Otis Sanford
First responders need to protect themselves, too
In the age of COVID-19, suspicions that police are not trustworthy must take a back seat to the certainty that this pandemic will spread without adequate safeguards.
Otis Sanford
Columnist
Otis Sanford is professor emeritus of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Memphis and political commentator for WATN-TV ABC24 News. Contact him at o.sanford@memphis.edu.
There are 248 articles by Otis Sanford :
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May 2020
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OpinionMore than a Memphis treasure, Fred Davis was a ‘good human being’
Fred Davis, a charter member of the Memphis City Council, may have left elected office more than 40 years ago, he never stepped aside.
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Otis Sanford‘Ida B. Wells Park’ strikes just the right note
Renaming Health Sciences Park after Ida B. Wells would honor one of the city’s most underappreciated historic figures.
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Otis SanfordA death in Minneapolis is a metaphor for the black experience in America
If this does not create sustained national outrage from the halls of government to the smallest police force in America, if this does not convince you that the Black Lives Matter movement had it right all along, nothing will.
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June 2020
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Otis SanfordProtesters remembered their Tennessee history when they met the statue of a racist
Edward Carmack’s statue in the Tennessee Capitol was among several monuments linked to racism and the Confederacy that bit the dust or were defaced during protests over the senseless killing of African Americans by police and vigilantes.
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Otis SanfordWhere is our Lyndon Johnson moment?
Johnson’s message was powerful as he urged Congress to pass voting rights legislation. Drawing from the gospel song that became a hymn of the civil rights movement, he said, “it is all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome.”
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Guest ColumnistsYou have choices when it comes to racism: object, address or deny
There is no denying that we are at a tipping point in this country’s long-overdue reckoning with race and police brutality. And our response to this moment has created three distinct groups – the objectors, the addressers and the deniers.
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Otis SanfordSanford: Mask or no mask? Politics – and gender – inform the decision
A study released this month found that men are less likely to wear masks in public than women. 'Men more than women agree that wearing a face covering is shameful, not cool, a sign of weakness, and a stigma,' one of the study’s authors said.
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July 2020
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Otis SanfordA $40M gift to LeMoyne-Owen was ‘the right thing at the right time’
College President Carol Johnson-Dean took the call announcing the largest endowment the 158-year-old school had ever received: “I literally began to cry.”
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Otis SanfordOpinion: What’s in a name? In the case of ‘Redskins,’ an offense to others
Redskins owner Dan Snyder for years ignored pleas to drop the moniker, telling USA Today in 2014 that he would never change it. Apparently Snyder has since watched Sean Connery’s last James Bond movie, “Never Say Never Again.”
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Otis SanfordSanford: At a meeting in Memphis, John Lewis made his mission clear
When he gave his moving address at the Memphis library to supporters – as well as some covert observers – the 27-year-old John Lewis was already a veteran in the fight for voting rights, equal accommodations and equal justice.
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Otis SanfordSanford: It’s time to retire the national anthem from sporting events
Many fans are not even at their seats when the anthem starts. They are purposefully milling around in the concourse waiting for tipoff. I don’t believe those fans are less patriotic than those standing at attention in the arena with their hands over their hearts. But spectators take the anthem for granted. And it’s time to end the ritual.
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August 2020
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Otis SanfordSanford: Primary election politics are not about honesty
A majority of Americans trust Dr. Anthony Fauci to tell the truth about the pandemic. But Tennessee U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Manny Sethi, hoping to impress President Trump, says Fauci needs to go.
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Otis Sanford Sanford: Biden’s bet on Harris is backed by the numbers
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is counting on his choice of running mate Kamala Harris to bring in new and reenergized voters in key battleground states.
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Otis SanfordSanford: Time to start ‘Votes for Bertha,’ because the struggle continues
Reader suggests a 'Votes for Bertha' campaign in honor of my mother, who faced down resistance to register to vote 56 years ago in Panola County. She would be so pleased.
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Otis Sanford Opinion: Anti-protest law misguided, enacted by governor who follows and doesn’t lead
The Republican-controlled state House and Senate – with Gov. Bill Lee as an accomplice – decided to make protesting on state property a felony, punishable by up to six years in prison.
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September 2020
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Otis SanfordOpinion: Have we gone too far with mandatory minimum sentences?
As criminal justice reform continues to be debated in America, we must focus on whether we’ve gone too far over the last few decades in aggressive policing and over-incarcerating certain individuals.
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Otis SanfordOpinion: Trump’s vaccine claims are all about politics, not about medical science
President Donald Trump has done next to nothing to engender trust from African Americans. In fact, he’s done the opposite. He lies incessantly and shows an interest in Black people only when it suits him politically.
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Otis SanfordOpinion: Division on the county commission often brings more heat than light
Like the population they represent, current members of the Shelby County Commission are turning out to be the most disparate and eclectic group to be elected to a local legislative body in years – perhaps ever.
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Otis SanfordSanford: Alexander’s flip-flop on confirmation vote should surprise no one
No one should be surprised that Lamar Alexander flip-flopped on Supreme Court nominations. He has morphed over the last 40-plus years into a shameless political partisan, and is content to end his political career that way.
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October 2020
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Otis Sanford Opinion: Implicit bias is real, and we need to continue discussing it
Implicit bias is a thing, and it’s reflected in virtually every aspect of our society. Without meaningful discussions of the issue, in public and private workplaces, we can never fully address the scourge of systemic racism.
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ElectionsOpinion: With refusals to debate, GOP Senate candidates shortchange voters
Welcome to the alternate universe of 2020 election year politics in Tennessee and Mississippi. With less than three weeks to go before Election Day, the races for Senate seats in both states have turned into exercises in ultra-partisan campaigning.
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Otis SanfordOpinion: Trump fatigue is fueling Shelby’s massive voter turnout
The massive turnout is being driven in large part by the laser-focused desire to get Trump and his enablers out of the White House. But turnout also is being fueled to a lesser degree by Trump supporters.
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Otis SanfordOpinion: Dueling fliers mean local campaigns are getting nasty
Issues and a candidate’s record should sway voters – not these glossy and trashy campaign fliers that are handy only as makeshift dust pans.
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November 2020
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Otis SanfordOpinion: Despite defiance, Bradshaw won’t find ballots in the basement
The legend of Harold Ford Sr., the victorious underdog, was invoked Tuesday night by another upstart candidate seeking to take down a powerful foe in a Tennessee U.S. Senate race. But the comparisons were misplaced.
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