Drick Boyd's Blog
A Phair-Weather Phillies Phan in Phoul Phinancial Times
As I write this piece, the Philadelphia Phillies lead the LA Dodgers 2-0 in the National League Championship Series (NLCS). Full disclosure: I am a fair-weather fan riding the bandwagon. Two months ago I could not have named half of the Phillies’ starting players, and...
Two Aspects to the Wall Street Bailout We Don’t Talk About
The vice-presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden on October 2 was very interesting on many levels, but they each said something I hadn’t heard in all the talk around the $700 billion bailout, buyout, rescue (or whatever we want to call it) plan being...
White Privilege and Sarah Palin
Tim Wise, author of White Like Me, and well known speaker on white privilege recently applied his thoughts to the current media treatment of Sarah Palin. You can read his comments here. Wise's tone is strong and a bit acerbic, which is why I hesitate to post it. I...
European View of the US Election
We in the United States tend to focus solely on events within our own borders. We are known for being rather ignorant of what the rest of the world thinks about, even when they are thinking about us. Recently, I read this report of a pair of lectures presented at...
Reflections on the Wall Street Crisis
As I have witnessed the financial meltdown on Wall Street over these past 10 days and the subsequent response of the government to this crisis, I have had a number of thoughts and questions, many of which are shared by millions of observers. Will the executives of...
A Choice of Worldview: A 9/11 Reflection
As we remember the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, I am reminded of my 9/11 story. The Sunday following the attacks we had a guest preacher at the small church we were attending. She was a seminarian and a pastor’s wife, and I wondered...
In Defense of Community Organizers and the People They Work With
“I guess a small-town mayor is sort like a community organizer except that you have actual responsibilities.” That line got a big laugh and cheer from the delegates at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul this week. At the same time it betrayed an attitude...
How Does the Peace Movement Respond to the Russian Invasion?
This is one of those entries where I wish I had something profound and insightful to say. Unfortunately, all I have are questions. Last week, while we were all watching the opening ceremonies the Olympics (or for those who despise the sports mania, you were doing...
Tigger With A Cause
For the past several months the media has been highlighting “The Last Lecture, ” an actual lecture delivered by Dr. Randy Pausch on September 18, 2007 at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Pausch was a computer science professor at CMU who was diagnosed with terminal...
Spirituality of a Different Kind
Just before the July 4th holiday I attended the national gathering of the National Organizer’s Alliance (NOA) , a network of community organizers, labor organizers and social activists from across the country. I was there to learn about community organizing work that...
Basic Grammar, Guns and the Supreme Court
In recent years colleges and employers have bemoaned the apparent decline in U.S. children’s ability to read and write. As a college professor who often teaches first year students and adults returning to college, I can attest to the often abysmal state of student...
Black and White Keys Together
Over the past month, I have been doing research and reading in preparation for a course I will be teaching in the fall on Race and Ethnic Relations. The purpose of the course is to provide an overview from both an historical and sociological perspective on the impact...
Just the Black Keys
Rod Niner, a good friend, recently sent me the link to a YouTube video, entitled "Just the Black Keys". I heard this presentation nearly 12 years ago and I have never forgotten it. In this presentation on the history and background of the hymn "Amazing Grace," Rev....
Racism, White Privilege and the Need for an "Easter Experience"
The following remarks are taken from a sermon I preached at West Philadelphia Mennonite Church on May 18, 2008. Racism as a PowerIn my experience when the issue of racism comes up, most whites feel either guilt or anger or both. Often they are angry because they feel...
Differing Worldviews in Black and White
The recent controversy over Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s comments at the National Press Club on Tuesday, April 29 reveal how wide the divide still is between white and black Americans. I stumbled upon his comments while looking on You Tube for Rev Wright’s speech before the...