It was only later, much later, that I realized it was in their best interest to take my column. That I had done them a favor. Nearly every other columnist at the paper was a white man—something that others had pointed out but that had only recently gained traction as a real problem worth taking seriously. In other words, my timing was impeccable—a fact that, fortunately, or unfortunately, held true for the rest of my brief career. I was on the rise during yet another period when diversity was a buzzword.
