Browsing: Opinions

The irony is that the enactment of the historic 1968 Fair Housing Act followed less than a week after Dr. King’s assassination in Memphis. Hence, as we honor Dr. King, we are also called to continue progressive efforts to better include all of the Americans whom historically have been locked out or left out when it comes to housing: people of color, women, families, people with different physically challenged and all who still suffer the insidious nature of housing discrimination.

On May 4th, 2013 I delivered the eulogy for my 33-year-old brother. I’m not sure that our political representatives understand what this feels like when they make decisions to take healthcare away from people.

The Better Moral Creed

America represents four percent of the world’s population, yet we detain nearly 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated people. At least 95 percent of people in State prisons today eventually will return to their communities. The new consensus is that we are better served by helping those formerly incarcerated to have the best shot at a second chance, rather than warehousing them and sending them back into our communities without the necessary skills, tools, and sup-port to have a prosperous life.

Contrast to Trump

      In his article, Stacey Abrams Kisses the Ring, Andrew Stiles wrote, “Abrams continues to court the billionaires who have funded her political career.”  Stacey Abrams is a typical hand-picked Black politician.

     Black talent being shut out of the Golden Globes is not just a travesty but also a testament to the power of the work and the narratives being told that challenge the status quo. Why folks assume that awards shows invested in the same media industries that continue to perpetuate and recycle the vilest stereotypes of Black identity and behavior would somehow acknowledge the stories, performances and behind-the-scenes work that challenges dominant ways of thinking about Black people on and off-screen is befuddling. 

The Protest and the Proxy

     It is now 2020, and Black owned media in America is struggling to stay alive, and many in mainstream media believe Black media is not necessary. “Black ownership is dying,” said Armstrong Williams, whose Howard Stirk Holdings owns seven of the Black-owned commercial television stations. “Newspaper ownership, radio ownership – but it’s probably hit TV the hard-est.”

Sowing division, reaping lives