I’ve written hundreds of posts since I first created this blog, and hope to write many more over the course of my lifetime. I love them all, but there are some which stand out to me more than others for a variety of reasons.
This space will house links to selected notes that have either been some of my most popular, or notes that I’m most proud of. Whether you’re a new visitor or a long-time supporter, consider these as “Must Have” staple posts for fans of Notes from an Aspiring Humanitarian.
This post will be regularly updated at the beginning of each month. If you have favorites that I didn’t include here, feel free to highlight them in the comment section.
June 2020
Representation Matters in Social Work: We Need More Black Therapists
May 2019
March 2019
August 2018
July 2018
Sometimes, We Really Let Each Other Down in Social Justice Work
April 2018
March 2018
Crowdsourced Interview Questions for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Positions in Education
February 2018
White Denial, Mental Health, and Mass Shootings
January 2018
White People Need to Be Better People
“Your Black Friend: An Animated Short
Depth and Breadth of Awareness
October 2017
August 2017
July 2017
A Tip For Socially Just Supervision: Incorporate Intersectional Feminist Praxis
Intragroup Reflections: Survival in Higher Ed is Important, But So Is Moving The Needle
May 2017
Considering Age as a Shared Identity Creates Opportunities for Empathy
April 2017
In Dialogue, “Ground Rules” Are Meant to be Liberatory
March 2017
katie gordon Speaks on Interfaith Understanding
Resources for Processing “Get Out”
Confronting Systems of Oppression in Higher Education
Trans 101: A Resource for Support
February 2017
For When Imposter Syndrome Creeps In
6 Reasons Colleges and Universities Should Face Race and Not Ignore it
January 2017
“How Often Do We Choose Not To Know?”
White People: Increase Your Racial Stamina: Take The Pledge
Brief Thoughts After Hidden Figures
December 2016
N.A.H. Rewind: The Best of 2016
October 2016
On “Inspirational” Comparisons Between Light and Darkness as Tools of Anti-Blackness
September 2016
Maya Angelou On Love, Black Pain, Submission, Survival
On Protest: A Public Service Announcement
August 2016
Write Your Dreams Down, And Don’t Crumple The Paper
July 2016
June 2016
Perception Is A Powerful Thing
When Diversity Means Everything, Diversity Means Nothing
Colorblindness Won’t End Racism
May 2016
Education Technology And Teaching In Higher Ed
Your Outrage at the $15 An Hour Crowd Is Misdirected
Denial Is The Fuel That Feeds Rape Culture
I’ll Never Be Here For The N-Word In Any Of Its Forms
April 2016
Conservative Christian Beliefs & Sexual Orientation in Social Work: N.A.H.Podcast Episode 3
N.A.H. Podcast Episode 2: For Your Inspiration
My Favorite Response to Buzzfeed’s 27 Questions Black People Have For Black People Video
March 2016
10 Rules of Survival If Stopped By The Police
Notes For The Field: A Collection of Essential Notes For Social Work Practitioners and Other Helpers
A Beginning List of Readings for New Social Work Students
On Power & Privilege Denial, and “Hurt Feelings” in Social Justice Work
February 2016
Need a Doorway Into Talking About Differences and Conflict? Use Bath Towels
9 Pieces of Advice I Learned From Meeting A College Athletic Director
Yes, Anger Does Influence My Work for Racial Justice, and No, We Won’t Calm Down
January 2016
An Unexpected, But Very Welcome Gift
Create Your Personal SWOT Analysis
5 Pieces of Advice I Took From A Meeting With A College President
Support Notes From an Aspiring Humanitarian
Moving From “Non” To “Anti” In Social Justice Work
Need Blogging Inspiration? Check Your Comments
December 2015
N.A.H. Rewind: The Best of 2015
November 2015
When Your World Grows, Things Change
Having Trouble Connecting With Oppressed Groups? Maybe It’s Not Them. Maybe It’s You
We Are Not Beholden To Our “Allies”
An Open Letter To The Parents Of College Students: 8 Things Those Students Want You To Know
Respect Others’ Way Of Thinking
Getting In The Space To Write: 4 Things I Use
Sometimes, Looking Back Can Help You Move Forward
A Story In A Single Image: Challenging The Myth Of Meritocracy
15 Things I’ve Learned While Working For Social Justice
October 2015
Moving Beyond Writer’s Block: 3 Tips for Writers For Social Justice
Please Consider Supporting My Work
Randomly Organized Thoughts From 35,000 Feet
September 2015
Non-Religious Belief ≠ Lack of Morality
Same Campus, Different Experiences: First Generation College Students Share Their Stories
A Charge to Schools of Social Work: Be Accountable in the Work of Racial Justice
Hurry Up and Wait: On Social Justice Elitism and Eagerness for Change
On Internalized Racism: Moving from Anger to Compassion
August 2015
Throwback Thursday: What Areas Would You Like The Social Work Profession To Focus On?
June 2015
May 2015
The Truth: White People Should Talk To White People About Racism
There’s Room For Us All In This Work
April 2015
What Is “The White Community” Going To Do About Racism?
Kids Are Not Here For Our Boundaries
Getting In Our Own Way: Barriers We Contribute To That Limit Social Change
March 2015
February 2015
We Make Black History Everyday. We Rise, We Survive, We Fly
Social Work and Public Health: Partner Professions in Social Justice
Twitter Chat On Macro Social Work Offers Important Resources for Students, Professionals
Everybody Can Be Great: Til The Very Last Minute
On The Social Construction of Disability
January 2015
The Art of War: How The Masses Are Convinced to be Complicit With Oppression
December 2014
N.A.H. Rewind: The Best of 2014
From Everyday Feminism: “5 Ways Marginalized People Can Recognize Their Privilege in Other Areas
Give the Gift of Inclusion This Holiday Season: Multicultural Children’s Books
More Resources for Teaching About #Ferguson
An Open Letter of Love to Black Students: #BlackLivesMatter
November 2014
Our Values Inform the Actions We Take, and The Paths We Make
October 2014
One, Human Family: An Example of Why We Should Work Together
Men’s Non-Violence Educator Shares Resources to Engage Men in Gender Based Violence Prevention Work
Racism Makes You Question Everything
It’ll Be Alright in The Morning
September 2014
A Brief Reflection on Dialogue and Teaching
August 2014
“What is Your Responsibility to Your Country?”
6 Questions for Social Workers, 6 Answers for Social Work Students
When Things Aren’t Working Properly, Invest Some Time in Unclogging The Pipes
Talking About Microaggressions
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
3 Examples of Structural Racism in Action
“Don’t Burn Your Opportunities”
3 Ideas for What Men Who Work With Boys and Other Men Can Do to Help Them Challenge Sexism
March 2014
February 2014
For Potential Social Workers: 6 Sources of Advice
There Are No Short Cuts to Commitment
January 2014
Bloggers for Social Justice: Promote Yourself, Your Blog Here
December 2013
Repair What Has Been Broken, While There’s Still Time
On Doing a Double Check: What If You’re Not Missing Any Information?
Treat Others How They Want To Be Treated
7 Resources on Cultural Appropriation
November 2013
“Blindspot” Redacted: Uncovering Privilege
Allies Who Are Not Allies: Blogs You Should Read
The Black Bruins–Spoken Word by Sy Stokes
October 2013
On Being Called Out: Shut Up And Listen, Or, Resistance is a Choice
From WhereIamGoing: Personal Stories About Stop And Frisk
What A Shrink Thinks: Blogs You Should Read
September 2013
A Resource for Dialogue: White Privilege Denial Bingo
Sometimes We Need A Bridge: Lessons from Life’s Classroom
August 2013
From Feminist Frequency: Damsel in Distress: Tropes vs. Women in Video Games
2 Informative Resources on Implicit Bias Related to Race
Why Focus on So Many Issues? Inside N.A.H. Part 5
July 2013
From Where I Enter: When Being a Good Ally Goes Wrong
Who Are You Writing For? Inside N.A.H. Part 4
Safe Spaces for Everyone: Radio Interview on Street Harassment
“How Does It Feel to be A Problem?”
Sometimes, Even A Tow Truck Needs to be Towed: Lessons from Life’s Classroom
June 2013
On Beginning A Website: Inside (N.A.H.) Part 2
12 Topics About Social Media That I Hope You Write About
Reader’s Choice: How Do You Use Social Media?
May 2013
From Codeswitch: The Questions People Get Asked About Their Race
“Ok, But Where Are You Really From?”
4 Ways to Stay Mindful of Social Justice Issues in Group Work Practice
April 2013
Sometimes, Being “Used” Isn’t Such A Bad Thing: Lessons from Life’s Classroom
Have a Story to Tell? Just Write It Because It Could Be Just Right for Someone Else
March 2013
Reader’s Choice: Can You Revisit The Climate?
Reader’s Share: We Need to Talk About an Injustice
Reader’s Share: The Wrong Side of History
(N.A.H.) Rewind: On Social Work in Society: For Me, It All Comes Back to Ubuntu
February 2013
On Relationships: When In Doubt, First, Do a Double-Check: Lessons from Life’s Classroom
Social Workers for Social Justice: An Interview with Relando Thompkins
On Being Black and Non-Christian: Sometimes, “Keeping it Real” Goes Wrong
2 Conflicts, 2 Articles, and 2 Conversations Worth Having About Race and Black History Month
From Tumblr: Dear Liberal Allies–What Your College Courses on Oppression Didn’t Tell You
An Exercise in Media Literacy: Superbowl Bingo
January 2013
7 Productive Ways to Manage Yourself When Times Get Rough
13 Compelling Social Work Blogs
December 2012
On Communication: Duplicates vs. Complements
On Communication: Debate vs. Dialogue
November 2012
Four Corners of Bullying: Towards Breaking the Cycle
October 2012
Playing Oppression Olympics Gets Us Nowhere on the Road to Equity
We All Need Allies, and We All Need to be an Ally
Reader’s Share: The Glorification of White Crime
September 2012
Understanding “Kid Fun” as a Secret to Success: Lessons from Life’s Classroom
Racial Discrimination in the Workplace: On Hair Politics
A Valuable Resource: The Social Worker as a Consultant Series
August 2012
Are YOU A Community Organizer?
Equity Through Non-Violent Communication and Social Action: An OU Interview with Relando Part 7
Brief Thoughts on Dialogue: An OU Interview with Relando Part 2
“One Thing I Wish I Learned in Social Work School”: A Follow-Up
Skills for Entrepreneurship: One Thing I Wish I Learned in Social Work School
July 2012
Sometimes, It’s Good Things Don’t Work Out: Lessons from Life’s Classroom
June 2012
Remember Something New Everyday: Lessons from Life’s Classroom
May 2012
A Challenge, A Change in Diet, or Something More?
April 2012
“When You Get, Give. When You Learn, Teach”
Different Stories, Common Themes
“I Just Want to be Helped and be a Helper”
March 2012
It’s the Journey That’s Important
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
What’s With the Conflict? Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
October 2011
Dealing with Conflict: A Tale of Monsters & Two Wolves
September 2011
Barely Scratching the Surface: Thoughts on Social Identities, Power, Privilege, & Oppression
August 2011
An Aspiring Humanitarian’s Advice to Future Students Pursuing Studies for Social Justice Work
July 2011
Re: “Can I Touch It?” The Fascination with Natural, African American Hair
It’s Not a Compliment, It’s Harassment
June 2011
To the African American Father: You Are Appreciated
Breaking the Silence: A Lesson Learned in My Ongoing Development as an Ally
May 2011
Respecting Diversity in the Classroom & Beyond: Multicultural Guidelines
Sincerity & Humility as Credibility
April 2011
Notes from an Aspiring Humanitarian (N.A.H.)
From Aspiring Humanitarian, Relando Thompkins, MSW, LLMSW
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