One of the most satisfying aspects of my work is retelling people’s extraordinary stories. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to hear and share a little bit of Ernest Leierer’s story. He participated in the D-Day invasion, which just happened to be his birthday, and had a wealth of stories from the war. He came to … Continue reading The extraordinary beauty of our ordinary stories
Journalism
‘A generational fight’ — Protest organizer recalls desegregating Enid restaurants
This post originally ran as an article in the Sept. 4, 2018 edition of the Enid News & Eagle. It is the third article in a three-part series on sit-in protests and restaurant desegregation in Enid, Oklahoma. ENID, Okla. — On Sept. 4, 1958, 60 years ago today, Enid restaurant owners concluded a meeting with … Continue reading ‘A generational fight’ — Protest organizer recalls desegregating Enid restaurants
Lunch counter sit-ins: 60 years later, organizers recall desegregating restaurants
This package of two articles originally was published in the Enid News & Eagle, Enid, Okla., on Aug. 26, 2018, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of lunch counter protests that ended segregation in the city's restaurants and helped shape later civil rights protests throughout the South. ENID, Okla., Aug. 27, 2018 — Sixty years … Continue reading Lunch counter sit-ins: 60 years later, organizers recall desegregating restaurants
Our resolute response to threats and violence: we publish
Five journalists in Annapolis, Md. lost their lives Thursday, victims of another angry man who felt entitled to settle his grievances with a gun. The events preceding and following their tragic deaths are concerning and inspiring — underscoring the toxicity of discourse and disagreement in America today; but also the resolve of journalists to uphold … Continue reading Our resolute response to threats and violence: we publish
Why we do this
This post is a copy of my comments on accepting the inaugural presentation of the Ray Lokey Memorial Award for Excellence in Reporting, presented Saturday evening. The comments were read by my editor in my absence. They speak, briefly, to why it's important we all continue to invest in journalism that follows facts, and not … Continue reading Why we do this
Un-teaching fake news
On Monday I had the honor and pleasure of getting to speak at an after-school program in my community that has a media club. I have written several articles about their program and all it does for kids in our city, and apparently I did a good enough job that they were willing to … Continue reading Un-teaching fake news
“Don’t do what I did”
Cancer patient hopes his story will motivate others to get checked Canton, Okla. -- Gary Martin, 64, of Canton, knew there was something wrong with his health last December. It wasn’t until several months later that Martin discovered years of not going to the doctor had hidden a developing prostate cancer. Now, with … Continue reading “Don’t do what I did”
The most segregated hour
ENID, Okla. — More than half a century after Martin Luther King, Jr. called 11 a.m. on Sunday the most segregated hour in America, eighty percent of the nation’s congregations still are made up of predominantly one race. That statistic is slowly shifting toward more diverse congregations — in 2012 all-white congregations made … Continue reading The most segregated hour
60 years after Little Rock
I recently published the article, below, about the history of segregation and desegregation in Enid, Oklahoma. Enid is an interesting case, in that it incorporates the development of segregation in Oklahoma Territory, before statehood. It was particularly interesting that segregation was not uniformly applied prior to statehood, and the implementation of laws that forced school … Continue reading 60 years after Little Rock
The intangible apple
With schools across the country starting the new school year, tens of thousands of teachers are walking into new classrooms for the first time, either at the start of their career or after a move in search of a more rewarding experience. By this time next year many of those teachers will have moved on … Continue reading The intangible apple
