In our zeal for collective celebration of independence, we almost always neglect to acknowledge the parts of our history that are not worthy of fireworks or parades or a day off from work.

In fact, it isn't just that we fail to acknowledge our collective sins. Ignoring...

Some daddies can take better care of their babies than others because some daddies aren't poor and some are. 

I can tell already that people perceive me to be a good daddy at least in part because of what I can provide for my son and the time he and I are able to s...

I recognized his smirk right away, because it's the smirk of a colonizer. It's a smirk that, I'm ashamed to say, I have worn myself more than once in my lifetime. 

By now, most anyone with access to the internet has read something about the recent interaction between Na...

Growing up, I lived in a whole lot of different houses, but I never really lived in a home.

There was one place, however, that always felt like home. No matter how unstable my life was, I always felt like I was going home when I went to stay with my Mamaw and Papaw Wilk...

"I believe those dogs belong at that trailer up Beck Branch. The one with the goat tied up out front and the Confederate flag in the tree."

I typed those words just yesterday on a Facebook post from a friend and neighbor who encountered two stray dogs near her home. I d...

I haven't published a reading list in ages, but I have been doing plenty of reading nonetheless. 

I am on Fall Break this week. This might be obvious to regular readers of my blog since I have written two essays back to back for the first time since the summer. I'm also...

Gender is a social construct.

I don't consider that statement to be political in nature. It is rooted in empirical research and observable fact. However, as I move into my new role as a father, I have been surprised how conversations about the "gender" of Baby Aspinwilk...

I grew up in a religious tradition that pretended to honor women while systematically subjugating them. 

For this reason, I am not surprised at all that conservative evangelicals, including women, so resoundingly support a man who was accused of sexual assault by an utt...

Recently, I have enjoyed seeing folks on Facebook share their favorite books. I have always contended that one can tell much about another by the books they read. One of my favorite ways of getting to know my students, for example, is to ask what they are reading. The...

You belong here. 

If these three words are aimed at you, chances are, you knew it right away when you read them. If you are preparing for college and questioning whether or not you deserve to be there, these words are for you. If you are returning to school after a long...