Author: Mitchell A. Sobieski

In the years since Donald Trump ascended to the forefront of American politics, the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement has transformed into a potent cultural and political force. Beneath its veneer of patriotism and populist rhetoric lies a troubling truth: the MAGA movement is at its core the ideological and rhetorical heir to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). While the MAGA movement lacks the overt violence and explicit racial terror of the Klan, its methods, symbolism, and goals echo a chillingly familiar story of White Supremacy rebranded for the modern era. The comparison is not hyperbolic, it is...

In the United States, few labels carry as much lasting baggage as being a “felon.” For decades, a felony conviction all but guaranteed a barren job search, piles of rejection letters, and skeptical glances from prospective employers. The stigma attached to a criminal record has been reinforced by the long-running “War on Crime” political history championed by Republican lawmakers who portrayed themselves as the hard-nosed protectors of law and order. Yet the once bedrock principle has collided with the political storm that is Donald Trump. Now that Trump himself has been labeled a convicted felon, has the old rule...

The twisted interpretation of Christianity by pro-slavery advocates in the Confederacy is one of the most troubling and insidious chapters in American history. To defend the indefensible institution of slavery, Southern theologians and politicians clung to a highly selective and morally bankrupt reading of the Bible. They sought to justify the oppression and dehumanization of millions of Black people by distorting the core message of the Christian faith. By doing so, they ignored the Bible’s call for justice, equality, and liberation, the values of salvation that are incompatible with the existence of slavery. The use of scripture to support...