend and fraternity brother. A brilliant brother who is killing it in the franchising realm, I had the chance to sit with him and learn more about the lessons he has learned as a successful…
Here we are… Through out this blog piece I reference back to several videos I made previously leading up to and following the most recent presidential election. Enjoy. I recorded my “Interest Convergence” episode about six months ago. It opens with a cold open: Eddie H. interviewing a white supremacist, Jared Taylor, who says the…
This morning as I organize and unpack ?… I looked at my gis laid out and realized they tell a story I do not always take time to honor. They are more than training uniforms. They are reminders. Each one holds a chapter of my life. Different cities, different seasons, and different people I once…
Recently, I noticed a phrase gaining traction, and I want to offer a thought on it. I keep hearing some version of the talking point, “Not all Republicans are racist, but all racists tend to be Republican.” I am paraphrasing, but that is essentially the gist. It is catchy, but it is also a sloppy…
Before getting into today’s topic, I encourage you to check out the latest episode of the Boogie Down Scholar Podcast. In that episode, I talk about this issue and walk listeners through how we arrived at this moment. This blog post expands on my podcast episode. What we are seeing in conservative media is a…
Scholars who want to hear the fuller conversation should also check out my Boogie Down Scholar podcast and YouTube episode on this same topic. I recorded an in-depth discussion with a friend of the show where we unpack how the math crisis shows up in real classrooms, real families, and real policy debates. The episode…
When a loud voice suddenly walks away from power, it rarely happens for just one reason. Typically, it is complicated. That is the case with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, whom I will refer to as the Agitator, and her recent bombshell decision to resign from Congress effective in early January. But as I move through…
These are early notes. Rough by intent. I am naming what is hard and what is working while the work is still moving. Because this topic matters, I expect to produce a careful, sourced, and formal piece next that builds these ideas with data, law, and program evidence. In the past two years, new statutes…
Context and Purpose People are talking more about a new civil war in the United States. This shows up a lot on social media. Some users treat it like a game or a way to feel brave. In an earlier video, I speak plainly about people in our lives, people we probably grew up with,…
The Trap and the Ladder If someone controlled your schedule, your newsfeed, your inner voice, and your feelings, would you notice? That is the kind of subtle trap Steven Hassan describes in Combating Cult Mind Control. The book is both a personal story and a field guide. Hassan explains how destructive groups can shape people’s…
A Poll That Stopped the Scroll Every so often a statistic pops up that makes you stop mid-scroll and reread it twice. I ran across this stat today and decided that I should investigate further. Holy shit. It’s a real poll. Of course this is a small sample but God Almighty how anyone could not…
For decades, the Supreme Court has been treated as if it were a sacred temple hovering above politics. Yet behind that façade, trust in the institution has plummeted. Revelations about undisclosed gifts, lavish travel, and entanglements with political interests have fueled calls for reform. Representative Jamie Raskin, a constitutional law professor turned legislator, has emerged…
Introduction When the Aspiring Orange Dictator announced plans to approve 600,000 visas for Chinese students, the move shocked even his own loyalists. The right erupted in outrage, calling it a betrayal of the “America First” agenda. Social media lit up with racist dog whistles about spies and stolen opportunities, while conservative media scrambled to spin…
This past Sunday I did what many of us love to do when the work week finally lets go of our shoulders. I ate well. I stopped by the Oviedo Food Factory and tried a new spot called Tacos My Guey. Let me tell you, those tacos were the kind of good that makes you…
Introduction There is a storm swirling around us, terrifying, complicated, heavy, and relentless. It shakes our sense of safety daily and forces us to see things we wish we could ignore or unsee. We cannot. Storms do not just test structures; they test people. I have often said, “If you want to know what someone…
Introduction In a digital era teeming with algorithms and vanity metrics, Karen Rodriguez, founder of Social with Karen, offers a refreshing take: cut the fluff, and keep it real. Her philosophy on social media strategy aligns with what many of us in student affairs and higher education have been shouting from the rooftops…authenticity is not…
Years ago, I found myself submerged in books and research about mass incarceration. Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow ignited my curiosity, but what kept me reading, what shook me, was the pattern that kept revealing itself. Incarceration in America is not just a tool of control. It is big business. A billion dollar business….