"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it — always." — Mahatma Gandhi


Following the slayings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and five Dallas police officers, a friend of mine — another black man living here in Japan — asked me, "Aren't you glad you're here, man, where we ain't gotta worry about cops trying to smoke us?"