Founder's Message to Students

As the co-founder of The Diversity Think Tank, the message I have for students and young activists reading this is simple: no job or friendship is worth compromising your dignity or soul. You are here on earth to be good, conscientious souls with generous spirits. Embrace and practice the deeper principles of Love, Tikkun Olam, and Prayer—as I have for 25 years—and you will make truthful decisions effortlessly, no matter how complicated or disappointing they may be to others.

Remember, “diversity” is not what liberals or Democrats define, design, or dictate it to be. True diversity includes the freedom of speech—especially for Black Americans and all others—to exercise their First Amendment right to speak out with courage. This means having the freedom to hold Democrats accountable for failed public education policies, failed public health strategies, and institutionalized liberal racism that perpetuates generational poverty, particularly in Black American and other marginalized communities. Peace & Blessings.

Why Black Lives Matter

Yes, White brothers and sisters—agreed: ALL LIVES DO MATTER. However, because of White America’s historical and persistent racism—especially during the Jim Crow era in Democratic states, precious Black lives have been targeted and extinguished for centuries—with near impunity. “Color-blindness” has too often been invoked as a rhetorical shield to erase the facts, the extent, and the consequences of racially motivated harm. That is why we cry out, even in this vale of tears: BLACK LIVES MATTER.

In 2012, Trayvon Martin—a Black teenager—was killed by a white vigilante while walking home near his own neighborhood, carrying nothing more than a bag of Skittles. President Obama poignantly said, “Trayvon could have been my son.” In response to this senseless act of racial violence, the #BlackLivesMatter movement was launched by three Black women—Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi—to demand justice and expose the deep-seated hatred that continues to threaten Black lives in America.

Let us ask honestly: how many white boys are killed by Black or white citizen vigilantes while walking home from a store? Trayvon Martin’s death is not the general lived experience of white men and boys in America. But for Black families, the fear of violent encounters with armed white civilians or law enforcement is a pervasive and traumatic reality.

As a nation, we must face the truth: Black lives have been—and still are—snuffed out with reckless cruelty. This is not abstract. It is not over. It is a crisis with deep moral consequences. A profound debt of justice and humanity is owed to Black Americans. And that is our central focus when we declare, loudly and unapologetically: BLACK LIVES MATTER.