African-American Museum Can Teach Important Lessons

The conversation about race relations changed after nine African-Americans were shot to death by a white man at Mother Emanuel AME Church. It became more urgent, and it included people who hadn't spoken up before. It also brought into clarity one key reason it is important to build the International African-American Museum in Charleston: Educating people about the African-American story is vital to stopping racial bigotry.

Bias Appears To Be Gone, But Women Still A Minority In Government Working To Fix Gender Imbalance

You could say Election Day this past November went well for Aime Wichtendahl. She received more votes than any other candidate running for the three council seats up for election to the Hiawatha City Council and pushed out an incumbent, making her the only woman serving on the six-member council come Jan. 1.

For African Americans, Small Debt Can Spell Big Trouble

If you are African American, you're far more likely to see your electricity cut, more likely to be sued over a debt, and more likely to land in jail because of a parking ticket. It is not unreasonable to attribute these perils to discrimination. But there's no question that the main reason small financial problems can have such a disproportionate effect on black families is that, for largely historical reasons rooted in racism, they have far smaller financial reserves to fall back on than white families.

Army Submits Plan For Women In Infantry, Armor, Special Operations

The Army has submitted to the Defense Department its plan to open its infantry, armor and special operations ranks to women. The implementation plan comes one month after Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced his decision to lift all gender-based restrictions on military service starting in January. The move paved the way for women to serve in these previously all-male specialties.

A Memoir of Christmas Past

by Sallie Bingham

Nostalgia is not my strong suit. Most family rituals, in my experience, long outlive their usefulness. The enthusiasm small children grant to celebrations fades rapidly as the big world pushes in, perhaps especially in the case of Christmas when small children have learned to view any delay in present-giving as an injustice.

Fortunately, there are exceptions.

Year in Review 2015; Lactivism; Dr. Jane Goodall

This week on To The Contrary with Bonnie Erbe, our panelists take a look back at the top stories from 2015, “lactivism,” and Dr. Jane Goodall’s work in conservation.

On the panel this week joining host Bonnie Erbe is: Progressive Blogger Anushay Hossain, Progressive Commentator Patricia Sosa, Republican Strategist Rina Shah, and Washington Examiner Columnist Ashe Schow.

Click read more to see what they had to say!