David Love: Just as an older generation had to step aside for him, Jesse Jackson has had to contend with a younger generation of black leaders, and that is not a bad thing.
Not All Black Democrats Subscribe to ‘But He’s the First Black President’
By
Jasmyne A. Cannick: Me — I long fell out of love with the President. I don’t talk about it much because doing so can be a detriment to your well-being in certain company.
What Brings Democrats and Republicans Together: A White President?
By
Anthony Samad: The rise of the Tea Party wouldn’t have taken place had we had a white president. Blink if you want to…but the fact this has not happened to any other President has raised my “Race-dar,” beyond anything ideological battles could muster. Race(ism) has not disappeared in this country. It’s just been codified.
Would a Birth Certificate Matter?
By
Steve Hochstadt: These opportunist birthers don’t believe in anything, except that they can promote conservative causes and their own public profile by doubting the facts.
The Party of “NO” Is About To Get Their Chance
By
Anthony Samad: We know the Republicans will claim to support education, and jobs, and home ownership, and families but will dump them in a heartbeat for business tax credits and budget cuts.
Heretics, Humanism, and the Hood
By
Sikivu Hutchinson: The mental health crisis amongst African Americans is a devastating indicator of racial and social inequity, of which the prayer as therapy epidemic is an insidious symptom. Frederick Douglass once wrote, “I prayed for twenty years and received no answer until I prayed with my legs.” What would Douglass, a trailblazing male feminist, have made of the brutal ironies of twenty first century black America?
What Center?
By
Joseph Palermo: The political “center” of American politics is a moving target. And for the last thirty years it has moved in only one direction: Rightward.
What Was the Top News Story of 2009
By
Ten years ago, the story dominating the headlines was Y2K. In 2009, according to Yahoo, the story that dominated in terms of searches online was — wait for it — Michael Jackson’s death! Not the economic meltdown, not the healthcare debate, not even the inauguration of the first black president of the United States!
Community Compromise Sown By Revenge
By
So when the community went with Ridley-Thomas, Parks went to the feds and the newspapers. The L.A. Times, always willing to get in the middle of a good community fight, took it and ran with it.
The Republican Contract on California
By
We get to vote, again, on May 19. This time we have a bunch of ballot initiatives that the Republican Party demanded as a condition of reaching a budget “compromise” last winter. The commercial media tell us that most of these measures are failing in polling, but still have a chance at passage. Still have [...]
Who Won the Civil War? Organizations Refuse to Defend Farley
By
As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the inauguration of America’s first black president, and Black History Month, it’s worth pondering the question, “Who won the Civil War?” On November 20, 2002, I wrote in a Nashville [...]
Enough of This Bipartisan Nonsense
By
I started to laugh when I heard that Michael Steele was selected as the first African American to chair the Republican National Committee. I don’t think much of the “new” Republican Party, but then again, that doesn’t prevent me from writing about it. But don’t get me wrong, I think that the former Maryland lieutenant [...]
The Inauguration: “It’s Priceless. I Cried Out of Happiness. There Is Hope.”
By
The two of us threw our support behind Barack Obama’s candidacy early on and are deeply gratified that this gifted, inspiring man will become our president Tuesday. America and the world will be immensely better with Barack Obama and Joe Biden at the helm—and with Michelle Obama as First Lady. We tear up typing the [...]
“Tis The Season To Be Obama:” Merchandise Cottage Industry and Its Impact on the Economy
By
Politics of Merchandise Barack Obama’s election to the Presidency of the United States has had a residual effect on the economy in ways that are not (yet) reflected on the New York Stock Exchange. Barack Obama merchandise is huge. T-Shirts, hats, buttons, coins, photos, posters, calendars, bobble head dolls, and other paraphernalia has created a [...]
Who Woulda Thought?
By
by Carl Bloice – Just a small group of brothers sitting around at my place watching the Oakland Raiders lose again. During a commercial break, the subject of the next week’s election came up. “Seriously, would you have ever thought, in your wildest imagination, that an African American could be elected President in your lifetime?” [...]
Barack Obama Crosses the Great Divide: Both Ways at the Same Time
By
Complex is the first word that came to mind while witnessing the Obama launch spectacle on Thursday night in D’Town. In a scene smack out of a Cecil B. DeMille epic movie, our hero extolled the virtues of the Republic while standing on a stage in a Coliseum.
“Black Is Back” in America
By
The Presidency aspirations of Barack Obama have caused a renewed discussion on race in America. The prospect of a black President has cast America in a different light throughout the world — as demonstrated by Obama’s highly successful trip to the Middle East and Europe last week.
The First Black President
By
by John MacMurray – For most Progressives, the idea that the Republican Party got out in front of us on a major social issue is both galling, and difficult to believe.
Come On, Jesse: Don’t Hate The Playa, Hate The Game!
By
Jesse Jackson, Sr.’s “live mike” comments about Barack Obama remind us that there’s always someone laying in the cut to divide and conquer Black America. For once, Black America seems to be all on the same page in Obama’s quest to become the nation’s (real) first black President.
How Obama Might Change the Politics of Race in Unexpected Ways
By
I share Congressman John Lewis’s belief that Barack Obama’s selection as the Democratic standard bearer is a powerful reason to believe we are “in the process of laying down the burden of race.”
Psychological Warfare On The Notion of a Black President; Playing On Black Fear and White Lunacy
By
The notion of the first black President in the history of the United States has become very real over the past couple weeks. So much so that we are now beginning to see both Barack Obama’s opposition (in both parties) and the media engage in a very vicious and mean-spirited wordsmithing that seeks to subtly [...]
PCL offers monthly Open House Events on the 2nd Saturday at 2pm and 3rd Thursday at 6pm. Click here to learn more.
Race and 2012: What Too Few Progressives Will Discuss
Bill Fletcher Jr.: The 2012 elections are likely to be the most racist that most of have seen in our life-times. Given this, what are the implications?