If you squint at the center of the horizon in the photo on the right, you will see the Tri-County Detention Center in Ullin, Illinois. It is 354 miles from Chicago and 156 miles from St. Louis. It is number … Continued
Politics
Revisiting Freedom of Religion
The very first clause of the very first amendment to the United States Constitution is about the Freedom of Religion. It reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;” The men … Continued
Politics
Mockingbirds, Truth and Justice
My favorite novel is Harper Lee’s brilliant To Kill A Mockingbird, set in small town Alabama in the 1930’s. The narrator recalls the events that happened when she, Jean Louise Finch (nicknamed Scout) was seven and her lawyer father Atticus … Continued
Immigration
“I am an American”
When Amanda Standerfer was the Library Director at the Helen Matthes Public Library in Effingham in downstate Illinois she was disturbed by the snarky comments of some library patrons who were offended by kids in the children’s area speaking Spanish. … Continued
Culture
Fourth of July Then and Now
When I was growing up in a small town in Illinois during the Eisenhower administration, Fourth of July was pure and simple: the children decorated our bikes and tricycles with red, white, and blue crepe paper to ride around the … Continued
Immigration
Immigrants and Fundraising
Una Okonkwo Osili has been an immigrant twice. She is the daughter of an American mother and a Nigerian father who met as students at Cornell University. When she was six months old, the family moved from New York to … Continued
Immigration
Knowing Your Neighbors Can Affect Social Change
Last week I came home to discover little fliers stuck into the doors of three apartments on my floor, indicating a visit from the U. S. Census Taker. Now I know which people in my building are too lazy to … Continued
Politics
Politics Mixes with Everything!
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu delivered the keynote for the International Conference of the Association of Fundraising Professionals on April 13, 2010. As he addressed 3,000 professional fundraisers from dozens of countries, I wondered how his remarks would be received. … Continued
Culture
The Names Will be Changed
When my very Norwegian mother was selling ads for the Chicago Daily News in the 1930’s, the company assigned her the name “Miss Kelly.” This was so that irate or flirtatious customers could not track her to her home address. … Continued
Politics
Just a Chip Off the Old Block
Last week Fox News commentator Glenn Beck went on a rant against Barack Obama simply because his mother and father chose to name their baby after his father. He has been named Barack for 49 years, and managed to do … Continued