Art by Kris HarperFormer President Ronald Reagan's daughter is a former drug addict, former President Bill Clinton's half-brother has had a cocaine possession conviction as well as a drunk driving arrest, and President Barack Obama's uncle is an illegal immigrant.What do all of these facts have in common? Absolutely none of them have any bearing on the policies or politics of … [Read more...] about Reserve the Political Sphere for Politics
pepperdine
A Thousand Little Cuts
Image by Falon Opsahl Editor's Note: This article was originally published in a special section on race in the Graphic. For a long time when I was young, I thought I was White. That’s common among my kind (that is, transracial, transnational adoptees). Different skin color than my White parents. Race didn’t really come up in conversation. My mom even says today, “I … [Read more...] about A Thousand Little Cuts
Structural Issues Enable Campus Racism
Image by Falon OpsahlEditor's Note: This article was originally published in a special section on race in the Graphic.Why do we not classify people based on the shape of their bellybuttons? Innies, anyone? Why not be team innie or team outie? Instead, we characterize by skin color and hair type and assign our ideas about culture to physical characteristics.This may seem … [Read more...] about Structural Issues Enable Campus Racism
‘Officer, Why Did You Pull Me Over?’
Image by Falon Opsahl Editor's Note: This article was originally published in a special section on race in the Graphic. I started teaching at Pepperdine in 1993. The cop who pulled me over recently was still in high school in that year. Occasionally, I enjoy teaching night classes at Pepperdine, especially if they include film. But I dread the prospect of being … [Read more...] about ‘Officer, Why Did You Pull Me Over?’
A Historical Analysis of Racial Tensions Within the Pepperdine Community
Photo Courtesy of Pepperdine University Special Collections and by Berkley Mason Editor's Note: This article was originally published in a special section on race in the Graphic. “Where are you going now?” Chief Security Guard at George Pepperdine College William Charles Lane said to the group of Black high school students walking the old college campus on the night of … [Read more...] about A Historical Analysis of Racial Tensions Within the Pepperdine Community