Suzanne Brooks

I knew him better than he knew me, at least I think I did. His writings provoked me to reflect on the world, on myself, considering whether we were in agreement. It went both ways. There were days I wanted to pick up the phone and ask a question and times I wanted to pick…

The town is only one mile square with a main road that dips as it moves south, then rises five miles later to another hill. Looking back from there, the court house can be seen exactly centered on the hill top. In spring, the marble columns seem to float on the trees, lording it over…

An Open Letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Department of Education Administrators Dear Secretary Duncan and Department of Education Administrators: This letter is written to address the omission of the most important role of teacher expectation in student achievement when teacher expectations are primarily and willfully shaped by racism, sexism, religious bigotry, homophobia,…

Elected on a wave of hope for change and promises of reform, the Obama administration is leading a wave of national, state and local efforts to improve conditions and service delivery in schools, prisons, health care delivery, politics, employment, business, government and the environment. Unfortunately, though unstated and perhaps at least partly unconsciously, the overriding…

It is disappointing that after discussions and correspondence with the Campaign for Gender Equality, Women Count and others, women of color are as marginalized by these groups as by society at large. There is no mention at all of the intersection of racism and sexism which only impacts women of color. This clearly reflects the…

VICTORY: White House Council on Women and Girls announced Forwarded by Women Count and the Campaign for Gender Equality On March 11, 2009 President Obama established the White House Council on Women and Girls and will name his senior advisor Valerie Jarrett to chair it. Tina Tchen, director of the White House Office of Public…

I recently received photos identified as “the women of color in the Obama administration” from another advocacy group to silence my complaints about the lack of sufficient inclusion of grassroots/working class women of color, especially our leaders, advocates and activists, in the Obama administration and the political parties. The response avoided answering my assertion that…

The following is a dialogue between two women, white and black, both writers, in different parts of the country, who “met” through an online grassroots group supporting the election of Barack Obama. Through more than a year of dialogue, often intense, each has been willing to put real thoughts out front to the other, mindful…