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Its my hone not a ghetto

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  I grew up in what some call a ghetto.  Strange, while some would characterize the neighborhood that I grew up as blighted, crime ridden, and destitute -I knew only well-maintained homes, people working hard to raise their kids, build churches, and futures.  I am fortunate to have had parents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and yes older brothers that made quite difference in not only my life but in the lives of those around them.  Take my eldest brother, Kenneth, for example.  Not only can he fix anything -from roofs to floors, windows and doors, but he ran a successful corner grocery store “Coates Market” for a couple of decades.  During this period, he often boasted of having in excess of $1 million in stock and a couple of dozen rental properties.  But while many know of these outward signs of success, it was what he and his wife, Helen, did in private that was really remarkable.  On several occasions when some of the poorer shoppers in the store or...
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Doing the Diversity Dance and missing the beat

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 Doing the Diversity Dance -and missing the Beat Rodney D. Coates/// Often the most problematical persons to deal with, specifically with regards to issues of diversity, are the "enlightened ones". For it is these who try real hard to deal with and accommodate those who are typically classified as a minority. The problem is that they often harbor many of the very behaviors that they are trying so hard to avoid and curtail. I have found that it is these "enlightened ones" that are the most difficult to deal with, for in all honesty they are "trying" to do the right thing, but all too often they create blinders to their own 'issues'. Here are a set of things that I would urge us all to consider:  Ever notice that the women that you associate with are often      a) the last to leave the office      b) carry several bags       c) working even on weekends and holidays      d) constantly on more service committees ...
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Charlottesville and Our Racial Fault Lines: Symbolic Victories or Structural Changes

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  Charlottesville and Our Racial Fault Lines: Symbolic Victories or Structural Changes Rodney D. Coates Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) August 25, 2017 Rodney D. Coates, Professor Department of Global and Intercultural Studies Miami University Recent events in Charlottesville once again remind us of our torturous racial history. Therefore it is rather strange that many were shocked with the level of hostility associated with the removal of this symbol. Perhaps if we utilized a sociological imagination (Mills 1959) we might better evaluate this current moment. Utilizing this imagination, I would argue that removal of these symbols, while important, are not sufficient to significantly alter the racial narrative and racial outcomes. If we look at recent events, not only these symbolic battles but those occurring in the political domain suggests that symbolic victories do little to change the racial realities so many face in our country. So let us first look at some of these symbolic vic...
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