But for Jennifer Carroll, Alex Sink might well be governor of Florida today. She lost by only about 65,000 votes among more than five million cast. Alex is a white woman, and a strong probability exists that those 65,000 votes came from people who wanted to set the precedent of having an African-American woman as lieutenant governor.  Read More 

I had intended to join the buzz last month about the 500th anniversary of Ponce de Leon’s 1513 voyage, but the University Press of Florida has been slow to produce the book I’ve written on Florida women. I trust they will have it out soon, but meanwhile I cut words.  Read More 

We had champagne recently to celebrate a first in our lives. My husband has been volunteering for decades as an interviewer for Harvard – and last week, for the first time ever, two of the students he championed were admitted! Most years, he has none, and he’s never even hoped for two.  Read More 

Any one who lived through the civil rights movement for black Americans understands that “states’ rights” was a convenient code for racism. Conservative politicians railed that legal changes to protect the inalienable rights of African Americans were a violation of “states’ rights.”  Read More 

The final vote was overwhelmingly positive, with 286 in favor and 138 opposed. I’m talking about recent House passage of the reauthorized Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which went to President Obama’s desk for his promised signature on the last day of February, 2013. All 138 votes in opposition were Republicans.  Read More 

March 3 marked two important centennials, but except for short references in specialized news sources, it passed largely unnoticed. Let me tell you why the date is significant.  Read More 

Conservatives love to say that they revere history -- but by definition, they also are unlikely to learn from it. Over and over again, progressives lead humanity past historic milestones, while conservatives deny the actuality. It simply is in their nature to refuse to acknowledge realities that conflict with their unbending views. This is especially likely if the new precedent was established by someone unlike themselves.  Read More 

“Do the math” is a favorite conservative phrase, particularly popular when objecting to spending money for public good. Let me encourage everyone to do the math in regard to the president’s proposal to raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour.  Read More 

I was so depressed after the 2002 election that I looked for something to take my mind off of politics. When the Girl Scouts asked for help in fundraising, I said no – but I added that I would like some contact with girls. They supplied a group who were six or seven years old, largely home-schooled, and living nearby.  Read More 

We went to Bethlehem a few days before Christmas. No, not the one in Israel, but the one in Pennsylvania. That town, in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Mountains, was named on Christmas Eve 1741, by Moravian missionaries.  Read More