Author: Ernie McCray

Every time I hear someone who is anti-gay use the tired and sorry modern day cliche: “God meant Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” I think back to how it was instilled in me as a child that “God is love.” So I cannot even imagine a God who would be complicit which such un-Godly ways of thinking.

Sometimes when I look at our species, at the things we do, the wars, the isms, the way we so easily cast aside opportunities to better our lives, I wonder are our brains fried? Have we no spiritual pride? Have we no natural instincts imbedded inside our hearts and souls that can lead us to be more loving towards each other and act as our moral guide?

Aren’t we aware that our children are watching at our side and they, like other animals, cannot survive if they don’t see a model for how they should live their lives?

On April 15th there will be a “National Day of Silence” during which hundreds of thousands of students nationwide will…

Recently I sat and wrote and chatted with some of the coolest people alive. No jive. Most of them happen…

I pause with a picture to just look at my face, the wrinkles, the gray in my beard, the few…

A little while ago I read a book by longtime Tucson Citizen sportswriter, Steve Rivera: The University of Arizona Basketball Vault, the History of the Wildcats.

What a nice trip down memory lane the book was for me as I’ve followed Wildcat basketball since the 40’s. And, never in my wildest dreams, did I ever think the program would evolve to what it is today although the school had a couple of pretty good teams in my childhood.

Sitting with thoughts dancing in my mind about all the hope that I had recently seen rise in Cairo, I looked online for an image to match how I felt inside and a picture of a rich yellow sun rising or setting in a reddish orange sky caught the attention of my eyes and I literally found myself mesmerized by its beauty.

Forever etched in my mind and soul is an image of Rosa Parks sitting softly, as she had in that…

Hola, Chavistas de Roosevelt
Middle School.
I just want to tell you
I think you’re beautiful and fly and cool
and take time to say
I loved the letters
that you recently sent my way.
All your comments and questions
warmed my soul and made my day
as I sipped coffee
and read them at Jitters,
a coffee cafe,

Read the rest of this poem by clicking the link below…

I don’t know if we’ve ever been able, in our society, to truly talk and listen to each other but,…

With all that I’ve had to say lately and in the somewhat distant past about the need for a more loving world where diversity is appreciated, I’ve tried to point out, perhaps indirectly, that schools should be places that model how our world could be. I’m a proponent of Ethnic Studies for that very reason: they promote the building of a better world.

I’ve broached such notions of love because it is my duty as an educator to open minds to ideal possibilities. If nothing else is required of a teacher he or she should be a loving human being who is willing to reach out to a diverse collection of humanity.

Regarding the rigmarole concerning the banning of “Ethnic Studies” in Arizona it seems that it’s pretty much “Chicano” in nature,…