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A national decree in 1934 declared a day in October as Columbus Day. Last year, President Biden issued a proclamation announcing the celebration of Indigenous Peoples to coincide with that day, this year being October 10. I doubt that celebrating Columbus Day and Indigenous People’s Day on the same day is intended as a slight to the Italian American community. …
Continue readingSunday, September 11, 2022 marked the 21st anniversary of a day of acute national tragedy. Although the distance of time and memory has dimmed the shock of the horrific events of that day 21 years ago, the omnipresence of a slightly tamed, but still foreboding pandemic reminds us of the long reach these national disasters have upon us. Simultaneously, they…
Continue readingIn celebration of Juneteenth, I started with a poignant statement from President Biden: “Nations don’t ignore their most painful moments. They confront them to grow stronger.” In honoring the recently minted holiday of Juneteenth, that is the sentiment we carried forward during our recognition. We celebrated the end of slavery in the United States in 1865, more than two years…
Continue readingToday we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 national tragedy. Although the distance of time and memory has dimmed the shock of that event, throughout this past week commentaries, reflections and images of that infamous day have quietly informed this week’s news stories, jogging memories we might prefer to forget. On September 11, 2001 many of us sat stunned,…
Continue readingFor the past two years, I have missed the experience of seeing our graduates’ smiling faces gathered under the huge tent at CCBC Essex. Surrounded by friends and family, it was always an impressive sight to behold. While the sights and sounds of our in-person commencement couldn’t truly be replicated, we still celebrated with the same spirit, energy and zest…
Continue readingOn January 6, many of us watched in disbelief as the U.S. Capitol was desecrated while an unruly mob of our own citizens attempted a coup to overturn the results of a lawful election. It was a dark day for America, no matter your political allegiance. The shocking image of rioters roaming freely through the halls of Congress will leave…
Continue readingOn September 11, 2001 many of us sat stunned, huddled by our radios or in front of television screens, listening to news of the unimaginable. The World Trade Center in New York City had been attacked! On that day—and the days that followed—we truly believed that nothing in our lifetimes would ever equal this disruption to our world…and we would…
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