Today is the anniversary of Claudette Colvin's arrest. On March 2, 1955, the 15-year old refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus to accommodate a white woman passenger. In a blog I published two weeks ago, read it here, I noted that although Claudette had been arrested nine months before Rosa Parks, for various reasons, the leaders of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, chose not to launch the boycott with her arrest. Instead, they waited until a person they deemed a

Re: Your work is done That was the subject line in the email I received earlier this week from my friend and colleague Eva Paterson. Ha! If only. She attached the tweet posted by Dr. Chirumamilla sharing her delight that her new colleagues had the good sense to learn to say her name. Thanks Dr. Chirumamilla for allowing me to share your tweet with my readers. As she reports, one feels seen and welcomed when people make the effort to learn our names. How I wish everyone was tr

The poster caught my eye, so I crossed the street to take a closer look. An outsized young girl sits on top of a yellow bus that looked like a school bus, but the well-dressed grown-ups waiting to board the bus puzzled me. It was an advertising for an upcoming play called Noire. I made note of the theater and the dates. Later that day at the Alliance Française in Paris, a class exercise had each student taking turns describing persons in pictures projected on a screen, in Fre

Identity Definition Merriam-Webster 1. a: The distinguishing character or personality of an individual b: The relation established by psychological identification 2. The condition of being the same with something described or asserted Cambridge Dictionary Who a person is, or the qualities of a person or group that make them different from others. Collins Dictionary Your identity is who you are. What are you? Your race, ethnicity? Gender/Sex? Where do you live? Religious prefe

“The final line is spoken, the audience applauds, the actors take their bows. But at an increasing number of theaters, the night isn’t over. Audiences often settle back into their seats. It’s time for the talkback, a chance to discuss the play with the actors, the director or sometimes the playwright.” These are the opening lines in an article in the LA Times, “The theater talkback: Why they're popular, and why playwrights aren't always pleased:. Click here to read article. W

My one-woman show gets an extended run at The Marsh Theater in San Francisco starting two months from today. I am very honored to have a chance to present my play to Bay Area audiences. Following each show, I will be joined by various talkback guests (listed below). These thought leaders -- activists, lawyers, professors, writers -- will be discussing various subjects related to social justice, and answering questions. Grateful to live in a community where folks from all raci

When we were young lawyers, a Chicana friend working as a public defender shared this story with me. She needed to interview a psychiatrist -- a potential expert witness on a case. His name was Dr. Fuchs. And unsure of the name’s pronunciation she asked around and was told it was “fee-youks (pronounced as ONE syllable).” Nervous about getting it right and wanting to make a good impression she practiced, but when she introduced herself she called him Dr. F-word. He took it in

“Your play reminded me of two stories that have stayed with me throughout my life. Both happened when I was 14." This is from an email I got earlier this month from Rose, after she and a friend saw my mini-show at Marsh Madness weekend in San Francisco: "My Mexican cousin Blanca came to stay with us to spend a year learning English. She was enrolled in school and the first thing her teacher did was scoff at calling her Blanca and announced she would now be Blanche. I rememb

Touched By Your Generous Reception A belated shout-out to The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and its staff, and the 200 folks who attended Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name? in San Antonio last month. I loved performing for a largely bilingual and bicultural audience, and this was the most enthusiastic audience I’ve ever had. And lucky me, I’ve only had wonderful audiences since I premiered my solo show 18-months ago. So touched that folks came from throughout South Texas,

I was searching for an airbnb in Southern California. I read and re-read the words on the host’s page: “I am an American and speak only English.” What did this mean? The thumbnail picture: an attractive middle-aged woman with dark eyes and dark brown hair. She is of indeterminate ethnic/racial origin. Latina? Middle Eastern? Italian? South Asian? She is leaning slightly toward a similarly-aged man, their hands touching, the hint of a smile on both their faces. Lisa (not her r

Thanks to journalist colleague and friend, Wendy Diaz, Writer/Translator Islamic Circle of North America/Hablamos Islam, for wishing my piece, Do You Look Like An American? had also acknowledged the pervasive harassment and marginalization of another group of Americans: Muslims. Despite the accomplishments and vast contributions of Muslims to this country, they are demonized on a daily basis. YEP, an oversight on my part. Read the inspiring story of New Jersey native Ibtihaj