Robert W. Fuller was president of Oberlin College and served for many years as chairman of the global nonprofit Internews. In this excerpt from All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity he points out that all the familiar "isms" have their root in the illegitimate use of rank.
Ta-Nehisi Coates, a national correspondent for The Atlantic, seeks a way out of fear through a clear encounter with the racism of America. This excerpt from Between the World and Me speaks of racism as a visceral experience that destroys bodies and lives.
Kay Whitlock and Michael Bronski, progressive activists and independent scholars, challenge us to examine the meaning of civic goodness, collective responsibility, and the pursuit of justice. This passage in Considering Hate defines four salient myths about hate that profoundly shape society.
James H. Cone, the Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary, takes a hard look at the violent, sick, and twisted history of lynching in America. In this excerpt from The Cross and the Lynching Tree he asks, "Where is the gospel of Jesus' cross revealed today?"
Peter J. Gomes, an African-American whom Time magazine named as one of the seven best preachers in the United States, hit high stride in his discussion of prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. This excerpt from The Good Life: Truths that Last in Times of Need reflects on the justice modeled in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Sarah York, a Unitarian Universalist minister and author, affirms the spiritual practice of hospitality. In this excerpt from The Holy Intimacy of Strangers, she invites us to experience a profound closeness with what is most foreign or external to us.
Wayne Baker, Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan, studies and teaches about civil dialogue and values. In this excerpt from United America, he shows that the principle of respect for others is shared by young and old, liberals and conservatives, and people of all faiths and religious affiliations.
