I grew up in a household that taught reverence for God, pride in America and respect for every human’s dignity, and this piece argues that those core lessons clash with the growing culture of division coming from some civil society groups; it explains why family history and faith shape a rejection of identity politics, raises concerns about alleged misconduct by an organization once seen as a watchdog, presses for donor accountability, and insists that the way forward is truth and love rooted in our common humanity.
My childhood was steeped in faith and service, a place where the idea that every person bears dignity was not an abstraction but a daily lesson. Our family tree mixed West African, Irish and Cherokee roots, so I learned early that America’s strength comes from people joined together, not separated into competing tribes. That belief shapes how I think about civil rights, public debate and who gets to speak for justice.
The memory of my uncle’s work informs everything I say about unity. He did not dedicate his life to teaching people to view each other as permanent enemies or to divide the country into oppressors and victims. He asked Americans to judge one another by character and to pursue justice without hatred.
So I am troubled by how some organizations, once regarded as defenders against hatred, can end up fueling division instead. Serious allegations have surfaced suggesting that certain groups paid sources connected to extremist movements, including white supremacists and neo-Nazis, sums that raise hard questions about judgment and ethics. Those claims need to be probed thoroughly so the public can learn what happened and why.
People who donate to fight racism deserve transparency about how their money is spent. Donors are not mere checks; they are citizens who believe they are funding noble work and who expect those organizations to live up to the values they preach. If an organization practices secrecy or double standards, that undermines public trust and weakens real efforts to build a fairer society.
The damage runs beyond finance. When institutions teach young people to see the nation as locked in permanent racial conflict, they corrode the idea of shared citizenship. Emphasizing division over reconciliation shifts focus away from the simple, powerful truth that people of different backgrounds can be neighbors, partners and fellow citizens under God.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
I know what it feels like to be labeled and misunderstood. For years I’ve been painted in ways that do not reflect my beliefs or record, and that kind of labeling corrodes honest conversation. Labels that reduce a person to a political caricature make it easier to ignore the practical work of improving schools, expanding opportunity and protecting liberty.
I reject racism in all its forms. I reject hatred. I reject any ideology that elevates one group over another or treats people as permanent victims or permanent villains. The right response to injustice is not to harden divisions but to seek truth, accountability and reconciliation grounded in dignity for every person.
Faith and science both point us toward unity: Acts 17:26 tells us that we are one blood, and modern science shows we are one human race. If citizens demand transparency from institutions, insist on rigorous ethics, and teach the next generation to see neighbors rather than enemies, the country can move past manufactured grievance. That is the kind of future worthy of the sacrifices made by those who fought for real civil rights, and it is the future we should work toward with clear eyes and steady hands.
