Mary Sanchez

Julius Bennett Glaze, “J.B.” to the community, lived the kind of life that embodied refrains like “salt of the earth.” He was of the land; a farmer and a horse trader by profession, a husband and father by devotion. His daughter, Jana Curry, is my sorority sister.... Read More

In a matter of weeks, the swell of Latinx pride and anticipation surrounding the release of “In The Heights” has turned and swiped at the film’s creators. Racism is like that. Never doubt its power; sly and capable of infecting just about anyone and any endeavor.... Read More

America is pushing toward policing reform, with or without Republicans. Not swiftly, not without debate, and not without public protests. But it will happen. There is simply too much momentum for either political party to revert to the status quo before George Floyd, before Michael Brown,... Read More

More than 40 years before Black Lives Matter emerged as a movement, Alvin Sykes was doggedly questioning police brutality in cases famous, and not. Sykes convinced the federal government to reopen unsolved 50-year-old civil rights era murders, scores of cases in Mississippi and other southern states, solving some and providing long awaited... Read More

Religious conservatives are clearly confused and agitated. After all, they gave it their best effort, endlessly admonishing about “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” They were insistent that love is only love when it occurs between a man and a woman. But despite decades of... Read More

The biracial daughter of immigrant parents stood before a bilingual Latina Supreme Court justice and swore allegiance to the nation. If that’s not what you saw at the inauguration, then your perspective is likely shaped from experiences different from mine. Sonia Sotomayor administering the oath of... Read More

Very soon Betsy DeVos will slip away from her stint in government and escape back into the philanthropic networks that spawned her. President-elect Joe Biden is making good on his promise as a candidate, vowing to replace DeVos with someone with experience teaching; someone who knows... Read More

Because bible-pounding has become a favored tactic of politicians, it was only a matter of time before one of the cabinet choices of the incoming Biden administration would set off screeds of fire and brimstone. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has become the target. Becerra has... Read More

Sometimes I worry about the soul of our nation. Politicians of all stripes go on boastful rants about their “Christian-centered” family values. Meanwhile, horrific orders — to other people’s children — are carried out on their watch. That’s key. They are other people’s children. And quite... Read More