ATLANTA – Georgia Black Women’s Roundtable (GA BWR), a women’s initiative of the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda (People’s Agenda), convened over 200 Black women from diverse organizations and communities at the Georgia Capitol for BLACK WOMEN U3: UNITED. UNAPOLOGETIC. UNSTOPPABLE, an event focused on leveraging their collective power to shape the legislative agenda […]
Manago, Cleo
Legacy Civil Rights Leaders Applaud President Biden’s Historic Action on Clemency, Urge Further Action to Solidify His Racial Justice Legacy
WASHINGTON, DC – The heads of eight legacy civil rights organizations commend President Joe Biden for his unwavering commitment to racial equity and congratulate him on today’s historic decision to commute the sentences of nearly 1,500 individuals and grant pardons to 39 more. This action reflects his dedication to addressing systemic inequities, a hallmark of his presidency. […]
Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake: The Griot and the Hitmaker
By Edrea Davis – As someone who remembers the birth of hip-hop when my neighbors in New Jersey dropped Rapper’s Delight and made history, I’ve had a front-row seat to the genre’s evolution. Fast-forward to today and I’m reflecting on two of hip-hop’s most influential artists: Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Both deserve respect, but for […]
Statement from President Joe Biden on Pardon of Hunter Biden
Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted. Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a […]
Civil rights group’s president ‘dismayed’ by Walmart decision to cut DEI
By by Cheyanne M. Daniels, The Hill – One of the nation’s leading civil rights groups is condemning Walmart’s recent decision to end its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Marc Morial, CEO and president of the National Urban League, told “CBS Mornings” he is “dismayed by this decision.” “I think what they did is succumb to […]
Do you ‘Cee’ what I see?: An Ahistorical Collision Between Hip-Hop,”Manhood,” Silence and Sexuality
By Cleo Manago, CEO and founder of the Black Men’s Xchange (BMX) – By now you may have heard about the recent scandal surrounding Mister Cee, a well-known hip-hop DJ in New York City. Mister Cee was “caught” on tape soliciting a cross-dressing male posing as a prostitute. Upon Mister Cee’s recognition that the conversation […]
The “Endgame: AIDS In Black America” Continues An Unfair Game with America and Black People’s Lives – by Cleo Manago
“…in things racial [Americans] have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards.” U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder “Endgame: AIDS in Black America,” an edition of the PBS network’s “Frontline” that aired recently, personifies the timidity Holder references in that the documentary only went but just so far, […]
Can People Let Frank Ocean Define His Own Sexuality? By Cleo Manago
African-American hip-hop artist Frank Ocean recently shared in a post on his Tumblr page that he had fallen in love with a man before. At the speed of sound, all available media space has been consumed with ill-informed presumptions about Mr. Ocean’s identity and conception of his sexuality. In less than 24 hours everyone, particularly […]
Getting at the Root of Black “Homophobic” Speech – By Cleo Manago
I’ve received an overwhelming response to my recent piece about The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s (GLAAD) demand for CNN to fire Roland Martin due to what they perceived as homophobic tweets. Most people agreed with my position, but, for those who questioned my view that GLAAD is not in a position to complain […]