\”…Yet do I marvel at this curious thing: To make a poet black, and bid him sing!\” Countee Cullen, “Yet Do I Marvel” The final two lines of my favorite poem, “Yet Do I Marvel” by Countee Cullen, address a topic that has entertained much discussion in Black art and scholarship. In the poem, […]
To Make A Poet Black Read More »
Imagine my dismay, anger, and contempt as I was switching through the local stations to see the coverage and discussions leading up to the caisson drawn coffin of John Lewis crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, only to see one of them was derelict in its duty to the Washington D.C. audience. Instead, for whatever reason,
What the Hell was WRC Thinking? – Even Fox got it Right! Read More »
Recently, I discussed with my editor on my choice to capitalize the B in Black in reference to Black people, and not the W in white in reference to white people. Currently, there is no official standard on the capitalization of either black or white in reference to people and the choice is purely a
Black with a Capital B, Always Read More »
Turmoil swirls around cries to defund the police. The President of the United States defends the treasonous heritage of the confederate south. Covid-19 has claimed a disproportionate number of Americans of color. Confederate monuments are finally finding the scrap heap as Mississippi votes to remove the Confederate emblem of racial bigotry from its flag. But
July 4th 2020: At 244 Years Old – It\’s Time for a New Government Read More »
The call for resistance in the United States has been heard and answered. Five days after writing an article about the disproportionate death of Black Americans historically and presently, I witnessed the now-infamous video of George Floyd\’s murder and the American public\’s response to it. To quote Dr. Cornel West, what we have now is
A Note on the Protests Read More »
If there is anyone thing that everyone in our increasingly divided world can agree on, it is that 2020 has been a bizarre year thus far. It has seen the ramping up and full force of the coronavirus pandemic, a new American epoch of antiracist activism, protests and riots, a slew of American lynchings, the
A Tale of Two Bens Read More »
When Colin Kaepernick took a knee on September 1, 2016, the sports world and conservative media threw a conniption about the irreverence of a young Black man exercising his First Amendment right of free speech by kneeling during the National Anthem. The cause – racial injustice exemplified by police violence against Blacks – particularly Black
The Vindication of Colin Kaepernick Read More »
Another day, another dead Black male at the hands of law enforcement! Now, another conversation (I lost count of how many) I have to have with my Black son in case he has an interaction with police or is walking in a neighborhood not his own. Let me say, conversations like these are not applicable
Conversations in Black Read More »
I have been avoiding my White friends. I am angry, rightfully so. Once again, we are forced to relive trauma that reinforces the fact that our Black lives do not matter in this country. I am tired of educating “upstanding” White people on racism. My personal reasons for not assisting in White enlightenment are as
Willful Ignorance Is Not Acceptable Read More »
\”It would be fatal,\” said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his most famous speech, \”for the nation to overlook the urgency of this moment.\” Dr. King, of course, was referring to the strides being made in the civil rights movement and the importance of recognizing how crucial that moment would be for the future
Death and the American Response Read More »
