Against the Grain II Archives - The Westside Gazette

Four mavericks who went Black when it wasn’t popular

February 28, 2024 Carma Henry 0

Over the years, the fight for Black representation has been a real struggle. It’s hard to convince industries, politicians, or even common folk that seeing someone that represents your category, whatever it might be, is critical in the psyche of providing a sense of belonging. For those who have never had to look for representation, it often doesn’t even register as important. The entitled would often rationalize that you can look to others for inspiration without it totally aligning with who you are. […]

The Democratic Party Severely Lacks Media Savvy

February 7, 2024 Carma Henry 0

The Democratic Party, on the other hand, is asleep at the wheel. When something goes wrong, they are purely reactionary and not very effective. More importantly, when things are going well like most economic indicators in the United States, which signals effective leading of the country by President Biden, they are not good at promoting it. It is allowed to be disseminated through normal media channels with no sense of urgency to the point where the average busy American will never see it. […]

Why Dr. J is still my all-time favorite athlete

January 18, 2024 Carma Henry 0

Why Dr. J is still my all-time favorite athlete […]

FAMU Showed Excellence for Mankind in its Covid-19 Response

July 20, 2023 Carma Henry 0

FAMU’s official closure just ahead of the end of the Federal Public Health Emergency in May, which was enacted in 2020, of its covid-19 testing and vaccinations site marks the end of a three-year stretch of dedicated performance. By April of 2020, tens of thousands of covid-19 testing sites were set up in makeshift triage facilities across the country. The most significant of those in our area was the FAMU testing site which occupied the northeast side of Bragg Memorial Stadium. […]

OceanGate Sub tragedy unveils the humanity in us

June 28, 2023 Carma Henry 0

We all were invested last week when the experimental OceanGate submersible went missing less than two hours after descending to the depths off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The mainstream media effectively drew us in to the story. It put most who had heard about the tragedy in “hope mode” wishing that by some miracle the crew could be retrieved and returned safely home. […]

We should recognize the contribution of Black Colleges during Black Music Month

June 22, 2023 Carma Henry 0

What goes unrecognized often is how Black colleges furthered the musical experience of America. During the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s Black college campuses were the musical hubs of Black music. Without the access to the large venues that white musicians enjoyed there were basically only two options. The first option was to play the “Chitlin’ Circuit,” which was a string of small clubs owned by Blacks. Some were graduated barns that might be leaky if it was raining outside. There were limited amenities, but during the time where there weren’t many options, some of the top acts would frequent these venues as they were the social center of Black music culture. […]

Rudy Hubbard is an underappreciated icon in FAMU’s coaching legacy

June 14, 2023 Carma Henry 0

Even though the back-to-back Black national championships and NCAA I-AA (FCS) championship are mentioned, it often seems like other schools would revere a coach with those credentials more than he has been at FAMU. On the FAMU campus, there needs to be some respect put on Rudy Hubbard’s name. […]

FAMU VP/AD Sykes is correct to be honest about FAMU Athletics

March 8, 2023 Carma Henry 0

In the end, Sykes’ brutal honesty is much needed. Fixing things often requires growing pain. Nonetheless, repair is never easy. It takes a team effort and it takes investment in repairs. FAMU’s Investing in Champions campaign was an absolute game changer for the department. It was the first major initiative that fostered investment beyond the transactional sale of tickets and parking. Over time the financials of it have needed to be adjusted, but the core of the initiative is vital to the success of the FAMU Department of Athletics. […]

Sports often transcends racism, hatred, and differences

January 11, 2023 Carma Henry 0

More often than not, sports transcends the normal rhetoric that people engage in when things are in a normal mode. Hamlin was not a top name NFL player, but his appearance on the international stage caused folks of all colors, races and creeds to unite in being humane toward him and his cause. We see it over and over, especially in sports. While sports are just games, the effect and reach of it is far from that. […]

U.S. gun statistics are absolutely staggering

June 1, 2022 Carma Henry 0

There are more guns than people in the United States. A 2018 survey conducted by Small Arms Survey found that there were there were 120.5 firearms per each 100 U.S. residents. Worldwide, homicides in the U.S. account for 79 percent of all homicides globally. Additionally, suicides by gunfire outpaces homicides in the U.S. 24,292 deaths in 2020 were suicides, while 19,384 were homicides according to a report by the BBC. […]