Tongue of Fire

When white denial slips, the truth burns through. This essay is a reflection on racism, silence, and the cost of looking away. The veil has fallen. What once softened the truth now lies in the dirt. When I became an educator, I caught my first glimpses behind the veil that white America has long employed to pretend we were living in a post-racist world. Until then, I could, if I chose, dismiss echoes of hate as jokes, misunderstandings, or euphemisms. Racial violence didn’t h

A MAGA-Tok Halloween joke claimed progressives want to “take half the candy.” Funny—but also a perfect snapshot of propaganda. Progressives don’t want your treats; we want the bullies to stop hoarding the bowl. Because kids trick-or-treat if they can. Adults work and thrive if they can. And when everyone has enough, fairness isn’t a trick—it’s the real treat.

We argue with logic, but our beliefs come from emotion. The Righteous Mind shows how six moral foundations—Care, Fairness, Loyalty, Authority, Sanctity, and Liberty—shape what feels “right” to each of us. Take the Moral Compass Quiz to see which values guide you and how they compare across America’s moral landscape. Curiosity might just be the bridge we’ve been missing.