When you said "women's rights are human rights," did you mean only women who look a certain way, act a certain way, and have a certain type of body? Only women who aren't too strong or too fast? Cisgender women are not threatened or victimized by transgender and gender expansive people. If you are a White cis woman who is appropriating the language of women’s rights to inflict life-threatening harm on trans, Black, Brown, Indigenous or other marginalized communities who already experience widespread discrimination, you are advancing racism and transmisogyny, not feminism.

I agree with those who argue that many universities have done a poor job responding to antisemitism; I was a professor for 20+ years and experienced this myself. At the same time, I strongly believe that colleges have a responsibility to protect all of their students and their constitutional right to protest and speak out. In this piece I argue that two things can be true at once. Higher education has a history of avoidance & denial in the face of anti-Jewish oppression AND conservatives are leveraging antisemitism in their witch hunt to punish supposedly leftist universities and end DEI. In my own work, I strive to fight against the real harms of antisemitism while also calling out those who have turned it into a political football.

Militaristic and weaponized language in the workplace normalizes violence, reinforces hierarchies, and erodes psychological safety. Over time, it creates a culture of internal competition and dominance. It can also surface trauma responses for employees who have experienced racial trauma, gender violence, bullying, and other forms of harm. And yet, weaponized, violent, and militaristic language is ubiquitous in professional contexts: bullet points, hitting targets or benchmarks, and gun metaphors like “I’m shooting for” or “give it a shot” or “shooting down an idea.” This article ofters practical suggestions for embracing nonviolent, decolonial, and inclusive communication on your team.

The greatest danger we face is giving up on truth. Authoritarian politicians don’t just lie—they erode trust in truth itself, making people cynical and easier to manipulate. In this deceptive climate, people become overwhelmed by disinformation and stop seeking the truth altogether. Did you know that the most dangerous authoritarian regimes don't just rely on propaganda to push their ideology? Instead, they flood the public sphere with so many lies, distortions, and contradictions that people lose their ability--and desire--to distinguish truth and falsehood.

The conversation you’re avoiding is the one you most need to have. Often just getting a courageous conversation started is the hardest part. This article offers inspiration and 4 practical strategies for successfully navigating “tough talks” by inviting others into a shared space of curiosity. Framing the conversation as a shared effort to understand--not a win-or-lose debate--can help to defuse tension/conflict and open up an authentic space for trust, safety, and mutual respect.

Extremists aren’t attacking DEI; they are attacking us. A new “Lavender Scare”—a moral panic that led to the mass dismissal of many LGBTQIA+ people from government service in the 1950s—is now a very real threat in 2025. This New McCarthyism is part of the Trump administration’s broad roll back of civil rights, targeting LGBTQ+ people under the guise of ending DEI “Promotion.” The true intent of these policies has been clear from the start: legal discrimination, social persecution, and erasure.

We all have cognitive biases and our culture reinforces them in ways that we often don’t recognize. This is why it’s essential to be aware of our own bias when consuming information. If we want to be truly effective as leaders, activists, or really anything, we need to do the personal work of discovering and mitigating our biases. In this article I share 5 ways to reduce confirmation bias starting today!

The essence of courage is transforming fears and challenges into opportunities for growth and human flourishing. Today I celebrate being cancer free for 11 years! This journey has taught me so much about resilience, courage, and thriving. In honor of this milestone, I'm sharing 4 life lessons from my breast cancer journey. Now is the time to love deeply, live fully, and lead boldly. When we infuse our lives and work with passion, power, and purpose, everyone thrives.

As we approach the end of the first phase of the ceasefire deal, what is our responsibility as global citizens? As a person of Jewish descent with family in Israel, I feel a keen responsibility to actively support desperately needed humanitarian access to Gaza as well as efforts to address the root causes of the violence. Without addressing root causes, peace cannot be sustainable. Image credit: People walk along Gaza's coastal al-Rashid Street to cross the Netzarim corridor from the southern Gaza Strip into the north on Jan. 27, 2025. OMAR AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

Leaders, are you modeling the behavior you expect from others? If you want to create a healthy workplace culture, remember that being corrected isn't an attack; it's an opportunity to grow. Let’s be honest, many of us are scared of making mistakes or offending others. But stepping out of safety and into growth means normalizing messing up. Being an impactful leader or change agent doesn't require us to be perfect; it requires us to be accountable. This post contains five of my inclusive leadership strategies for approaching criticism as an opportunity for growth!

“Real” men and women do not exist. We’re all gorgeous failures when it comes to gender, although cis folks are not policed and punished for our “failures” as our trans siblings are. That's not something I could have said or even understood when this photo was taken almost 40 years ago when I was a student at Smith College. The violence, exclusion, and discrimination suffered by trans, nonbinary and intersex people demonstrate how social imperatives to be a “real” man or woman have devastatingly oppressive consequences in our world. Please join me in doing the vital work of challenging naturalizing discourses of binary gender that harm everyone--including, perhaps, you. Read more to learn about my personal story and actionable steps you can take as an active ally and equity advocate!

Overcoming division, intolerance, and polarization requires intentional effort from all of us, especially during these difficult times. But how do we activate the power of connection in a world that seems to be driving us further apart? You can strengthen your sense of shared humanity by engaging in practices that remind you of the kinship you share with others. Tapping into our shared humanity helps us to increase empathy, navigate conflict productively, and strengthen relationships and teams.

Holocaust Memorial Day isn’t just about the past and honoring the memories of those who were murdered. It’s about our unfinished humanity in 2025. As someone whose family was almost annihilated in the Holocaust, I’m calling on all of you to stand against hate and the alarming rise of antisemitism in our world. Read my recommendations for steps you can take today. Together we can build a world where no one faces hate, discrimination and violence simply because of their identity.

Including Hanukkah in your holiday celebrations isn’t “taking a side” in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Last year, municipalities and organizations across the US canceled or “toned down” public Hanukkah celebrations for fear of appearing to side with Israel in the current conflict. At at time when neo-Nazi incidents are rising in America, weaponizing a Jewish religious holiday only serves to fuel anti-Jewish bigotry and hatred.

"It could be worse" and "you'll be fine" are not examples of empathic listening. Empathic listening is necessary for any courageous conversation that seeks to address conflict or connect with others on a deeper level. Empathic listeners don't just hear words, but seek to understand the authentic feelings behind them. One of the best ways we can show up for our colleagues, friends, and neighbors during difficult times is to listen with curiosity and empathy. When we truly listen, we build trust and create a space for others to feel valued, heard, and understood.

On Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20), I’m standing in love and solidarity with my transgender siblings. Trans and gender expansive people deserve futures—and so much more: respect, acceptance, and equality. The best way to honor the memories of those who lost their lives to anti-trans violence is to build a safer, more inclusive, and more liberated world for people of all genders.

Texas's proposed Christian nationalist elementary school curriculum includes a “game” about Jewish genocide in a second-grade lesson on the biblical story of Esther. As someone with many family members who were murdered in the Holocaust, I'm appalled. How are we to understand what's driving this hateful curriculum, which could become a model for the rest of the country?

Many queer and transgender people, Black and Brown people, immigrants, workers, women, Jews, Muslims and Arabs and other groups are not simply sad that our candidate didn’t win. We are worried about our safety and the safety of our loved ones.

White people, it’s time to be honest about our addiction to white innocence. I’ve been revisiting Michael Eric Dyson’s Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America, which was published just a few days before President Trump’s first inauguration. Dr. Dyson describes an America wounded by White people's anger, which propelled Trump into the White House in 2017. For those who benefit from white privilege, Dyson’s words may be difficult to hear. But his insights speak to our current moment with a powerful, chilling precision.

“Am I using my anger, or is my anger using me?” I love this question from Layla Saad. If you're dumping unprocessed trauma or information onto colleagues or strangers online, you may be overwhelming or triggering them without realizing it. During difficult times, we must reconsider our ways of being in relationship and community with one another while allowing each other to feel the terror, rage, and injustice of the moment.