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Sep 16, 2024 | 
onlinelibrary.wiley.com | Kristen N. Jozkowski |Brandon Crawford |Amelia Hawbaker |Erik Parker
Since the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade until the 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (i.e., Dobbs v. Jackson), abortion was legal in all U.S. states at least through some point in pregnancy. Before Dobbs v. Jackson, states could and did pass legislation restricting abortion in various ways, provided the restrictions did not create an “undue burden” to those seeking abortion (Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey 1992). However, because of Dobbs v.
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Jul 8, 2024 | 
levelman.com | John DeVore |Jeremy Helligar |Mark Neal |Erik Parker
I started fantasizing about my death when I was a kid. My childhood finale fantasy included no cause, only hordes of mourners weeping in unison, practically raising the roof of the world with their collective wailing. Good grief. Great grief. Every person who had ever done me wrong — fake friends, mean teachers, mocking siblings, and parents who wielded belts as disciplinary tools — would reconsider: Why weren’t they nicer to me when I was still one of the living.
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Jul 6, 2024 | 
levelman.com | John DeVore |Jeremy Helligar |Mark Neal |Erik Parker
No matter if we're ready to face it or not, the gender war is real. Sure, we haven't reached the point where we're literally engaged in mass hand-to-hand combat, but we're also not that far off. Daily, I am asked by men, "Aren't y'all tired of the gender war?"Speaking quite candidly, my answer is a loud and resounding "no!"Why, do you ask? Well, let me explain…Is it a War or Karma? We live in a world that is unfair to women and girls on many levels.
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Jun 30, 2024 | 
levelman.com | Jeremy Helligar |Mark Neal |Erik Parker |Allison Gaines
I have sat in AA meetings with people who have done bad things. I have listened to ex-cons confess to crimes they committed while wasted decades ago, and I’ve watched those same men choke back tears of gratitude for their sobriety. I have sipped weak coffee while making small talk with men who have hurt the ones they love while drunk, which doesn’t make them special because all drunks hurt the ones they love in one way or another.
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Jun 24, 2024 | 
levelman.com | Mark Neal |Erik Parker |Allison Gaines |Jeremy Helligar
A great poet once said (actually, it was Daryl Hall — and he was singing): Some things are better left unsaid. The other night, someone offered a tip to a friend of mine, and it definitely deserved to be filed under “Stop talking.”My friend shared the exchange with me later that night as we were taking a Lyft home from a concert.
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Jun 19, 2024 | 
levelman.com | William Spivey |Allison Gaines |Erik Parker
One of my guilty pleasures is watching episodes of “Clipped,” the 2024 mini-series streaming on Hulu with new episodes every Tuesday. Clipped replays the saga of former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his wife Shelley as they deal with released audio tapes of Donald making racist remarks while the owner of an NBA team full of Black players. Sterling’s comments were taped with his knowledge by his 50-years-younger female “assistant,” V.
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Jun 14, 2024 | 
levelman.com | John DeVore |Jeremy Helligar |Erik Parker |Allison Gaines
I am old enough to remember Ed OG and Da Bulldogs’ “Be a Father to Your Child” could be heard blaring on boom boxes outside. The Boston-based rap group might be forgotten by some, but that song has been a mantra for nearly two generations of Black men. The song resonated then, as it does now, because of long-held beliefs that Black men are absent in the lives of their children.
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Jun 14, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Erik Parker
Usher answers today’s questions with confidence and transparency. Seated in his man cave—he smokes cigars and reads here—there are no questions about his upcoming world tour, “Confessions Part II” being crowned the best R&B song of the 21st century by Rolling Stone, or the BET Lifetime Achievement Award he’s scheduled to receive later this month. This is not a music conversation. Still, his accomplishments are worth noting.
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May 28, 2024 | 
levelman.com | William Spivey |Allison Gaines |John Kennedy |Erik Parker
There’s a recurring cycle stuck on loop every few months in America: An unarmed Black person becomes the latest hashtag at the hands of police, outrage and protest ensue, charges are levied, and the offending officers are ultimately excused with minimal (if any) consequences for their actions. Why does this keep happening? In the words of Kanye West, “The system’s working effectively, that’s why.” But the true answer is even deeper.
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May 22, 2024 | 
levelman.com | William Spivey |Allison Gaines |John Kennedy |Erik Parker
During the Civil Rights Movement, protesters were viewed more positively over time, especially after the public became aware of attacks against them. An example is the positive mood swing after the vicious attack on peaceful protesters crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday. The image of protesters dramatically improved, and as a direct result, the Voting Rights Act was passed, which was the main goal of the protesters.
