By Marc H. Morial (To Be Equal#5) -“Break mirrors…Shatter the glass. In our society that is so self-absorbed, begin to look less at yourself and more at each other. Learn more about the face of your neighbor and less about your own.” R. Sargent Shriver On January 18th, the National Urban League, America and all […]
Commentary
Constituional Concerns regarding the Affordable Health Care Act
By Chuck Hobbs, Esquire – Over the past year and half, perhaps the most common argument against the Affordable Care Act is the idea that its implementation, specifically its mandate that individuals purchase coverage or face penalties, is contrary to the 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution. As a result, the concept of “nullification”, […]
Why Don’t African Americans Prioritize AIDS?
For 30 years now, since the first HIV/AIDS diagnosis, this issue has yet to be a priority in African American communities, including among sub-groups most impacted by the disease. The ratio of the epidemic among HIV-informed Black men who have sex with men has never diminished. Not even basketball great Magic Johnson’s October 1991 announcement […]
State of the YOUnion
Raynard Jackson – Two nights ago, President Obama delivered his annual State of the Union address and, as usual, he declared the state of our union is good. No president has ever said anything differently. Every president is only going to put the best face on the state of affairs in our country. But, the […]
Green Empowerment Zones Mean Jobs for Communities of Color
By Marc H. Morial – It is time for policy makers on both sides of the progressive-conservative divide to stop debating and start enacting policies to create jobs, especially for those suffering the most from the persisting great recession. One way to do that is to create green empowerment zones that would generate urban jobs, […]
Obama and Big Things – Commentary
By Lucius Gantt – President Barack Obama rapped the 2011 State of the Union address recently. He didn’t say “big things pop it and little things stop it” but he did say Americans do big things. The President solidified his standing as one of the best Presidential orators in history in his speech but he […]
Agitation Over the Removal of the N-Word from Huck Finn
By H. Lewis Smith – The removal of the n-word from Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn has caused complete outrage, shock, and outcries of sorts all across the American landscape. If the term is removed from historical texts, which were written during and work to convey the reality of the times – depicting the distorted face […]
Letter to Dr. King
Raynard Jackson – You didn’t know me when you were here, But through your words I feel you are near. I was too young for the demonstration, But I learned about you in my education. You said we all were created equal, But maybe now we need a new sequel. Because I don’t know what […]
A Tragedy and My Apology
By Julianne Malveaux – My cellphone pinged on Saturday to say I had a message. I was in the middle of lunch and chose to ignore it. When I picked it up a couple of hours later, I felt the same sickness that millions did, learning that Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford was shot in an […]