A Common Purpose: Helping People Vote
Common Purpose mobilizes voters. I joined them for a great week in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Why the Iowa Caucus Fiasco Matters to Me
Iowa's demoralizing Democratic caucus fiasco is going to make it a lot harder to get Americans registered, and to get them to vote. People like me will find our job a lot harder.
Stealing Children
Lisa Wingate’s novel Before We Were Yours is based on the true story of a woman who stole hundreds of children to sell to wealthy families for adoption. The true story of those children is horrific, thanks to the crimes of Georgia Tann.
Ringing in Y2K
The year 2000 rolled in with a wild 24 hours in world news. We anticipated a Y2K problem with computers malfunctioning because they couldn't handle years starting with 2. What we got was something else entirely, situations that are still unfolding. I saw it start from a vantage point at the Voice of America.
The Kendal Sparrow: A Quaker Historical Novel
A new historical novel about the early Quaker movement. The Kendal Sparrow explores the daring and deep faith of courageous young women. Author Barbara Luetke talked to me about her work.
Robert Smalls: The Hero’s Journey
It was a journey of just seven miles. It took Robert Smalls from slavery to freedom and into the history books. His hero's journey continued long after that, and continues even today.
They Were There: Free Africans and the Age of European Exploration
Free Africans were much more important in the 16th century voyages of discovery and exploration than history has recognized. They played several crucial parts in Francis Drake’s voyage around the world
Mythology and the African-American Cowboy
The Cowboy looms large in American mythology. The images most of us see and read about are of white men, “Anglos.” Our culture has managed to erase the fact that cowboys were also Mexican, Native American—and African-American.
The Joy of Thanks: Saying “Thank You” to Inanimate Objects
Have you ever said "thank you" to your car after a difficult journey? Hugged your sewing machine when you finished a complicated project? Why not? Just the act of doing it can make you happier.
The Fun of Fact-Checking: Enjoying Historical Fiction, Part 6
Historical fiction is an enjoyable way for many of us to learn history, especially since the internet has made fact-checking easy and even fun. Let’s take a recent masterpiece as an example.