real stories. real people.



WHAT I DO: Write about race, ethnicity, and other topics for The Associated Press.

WHAT I DON'T DO: Opinions. I'm a reporter, not a columnist. My job is to illuminate the thoughts and lives of other people.

BUT: Of course I do have opinions, which inevitably affect what I write.

SO: I constantly seek out perspectives different than my own. 

I'M ALSO A: Novelist. Magazine founder. Lifelong Baha'i. 






OJ Simpson, 20 Years Later:
Views in Black and White


By JESSE WASHINGTON
AP National Writer
June 8, 2014

The O.J. Simpson murder trial exposed many painful truths. None hit harder than the idea that white and black people often look at the same facts and see different realities.

Today, 20 years after the case captivated and divided the nation, few opinions about the saga have changed. Despite two decades' worth of increasing racial acceptance, the Simpson case still reflects deep-rooted obstacles to a truly united America.

Most people still believe that the black football legend killed his white ex-wife and her friend, polls show. But for many African-Americans, his likely guilt remains overwhelmed by a potent mix: the racism of the lead detective and the history of black mistreatment by the justice system.

For these people, Simpson's acquittal is a powerful rebuke to what they see as America's racial crimes. Others simply see a murderer who played the race card to get away with it. Across the board, emotions remain vivid. (read more)