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Opinion

Math and the great divide

Commentary

When I was in grad school at St. Bonaventure studying to become a school district leader, one of my professors told the class that math teachers make the best school administrators because of their problem solving abilities and their analytical skills. Of course this professor, who was also working as a public school administrator, was also a former math teacher. Being a math teacher myself at the time, his statement made me feel pretty good about my decision to go into public school administration. My mathematics background served me well during my more than two decades as a school ...

‘Troubling’ consequences in racism, ageism

Commentary

Intersectionality is the concept that multiple different social characteristics, such as race, age, gender, class, sexuality, and more, all work together to create systems of privilege and discrimination in our society.  Many of these oppressive systems are often intertwined, compounding discrimination.  Specifically, ageism and racism work hand in hand to target older adults of color, resulting in health and economic disparities.  Taking Foundations of Social Justice at the State University of New York at Fredonia has allowed me to gain much-needed knowledge on inequalities ...

Living ‘For God and Country’ in U.S.

Commentary

Although our nation will celebrate its birth in July of this year, its story of independence begins several years prior. Throughout the times beginning in about 1773 the flames for freedom were being felt in the American colonies. True patriots to the cause for such feeling had already reached intolerance for the crown of England. Dissatisfaction for the interruption of life here was growing at an increased rate and that fire was fueled by the antics of the Sons of Liberty who took to rebellious actions like the Boston Tea Party. Prior catalysts such as the tabloids of Thomas Payne and ...

NEW YORK STATE Here we go again with affordability

The OBSERVER’s View

Both political parties continue to tout affordability when it comes to living in New York. Gov. Kathy Hochul did it on Tuesday during her State of the State address while members of the Republican party discussed it in their “Save New York” plan on Monday. While we’re all ears — and hopeful — we find it hard to believe this state can be affordable if costs to run public entities continue to rise. Upstate is struggling. Cities, including Buffalo and Dunkirk, are running multi-million dollar deficits. All the while, government and education spending keeps going up. How is ...

Western civilization way of life faces threats

Commentary

Will Western Civilization survive the onslaught? Why is the American Left so intent on destroying that which eventually liberated us from serfdom and slavery? Why do they oppose individual liberty? Western Civilization (or Tradition) is set of cultural norms developed over the past 300 years in Western Europe and America, with roots in ancient Greece and Christianity – nowhere else. The core of Western Tradition is the “Enlightenment” belief in the sovereign individual – the assumption that a person has a Right to exist for his own sake, not merely to serve a ...

HOLIDAY Region remembers legacy of Dr. King

The OBSERVER’s View

On Monday, our region and the nation will take time to remember the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In northern Chautauqua County, the Juneteenth Celebration Committee will hold the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon at the State University of New York at Fredonia Williams Center at 11:45 a.m. Monday. This year’s theme is “Different Roads, Shared Dreams.” Keeping with tradition, the committee will be presenting the Janice D. Slaton, Esq. scholarship and will continue the “See Me” Literacy Drive that began in 2021 due to COVID-19. The “See Me” Literacy Drive ...