Author Archives: Joe Grimm

U.S. people agree: Discrimination against Jews and Muslims is up

The Israel-Hamas war has polarized people in the U.S. and pushed those who feel it is unsafe to state their position to the sidelines of silence. However, a Pew Research Center study on free seech and discrimination against Jews and … Continue reading

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What does MENA mean? The U.S. Census’ new category

The federal government announced big changes in the way the Census Bureau counts the country. The formal March 29 announcement said the Census is combining race and ethnicity into one section and adding a new category. The categories will be … Continue reading

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Are pagans ‘nones’? No, but one pagan sees connections

The national discussion over whether unaffiliated religious “nones” are growing or shrinking has a new perspective from a pagan writer. The Pew Research Center sparked the discussion with its finding that the United States now has more religiously unaffiliated people … Continue reading

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And then there will be none

Krysten Sinema of Arizona announced this week that she will not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate. The move has stirred election year speculation about what this will mean for the balance of power in Washington, D.C. Sinema announced in … Continue reading

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Which is preferred, Black or African American?

Either can be correct. Gallup polling since 1991 has shown that half to two-thirds of African American and Black respondents did not have a preference. Although the terms are not necessarily synonymous, it can come down to individual preferences about … Continue reading

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2024 Black History Month’s sad irony

In a disappointing three-way mixup of Civil Rights figures, Target has pulled its Black History Month book off the shelves. The book scrambled identifications for images of Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois and Carter G. Woodson. Washington was an … Continue reading

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Sikhs in U.S. vote on independent Khalistan

This might be flying under your news radar, but there are significant developments happening in the United State involving Sikh people. If you’ve missed it, it’s probably not negligence. While Sikhi is the fifth largest religion in the world with … Continue reading

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Yes, Amish people do shop at Walmart — at their peril

We are working to publish “100 Questions and Answers About Mennonites and the Amish” and were asked this question: “Do the Amish go to stores like Walmart and eat at fast-food places?” We saw proof this month that our answer … Continue reading

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For religiously unaffiliated, numbers and acceptance are related

The part of the U.S. population that does not belong to a formal religion has been growing — or is not. Researchers seem to be in a wait-and-see mode. This group is the subject of a new Bias Busters guide … Continue reading

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Bharat or India: The difference

Both names and Hindustan are used, although in different contexts, to refer to one country. India is commonly used outside of India, but Bharat, from Sanskrit religious texts, is used by some within India. Hindustan is used less often, usually … Continue reading

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