Browsing: Editorials

    When history repeats itself, it is not by accident, it is by negligence. It is by willful ignorance dressed as patriotism, by fear disguised as policy, and by power wielded without justice. From the smoldering ashes of the 1965 Watts Rebellion to the global outcry following George Floyd’s murder in 2020, America’s refusal to confront its original sins has become its most destructive tradition. And today, as Donald Trump re-emerges as a central force in American politics, wielding rhetoric that inflames division and rewrites the past, we are watching history loop in real time—only this time, the stakes feel apocalyptic.

       As I sit beside my father’s bedside, time seems to bend. Each breath he takes feels sacred, and each moment that passes invites me to listen, not just with my ears, but with my soul. In this silence, there is sound. I hear the quiet truth: life is precious beyond measure.

       It’s graduation season. Test season. The time of year when young people are pushing hard to succeed and please those that love them. The pressure is real for them—but so are their accomplishments. And while life continues to remind us of its challenges—aging parents, our own aging bodies, and the responsibilities of adulthood—I’ve found hope and pride in the achievements of the next generation.

By Iger Rolyat The Harlem Tourism Board is hosting a special presentation as part of this year’s NYCxDesignFestival on Tuesday, May 20th at the Harlem Renaissance…

       We are tired of being told to wait while injustice burns like a blowtorch to our souls. Tired of the cruelty using us like puppets with policy. Tired of watching the rich get richer while working families get broker. Enough is enough.

       The foundation of America has always rested on an uneasy but determined unity—a nation of disparate people striving for liberty, equality, and justice. But that foundation is cracking, and it is hate that is hammering the fault lines. We are being torn apart from the inside, and history has taught us this truth plainly: a house divided against itself cannot stand.

       Due process is the idea that everyone should be treated fairly under the law no matter who you are. But during Donald Trump’s time in office, this basic American right is pushed aside in favor of politics and power.

       The headlines are oppressively constant with more shootings, more hate crimes, more senseless deaths. The air feels heavy with a thick musty smell of fear and rage. It’s hard to ignore the feeling that we’ve slipped into a lawless, dangerous era trumped with more weapons of human destruction. like a modern-day Wild Wild West where life feels cheaper, and anger burns hotter. But even as the chaos seems to grow louder, I believe there’s still a quieter force like the smell of Jasmine rising in the background: the Booker will of the people to bring us back from the brink.

       We’re watching the slow corrosion of our institutions, our sense of truth, and even our own humanity. Trump is killing us—not just with policy, but with spectacle, with distraction, with division. America has become the “stuff” jokes are made of. And while the political circus keeps spinning, others like Elon Musk are suffocating us with his unchecked wealth and power, disguised as a friend. As he floods public conversation with his arrogant tech leaders with ideas about having Freedom without any rules. I don’t know about you, but it seems like we’re being set up for an episode in the movie Purge. 

       As a Black publisher and proud steward of a media platform that uplifts and informs our community, I’ve long witnessed the power of the Black dollar. We are a trillion-dollar consumer force—one that fuels the American economy with every swipe, tap, and trip to the store. Yet, despite our economic impact, far too many corporations, including the household names we frequent like Target, Walmart, and others—continue to fall short when it comes to investing back into the very communities that help them thrive.