Anthony Samad: Spielberg not only changed history, he misrepresented it. I’m glad the academy didn’t reward him for it. Lincoln was a story that had to be told. But it needs to be told correctly.
Independence Day, For Some
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In 1852, former slave and legendary abolitionist Frederick Douglass was invited to give a speech at a 4th of July event to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Obama’s Evolving Position on Same-Sex Marriage Similar to Lincoln’s Evolution on Antislavery
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Like Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama has been “tardy.” Pushed by developments beyond his control, Obama’s public positions on marriage equality have continued to progress, though gradually.
The Occupy Movement Needs a Good Fight
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Shamus Cooke: If the national Occupy Movement fought for a massive public jobs program and against cuts to social programs by massively taxing the wealthy and corporations, the vast majority of working people would join the movement until it was capable of actually winning these demands.
What Is To Be Done About the State of Our Union?
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Lydia Howell: Nine months after taking office, Obama began slamming the Democratic Party’s liberal/progressive base for daring to notice, much less criticize, his corporate-friendly policies and center-right positions. In the wake of his Simpson-Bowles Deficit Commission, Obama will likely make a sober call for national sacrifice.
Heretics, Humanism, and the Hood
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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?
The 4th of July
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In 1852, legendary abolistionist and former slave Frederick Douglass was asked to give a speech at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Known for his extraordinary oratory skills, that speech became one of his best known pieces and stands as a reminder that the 4th of July does not hold the [...]
Not Knocking on Heaven’s Door*: Black Atheists, Urban America
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Sikivu Hutchinson: I was recently told that I’d been deemed an unsuitable culmination speaker for a bourgie philanthropic organization’s young women mentees because of my decidedly unladylike public atheism (Perhaps the Israelite’s Old Testament shout-out to silent prostrate women would be more acceptable).
Rejecting Post-Raciality: An Ode to the Life of John Hope Franklin
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The death of preeminent historian and race scholar, John Hope Franklin, and his life-long contribution to helping America understand the legacies of slavery and racial vestiges that have been carried forward, is a true loss. Franklin helped those who followed his work to understand that race is still the most entrenched socio-economic-political issue of our [...]
Enough of This Bipartisan Nonsense
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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 [...]
Tina Allen: The Ancestors’ Spirit, A Warrior’s Heart and God’s Hands in One Woman
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I love Tina Allen, who was a personal friend and one of the deepest spirits I’ve ever met. I will hold her memory close.
Come On, Jesse: Don’t Hate The Playa, Hate The Game!
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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.
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