By Raynard Jackson – I have worked around 3 Republican presidents (Reagan, Bush, and Bush) and I can tell you for certain that one sure-fire way of learning a president’s priorities, is by who he agrees to spend time with (as in meetings). A president’s time is scheduled to the nth degree. So, if the […]
Commentary
The “N-word”: What’s in a name, Black America?
By H. Lewis Smith – Whenever the “massa” gave the enslaved black man something, no matter what it was, he took it—whether voluntarily or by coercion. Sadly, no matter how demeaning or dreadful the thing may have been, he had no choice but to accept the token, allowing it to become a part of his […]
BEEP Prepares African American College Students for Jobs in Corporate America
By Marc H. Morial (To Be Equal #24) – Last week, June 8-11, more than 450 attendees, including 132 HBCU students, came together in Orlando, Florida for the National Urban League’s 42nd annual Black Executive Exchange Program (BEEP) Leadership Conference. BEEP, the National Urban League’s longest running direct service program, is a partnership involving the […]
Black Women No Longer Have Their Essence
By Raynard Jackson – Essence Magazine used to be the preeminent magazine for Black women in the U.S. They, like many Black publications, have lost their relevance; and in the process become an embarrassment to the very group they claim to target. Essence was founded in 1968 by Ed Lewis, Clarence Smith, Cecil Hollingworth, Jonathan […]
US Supreme Court Orders Release of California Inmates
By Chuck Hobbs, Esq. – Eighteen years ago, Monticello, Florida, a small hamlet near the capital city of Tallahassee, made international headlines when British tourist Gary Collie was murdered at a rest stop along the Interstate by four young black males. The public outrage soon morphed into a number of measures to reduce crime, including […]
Debt ceiling, what’s that? And why does it need to be raised?
By Julianne Malveaux – A recent Gallup poll found that 47 percent of all Americans oppose raising the debt ceiling. Only 19 percent support raising the ceiling past its current $12.1 trillion dollar limit. The remainder of us say we don’t know enough about the debt ceiling to have an opinion. That’s part of our […]
New England “99ers” Need Unemployment Help and Jobs
Marc H. Morial (To Be Equal#21) – “It’s been tough. Very tough. I’m figuring I’m not getting any job. I have no experience, and I can’t get any experience without getting any jobs.” 23-year-old Darrell Davis of Springfield, MA Darrell Davis is just one of hundreds of discouraged, long-term unemployed people we met during last […]
Founder of Black Men’s Xchange Issues Statement Regarding CNN’s Don Lemon
Cleo Manago, founder of the Black Men’s Xchange (http://www.bmxnational.com) the nation’s oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to promoting healthy self-concept and behavior, cultural affirmation and critical consciousness among same gender loving (SGL), gay-identifying and bisexual African-descended males and allies, issued the following statement regarding CNN’s Don Lemon’s “coming out.” Washington, DC – “I’m being […]
Un-“Common” Thoughts – Rapper Common at the White House
By Raynard Jackson – Last night Michelle Obama hosted an “Evening of Poetry” at the White House. She invited an eclectic group of poets to recite their poetry. But, Fox News and right wing radio has singled out one performer—the Grammy award winning rapper Common—to be on the receiving end of their ire. I don’t […]