Your Cart (0)

Total

Checkout

, Option

Rann Miller

I’m a freelance writer, published author and a former teacher. I have contributed to scholarly journals, text books, and many different platforms on the topics of race in higher education, urban schools, sports and the African American diaspora, and professional development for educational professionals. In addition to those things, I serve as an program director for a local school district, a professional development facilitator and also a public speaker.

Front Runner New Jersey - Highlighting the People, •

Pressing Forward: The Desire to Consume Decency Over Politics - Front Runner New Jersey

Watching ESPN’s College GameDay Show on Saturdays, and ESPN in general, has become harder these days because it’s willing to air right-wing political talking points and guests. It’s hypocritical of the network after its concerted push to be apolitical in the wake of what it considered “woke” politics; woke being code for naming anti-Black injustice on its airwaves. A few weeks ago, the show invited conservative senator Ted Cruz on to speak...
Philly's 7th Ward •

Philly Is at the Center of the War Against Black History - Philly's 7th Ward

We’ve Got To Stop Running Scurred.
Immediately after the presidential inauguration, the Trump Administration posted executive orders meant to dismantle the work of educators and activists who brought Black history and the truth of American history to light. 
An immediate target of the administration was the President’s House monumental display located on the corner of 6th and Market Streets for its naming of nine enslaved persons held captive by George and Martha Washington: Hercules, Rich...
NJ Urban News •

A Mother Of The Movement – NJ Urban News

The Camden City School District (CCSD) is currently under state control. Under then-Governor Chris Christie, New Jersey took over CCSD in 2013. In the 13 years since, CCSD has closed, or transfered ownership of to charter schools, 12 of its schools and lost over half its students (from 12,608 students during the 2012-2013 school year (SY) to 6,596 in SY25-26), both exacerbated by the Urban Hope Act.


A school district takeover is meant to directly improve students’ academic performance. Howeve...
Salon.com •

Jalen Hurts shows the price of being unapologetically Black - Salon.com

Jalen Hurts, the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback, is out for the season to recover from a deep vein blood clot, found after arriving in London for the game in which Hurts played between the Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

A Philadelphia sports columnist argued a few years ago that if Brock Purdy, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, were the Eagles quarterback, he “would be a god in Philadelphia,” because of his underdog story. Hurts is an underdog as well. The difference is that...
Philly's 7th Ward •

The Lesson Educators Can Take From Colin Kaepernick's Activism - Philly's 7th Ward

The release of Colin Kaepernick’s autobiography, The Perilous Fight, provides an opportunity to revisit his protest of the national anthem 10 years ago. In choosing to sit and then kneel during the national anthem, Colin Kaepernick chose to make a stand for Black people as an oppressed people in the United States, bringing attention to the unlawful murders of Black people by law enforcement.
NJ Urban News •

The Power Of Public Art On Display In Camden – NJ Urban News

Artists and community organizations are using murals, galleries and public spaces to challenge the narratives imposed on Camden and affirm the beauty and humanity of its residents.The city of Camden has always been a harbor of talent.

From legendary natives like Tasha Smith and Tye Tribbett to Lola Falana and Leon Huff, the tradition of cultivating talent has continued to today. As an educator in the city, I’ve had the privilege of working with talented students who have gone on to become...
Salon.com •

Colin Kaepernick knows what kneeling cost — and he'd do it again

The Merikins are the descendants of formerly enslaved African Americans who fought alongside the British during the War of 1812. At the war’s end, the British granted these fighters and their families land in Trinidad and Tobago as part of their freedom.

The third verse of the “Star-Spangled Banner” served as a threat to African Americans who sought liberation — particularly those fighting against the United States like the Merikins — from Francis Scott Key, an unabashed racist whose racism inf...
Front Runner New Jersey - Highlighting the People, •

Pressing Forward: Whether Sunny or Grey, Durags and Bonnets Away - Front Runner New Jersey

I’ve worn a durag before. I’ve owned multiple, and when in college, I’ve worn them to class. People may not have liked it, Black and white people alike. But a durag didn’t speak negatively on my character nor my intelligence. Sadly, some people believe that it does, including the Administration at Tuskegee University, which rolled out a new dress code policy earlier this summer. The only thing that makes sense about this Tuskegee dress code...
Inquirer.com •

Hannah Gann’s deceit makes the work of Black and brown justice activists harder | Opinion

A few months ago, I attended a Black history workshop in the city with educator-activists from around the country. That’s where I met Hannah Gann. At the workshop, she shared with some and reiterated to others that she was Palestinian. She also claimed to be Black.No one questioned her. Even if one had doubts — and I did — it never crossed my mind that someone would lie about that.We’ve since learned she did, and has been telling falsehoods about her identity to her friends, family, fellow activ...
Philly's 7th Ward •

Our Oppressors Study Our History; We Must Study Harder - Philly's 7th Ward

The start of the school year brings new beginnings. It is also a good time to look back on our past to chart our future. Black history should be taught throughout the year, not only in February. So we can start teaching Black history as we hit the ground running this September. 


We only have to go as far as last month. Last month, we celebrated Black August, the annual month-long observance honoring Black freedom fighters and political prisoners that recognizes the continuing global struggle...
NJ Urban News •

The Neo-Colonialism of a School District Pt. II – NJ Urban News

A hard truth is that conservatives and liberals aren’t as different as they claim to be. 

Both parties follow the same invisible laws of power, using their presumed ideological differences at home to distract from the harm they cause, both at home and abroad. Both parties engage in a foreign policy built on imperialism, war, and fascism that drains American tax dollars to fund harm abroad, while surveillance, policing, and censorship persist. 

Similarities between the parties can also be s...
Iansá Magazine •

Modern Black Politics 101: Discerning Black Political Candidates is Critical

Like many Black people in 2008, I was swept by the presidential candidacy of then Senator Barack Obama. When asked why I intended to vote for him, my answer was simple: 43 white men had their turn ruining the country; let a Black man have his turn. President Obama had his turn, to the tune of providing Israel with billions of taxpayer dollars, killing thousands of innocent people via drone strikes, and chastising Black people every chance he got. 


I was naive to think that hope and change wer...
Front Runner New Jersey - Highlighting the People, •

Pressing Forward: Camden City Is a Dumping Ground For a Different Reason - Front Runner New Jersey

Rann Miller says Environmental Racism Continues to Haunt City And it WouldTake Uncommon Political Courage to End It



OP-ED



BY RANN MILLER | Pressing Forward



Some consider Camden City a dump because of the crime and violence that have plagued the city.

It’s a narrative I’ve heard my entire life. That narrative is responsible for the negative treatment the city receives, specifically by non-residents: those who leave trash behind after attending a concert, panhandlers who come to Ca...
NJ Urban News •

The Neo-Colonization of a School District Part 1: An Introduction – NJ Urban News

Emily Dickinson once wrote about hope. She said, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops… at all.” Her words were the beginning of a poem on how hope quietly sustains the human spirit during the worst of times.


Written in 1862, I allow myself to think that hope perched in the souls of Black folk… perched in the souls of the enslaved at the dawn of emancipation when many dropped hammer and hoe for a gun and bayonet. Perched...
Inquirer.com •

Colin Kaepernick, ‘Black August,’ and the legacy of Black athlete activism | Opinion

It’s been said that a social movement can start with the smallest gestures. Ten years ago this month, a simple act by Colin Kaepernick sparked a movement. He chose to protest the playing of the national anthem by sitting and later kneeling, breaking with the norm of showing respect and pride by standing. On Aug. 26, 2016, during a preseason game, Kaepernick was photographed sitting on the bench as the anthem was being played. When questioned by reporters, Kaepernick explained:“I am not going to...
Christianity Today •

Teaching Black History in the Trump Age - Christianity Today

A program modeled after the Freedom Schools of the 60s is helping kids at my church know their history.Since assuming power, the Trump administration has aimed to guard the myth of America’s history as uniformly inclusive, above critique, and unifying, and it has protected the sensibilities of its predominantly white political base along the way. As a result, we’ve seen commemorations of African American history revised to soften the moral failings of the US and its founders, or removed and then...
Front Runner New Jersey - Highlighting the People, •

The President’s House Isn’t Ours Anymore. So Let’s Build Something That Is - Front Runner New Jersey

Let Trump Have It.

Donald Trump wants the President’s House to whitewash history; let him. With apologies to the work of the activist groups who’ve worked to get the story of enslavement told at the site, including the respected Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, I think it’s time we reconcile the fact that this house that enslaved African people belongs to the state. The state refuses to be held accountable.

The federal appeals court that...
Philly's 7th Ward •

Teach Young People Reading as a Tool of Resistance - Philly's 7th Ward

I remember being a young student and always looking forward to the summer. What I didn’t look forward to was summer reading. The selections never felt like anything I could sink my teeth into. When I see some of the readings my own children are assigned for the summer, I realize that, sadly, little has changed in that way.


Schools should be creating strong readers. That doesn’t happen by simply teaching children how to read. It also happens by introducing texts to children. Much has been made...
Front Runner New Jersey - Highlighting the People, •

Calling on Black College Athletes To Boycott PWIs Is Grasping at Straws - Front Runner New Jersey

Black “leaders” have to stop calling on Black collegiate athletes to boycott playing sports whenever white people choose to be racist.

It’s weak to expect young people to bear the burden of sacrifice against anti-Black racism when we (the adults) haven’t.

As a result of the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, the NAACP has called for a Black athlete boycott of PWIs (predominantly white [collegiate] institutions) in GOP-led sta...
NJ Urban News •

Sherrill's Mess: Delaney Hall and the Myth of the Good Democrat – NJ Urban News

Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing column called Camden Front and Center, analyzing the city’s politics, development, and power structures. It reflects the author’s examination and perspective on how decisions by political, business, and civic leaders impact the city’s Black and Latino residents.To the “Blue No Matter Who” crowd of liberals who argue that a Republican in executive office will do (greater) harm to people than a Democrat in a similar position, what do you have to sa...
NJ Urban News •

Is It Too Late? Camden Revokes Recycling Facility's License – NJ Urban News

There’s a saying that goes, better late than never. In some cases, this is true. An example is trying a renowned restaurant after folks have raved over it. Another example is learning a new piece of information well after it became available. But over time, I’ve learned that better than late is being on time–if not being early. 


In the saga of EMR’s lithium battery fires in Camden, councilman Arthur Barclay announced Monday evening that the city would be revoking EMR’s business license, as re...
Philly's 7th Ward •

Our Kids Need Us to Fight For Black History In Schools - Philly's 7th Ward

As a student, Black history gave me a sense of pride and belonging in my community, even though my knowledge was nowhere near as expansive as it is today. I knew enough to realize that my future–the person I would become and the life I would lead–was bigger than just me. I knew that my life was part of a lineage, even though I couldn’t quite understand what that meant. It explained why my parents, my grandparents, and my community were so invested in my academic success.
Inquirer.com •

The NAACP is out of bounds | Opinion

The NAACP’s “Out of Bounds” campaign, calling for Black college athletes to boycott playing at universities within GOP-led states engaging in voting rights suppression, comes from a genuine place to fight against Black voter disenfranchisement. However, the campaign’s architects failed to consider the undeniable realities that require a more strategic approach to multifaceted circumstances.One circumstance concerns the landscape of college sports, particularly regarding labor compensation. Years...
Load More