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Mary C. Curtis

The Latest From Mary C. Curtis

Does labeling protest ‘domestic terrorism’ weaken national security — and First Amendment protections?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted February 27, 2026 at 12:06pm
Doug Jones, seen here as a senator in 2019, recently invoked post-Jim Crow Southern politicians “who saw that a region’s success depends on justice.”

Is the New South old news, or can it rise again?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted February 25, 2026 at 2:00pm
The late Rep. John Lewis, is seen on April 15, 2015, recounting his experience in Selma, Ala., to a group of students gathered on the House steps.

You don’t need to view US law-enforcement lawlessness through a ‘Gestapo’ lens

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted February 6, 2026 at 6:00am

The state of voting rights in a critical midterm election year

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted January 21, 2026 at 5:40pm
President Donald Trump is marking the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by trying to grab attention from a legacy he could only dream of earning, Curtis writes. Above, Trump is seen returning to Joint Base Andrews on Jan. 13.

Why the aggrieved need a scapegoat and an excuse — anything but the truth

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted January 15, 2026 at 6:00am

Advocacy and recognition lead to action for the disabled in sports — and beyond

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted December 22, 2025 at 11:28am
Viola Fletcher died last month at age 111. Above, she testifies about surviving the 1921 Tulsa massacre at a House subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on May 19, 2021.

American individualism, but only for some Americans

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted December 17, 2025 at 2:19pm

Despite DEI pushback, a corporate culture of belonging is possible

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted November 21, 2025 at 10:31am
Protesters march down Pennsylvania Avenue during an Oct. 18 “No Kings” protest in Washington, D.C.

Are Americans getting comfortable with the unimaginable?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted November 12, 2025 at 2:00pm
The current challenges in higher education didn’t begin overnight, according to the new book “Peril and Promise.” Above, a high school graduate tosses a cap in the air at the Lincoln Memorial in June 2020.

Higher education is hurting. Why should you care?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted October 14, 2025 at 1:59pm
Tea party activists gather near the Capitol on April 6, 2012, holding “Don’t Tread on Me” flags.

Where are those ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flags now?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted October 9, 2025 at 6:00am

College leadership in turbulent times

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted October 3, 2025 at 12:29pm

A moral call to action on climate and energy policy

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted September 11, 2025 at 10:57am
National Guard troops are seen in Washington on Aug. 28. After his show of federal force in D.C., President Donald Trump seems keen on testing his power in other urban centers, with little understanding of and much scorn for the people who live there, Curtis writes.

Inner-city Americans deserve respect — and crime policies that work

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted September 4, 2025 at 6:00am

Closing the opportunity gap in education

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted August 15, 2025 at 1:12pm
One TV show canceled during the Red Scare was hosted by jazz pianist and singer Hazel Scott. Above, Scott entertains a crowd circa 1940.

It’s not about a TV show. Instilling fear is the plan

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted July 24, 2025 at 7:00am
Local problems can turn into national conversations, like when one woman raised questions about the safety of firefighting gear after her husband got cancer. Above, a firefighter sprays foam on a smoldering tree in Southern California in 2016.

When secrecy starts in your own backyard, so does activism

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted July 21, 2025 at 12:11pm

‘Accidental activists,’ the local heroes who expose government secrecy

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted July 14, 2025 at 10:52am
People embrace during a vigil in San Antonio on Monday, after the deadly floods in Texas’ Hill Country.

What is America without shared ideals?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted July 10, 2025 at 6:00am

What is ‘the way forward’ after violence born of hatred?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted June 12, 2025 at 2:12pm
An activist holds a sign near the Capitol in March. Voters expect political violence to get worse, and it’s not hard to see why, Curtis writes.

Looking for solutions to America’s divide

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted June 5, 2025 at 6:00am
Libraries should be places of freedom and exploration, Curtis writes, not surveillance. Above, a researcher reads in the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress.

Forget ‘quiet, please.’ Not even libraries are safe

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted May 22, 2025 at 6:00am

The politics of the Catholic Church after Pope Francis

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted May 2, 2025 at 2:36pm
President Donald Trump and the late Pope Francis offer a study in contrasts, Curtis writes. Above, the pair are seen at a Vatican meeting on May 24, 2017.

A tale of two leaders: Pope Francis and Trump

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted April 30, 2025 at 4:10pm
People gather for a “Hands Off!” rally around the Washington Monument on Saturday, one of many weekend protests around the country.

Have American citizens finally started paying attention?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted April 9, 2025 at 11:28am

How a post-World War II ‘Red Scare’ resonates in modern America

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted April 8, 2025 at 9:53am
Donald Trump looks down from the presidential box in the Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on March 17.

The shrinking of American culture can only lead to groupthink and frustration

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted March 27, 2025 at 6:00am

Fighting a disease and a health care system

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted March 7, 2025 at 1:19pm
President Donald Trump greets lawmakers before delivering his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.

Welcome to a real-life Twilight Zone

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted March 5, 2025 at 3:07pm

Has the fringe gone mainstream?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted February 18, 2025 at 1:45pm
Tuskegee Airman Harry Stewart Jr., seen here last July, died this year at age 100.

The ‘lost boys’ of Trump and Musk shrink next to real patriots

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted February 13, 2025 at 6:30am
The true history of civil rights struggles is high on the GOP’s list of “divisive” concepts, Curtis writes. But the carvings on the side of the King memorial offer an important reminder for Inauguration Day and beyond.

King never gave up his righteous fight, an example for all to follow

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted January 20, 2025 at 4:36pm
Allison Riggs, shown outside the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022, is battling to preserve her narrow victory in North Carolina's Supreme Court election. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

When the will of the voters meets a political power grab

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted January 16, 2025 at 6:00am
Former President Jimmy Carter, who died last month at age 100, would not be at ease in the “broligarchy.” But his version of manhood is the better one, Curtis writes.

Jimmy Carter’s version of being a man should still mean something

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted January 3, 2025 at 6:01am

Lying in politics is a danger to democracy. Can it be fixed?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted December 23, 2024 at 11:39am
By counting on resentment and fear of the other, the GOP has betrayed people like her mom, Curtis writes.

A holiday season of personal and political reflection

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted December 12, 2024 at 6:00am

Looking at climate futures with imagination and resolve

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted December 9, 2024 at 11:20am
A child waits for Kamala Harris to take the stage during a rally in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Oct. 28.

Democrats’ competing postmortems leave out history — and the obvious

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted December 5, 2024 at 6:00am
Activists hold a sign near the Capitol during a rally against fossil fuels in 2021.

The consequences of climate and environmental policy unleashed

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted November 14, 2024 at 6:00am
For Donald Trump and his followers, the only possible proof of a fair election was a Trump win, Curtis writes. Above, the Republican attends one of his final campaign events in Pittsburgh on Nov. 4.

The threat of lawlessness hung over this election

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted November 6, 2024 at 3:02pm
Protestors and supporters of Donald Trump gathered outside Madison Square Garden on Sunday, as the Republican nominee brought his closing message to New York City.

Closing with ‘values,’ Trump and Harris stand in contrast

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted October 30, 2024 at 1:50pm

How a battle for locker-room access was about so much more

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted October 28, 2024 at 12:20pm
Americans concerned about the economy, reproductive rights and immigration usually don’t place Ukraine’s predicament high on their list, but it still looms large in this election, Curtis writes. Above, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump meet in New York City on Sept. 27.

An election that’s bigger than one country

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted October 16, 2024 at 6:00am
NBA star Dikembe Mutombo stands next to first lady Laura Bush during the president’s 2007 State of the Union address. Mutombo died this week at the age of 58. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Stoking division may be a winning campaign strategy, but it comes at a cost

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted October 3, 2024 at 6:00am

Has grift hijacked American conservatism?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted October 1, 2024 at 2:42pm
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris waves to the crowd at a Sept. 12 rally in Charlotte, N.C.

In battleground North Carolina, a Kamala Harris crowd overflowing with joy — and urgency

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted September 19, 2024 at 6:00am
Vice President Kamala Harris listens as former President Donald Trump speaks at the presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Despite a debate win, Kamala Harris must walk an all-too-familiar tightrope

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted September 11, 2024 at 11:56am
Vice President Kamala Harris waves from her seat flanked by Second gentleman of the United States Doug Emhoff and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz during the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Monday.

Looking to the future, with a nod to history at the DNC

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted August 20, 2024 at 2:08pm

Investing in the culture: The history and power of Black philanthropy

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted August 9, 2024 at 9:44am
Vice President Kamala Harris attends a campaign rally in Atlanta on Tuesday. By quickly rallying around Harris, her party has resisted the “Dems in disarray” label, Curtis writes.

Now who’s in disarray?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted August 1, 2024 at 6:00am
A crowd gathers in front of the Supreme Court building on June 26, 2013, ahead of a key ruling that struck down parts of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. Gay conservatives were early and important voices in the fight to legalize same-sex marriage, according to a recent book.

How Republicans helped shape gay activism in America

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted July 25, 2024 at 6:15am

Equal Time: A history of the gay right

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted July 22, 2024 at 11:00am
Former President Donald Trump is seen raising his fist on the jumbotron in the Fiserv Forum at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Tuesday. With an agenda highlighting supposed mayhem in Democratic cities, Republican calls for unity were already ringing hollow, Curtis writes.

Respect for difference is more important than an appeal for nonexistent unity

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted July 17, 2024 at 1:28pm
It’s been 60 years since Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, but opponents of change are still working to turn back the clock, Curtis writes.

The never-ending fight for civil rights

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted July 11, 2024 at 6:00am

Rep. Alma Adams on House business and the state of her state

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted June 25, 2024 at 2:47pm
Donald Trump participates in a roundtable at the 180 Church in Detroit, Michigan, on June 15.

Will the real Donald Trump get the coverage he deserves?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted June 21, 2024 at 6:00am
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a “Freedom Summer” in his state, using a name that powerfully resonates in American history, Curtis writes.

American history turned upside down — and that’s the point

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted June 13, 2024 at 6:00am
People gather outside Trump Tower in New York as Donald Trump holds a post-conviction press conference on May 31. His fans are loud and proud of their guy, no matter what a jury decided, Curtis writes.

Just give Donald Trump, baggage and all, the GOP crown

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted June 6, 2024 at 6:00am

Women’s voices on justice for Black men

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted May 29, 2024 at 2:50pm
The procession outside Donald Trump’s hush money trial over the past couple weeks has looked like a casting call for “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” Curtis writes. From left, Rep. Byron Donalds, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Speaker Mike Johnson and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy listen as Trump speaks to reporters in New York City on May 14.

Trump’s mini-mes in uniform are waging war on American institutions

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted May 22, 2024 at 6:15am
Ignorance of history makes it much easier to sell the lie that the 2020 election was stolen, Curtis writes. Above, voters in Washington, D.C., wait in line on Election Day in 2022.

Blocking voters you don’t like is a shameful American tradition

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted May 9, 2024 at 6:00am
Former President Donald Trump sits in a Manhattan courtroom during his criminal hush money trial on Tuesday.

Can a courtroom bring Trump’s larger-than-life personality down to size?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted April 24, 2024 at 6:00am
Salvage crews last week continued to remove wreckage from the cargo ship Dali after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

The immigrant story we sometimes forget

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted April 18, 2024 at 6:00am

A reality check on crime and justice

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted April 14, 2024 at 9:01pm
As voters consider abortion rights, they might question party loyalty. Or maybe they won’t, Curtis writes. Above, activists rally for and against abortion drug access as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on March 26.

Abortion is on the ballot. But so is loyalty to Trump

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted April 11, 2024 at 6:00am
A demonstrator holds a sign as the Supreme Court heard arguments on whether Colorado could keep former President Donald Trump off the 2024 presidential ballot.

A two-tiered justice system is nothing new — and certainly not what Trump says it is

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted March 21, 2024 at 6:00am
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, now the GOP nominee for governor, joins former President Donald Trump at a rally at in Selma, N.C., on April 9, 2022. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

If Mark Robinson is your standard-bearer, you might reexamine your standards

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted March 14, 2024 at 6:00am
Vice President Kamala Harris (second from left), second gentleman Doug Emhoff (right), civil rights attorney Ben Crump (second from right) and the Rev. Al Sharpton (left) join a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge during a commemoration of the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Ala., on Sunday.

Justice for Black voters? Or rap songs and sneakers?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted March 7, 2024 at 6:00am
President Donald Trump holds a Bible upside down while visiting St. John's Church across from the White House during protests in Washington on June 1, 2020.

Once upon a time, politicians wrestled with the role of religion in politics

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted February 29, 2024 at 6:00am

How increased Black homeownership can put a dent in the racial wealth gap

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted February 22, 2024 at 10:26am
An image of Donald Trump appears on video screens before his speech to supporters from the Ellipse at the White House on Jan. 6, 2021.

When the game of politics plunges into dangerous spectacle

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted February 15, 2024 at 6:00am

When it comes to political persuasion, why emotion matters

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted February 1, 2024 at 3:07pm
E. Jean Carroll leaves a Manhattan federal court on Jan. 26 following the conclusion of her civil defamation trial against former President Donald Trump.

What E. Jean Carroll could teach ‘tough’ Republicans about calling out a bully

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted February 1, 2024 at 6:00am
Barack Obama, then a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Illinois, speaks to the crowd at the Democratic National Convention in Boston on July 27, 2004.

Do leaders realize Americans who don’t vote for them are still Americans?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted January 25, 2024 at 6:00am
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington.

To honor Dr. King, GOP should honor what he really believed in

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted January 18, 2024 at 6:00am
President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event Monday in Charleston, S.C. at Emanuel AME Church, the site of a 2015 shooting massacre perpetrated by a white supremacist.

For history-challenged candidates, Civil War source material is nearby

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted January 11, 2024 at 6:00am
Former president and presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks at the New York Young Republican Club's 111th annual gala in New York on Dec. 9.

When leaders reveal themselves, the next step is ours

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted December 14, 2023 at 6:00am

A time for reflection — and giving

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted December 11, 2023 at 2:28pm

What’s at stake for communities of color in the global climate crisis?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted November 30, 2023 at 2:15pm
Rosalynn Carter, center, watches as husband Jimmy Carter recites the presidential oath of office administered by Chief Justice Warren Burger, left, on Jan. 20, 1977.

Carter funeral, Rustin biopic show lives getting deserved reexamination

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted November 30, 2023 at 6:00am
Republican presidential candidates at the party's third primary debate in Miami on Nov. 8.

Is it that hard to be a leader for all Americans?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted November 16, 2023 at 6:00am
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., concludes a news conference on the House steps on Oct. 25. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Does Speaker Johnson realize some of his best constituents are Black?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted November 2, 2023 at 6:00am
Speaker Mike Johnson walks down the House steps with other Republicans after securing the gavel Wednesday.

Speaker mayhem: When the rules are rigged, it breeds chaos

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted October 26, 2023 at 6:00am
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, speaks to aides on the floor as Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., looks on.

House Republicans wanted all the control, while doing none of the real work

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted October 19, 2023 at 6:00am

Transforming Alabama – and young voters. Nothing is off the table

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted October 6, 2023 at 7:00am
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks to the media Tuesday after the House agreed to his motion to declare the Office of the Speaker vacant.

Is this the leadership America deserves? Seriously?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted October 5, 2023 at 6:00am
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., leaves the Capitol in May.

When being kicked out of a theater is about more than bad manners

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted September 26, 2023 at 6:00am
Confederate statues, like this one saluting Confederate War Dead in Downtown Chatham, Va., is a reminder of the past for Black people seeking justice, columnist Mary C. Curtis writes.

America’s two-tiered justice system isn’t new — just don’t talk about it

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted September 14, 2023 at 6:00am
The Rosa Parks statue in the Capitol's Statuary Hall in June 2021.

A summer of reflection — and fears of history repeating itself

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted September 6, 2023 at 6:00am
President Joe Biden is applauded by members of the Till family and members of Congress as he signs a proclamation in the Indian Treaty Room to establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Illinois and Mississippi on Tuesday.

America’s future depends on a truthful reckoning with its past

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted July 27, 2023 at 6:00am
Adm. Michelle Howard was the first woman to become a four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy, and the first Black woman to captain a U.S. naval ship.

Can the U.S. military still lead the way on civil rights?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted July 18, 2023 at 12:22pm
A man walks by a church in the Bloomingdale neighborhood in Washington, D.C.

Do you need to have faith to practice values?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted July 13, 2023 at 6:00am
A protester dressed in a Bible costume stands in front of the U.S. Supreme Court last year.

What has been deemed legal is not always right

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted July 6, 2023 at 6:00am
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis delivers remarks on June 9 in Greensboro, N.C.

In a moment of progress in America, everyone can win

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted June 22, 2023 at 7:00am
In this photo illustration, pages are viewed from the unsealed federal indictment of former President Donald Trump.

Trump indictment: When always striving for ‘more’ turns toxic

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted June 15, 2023 at 6:00am
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has said "public education in North Carolina is facing a state of emergency."

Public education won’t ‘fail,’ unless America abandons the idea and the ideal

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted June 8, 2023 at 6:00am

Why mental health policy is personal and political

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted May 25, 2023 at 3:01pm
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., at a Senate Agriculture subcommittee hearing on May 2.

Many Americans really are thinking terrible things — and proudly saying them out loud

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted May 18, 2023 at 6:00am
The state flag of North Carolina is seen in the Senate subway tunnel on Wednesday.

Is former battleground North Carolina becoming a Florida clone?

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted May 11, 2023 at 6:00am
Former President Donald Trump greets supporters at a campaign rally on April 27 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Sacrificing democracy to belong to a shrinking ‘club’

By Mary C. Curtis
Posted May 4, 2023 at 6:00am