Category: Commentary

George H. Lambert, Jr. Of all the coverage of the disturbance in Baltimore that came in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death, the item that caught my attention the most was CNN’s coverage of the powerful African American women in charge of that city. Howard University alumna Stephanie Elam has authoritatively treated such recent issues […]

Marian Wright Edelman The recent Department of Justice report on police and court practices in Ferguson, Mo. put a much needed spotlight on how a predatory system of enforcement of minor misdemeanors and compounding fines can trap low-income people in a never-ending cycle of debt, poverty, and jail. This included outrageous fines for minor infractions […]

Dr. Natasha C. Pratt-Harris As a people many of us have become indoctrinated as spirit-led individuals, readers of the Bible and the Quran, persons who praise the Most High, followers of an earthly leader who echoes the word. We gather in our places of worship, our churches, our mosques, etc. professing to fear The Almighty, […]

Eric McKinley King As a parent, I believe in the original rallying cry for public charter schools in the District of Columbia – “parental choice.”  Charters are publicly funded, but run independently of the traditional public school system; they were intended to extend choice to every parent regardless of income because, like the school system, charters […]

William E. Spriggs Each week, another candidate throws a hat into the ring for the 2016 presidential campaign-a constant reminder that President Barack Obama is at the end of his term. Currently, the President is engaged in a high-stakes battle, twisting the arms of the Democratic Party base and pressuring his close congressional allies, like […]

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. TriceEdney – I remember a time when few, if any, Black people expressed interest in environmental issues. Our primary focus was on the day-to-day events that we could see and feel, and knew to be more tangible than air or water “pollution.” When the conversation centered on coal production or […]

Walter L. Fields A small section of Baltimore, no more than four to six blocks on the city’s west side, experienced looting and property destruction after the funeral of Freddie Gray, the young man whose spine was mysteriously crushed after being taken into police custody. Gray would later die from his injuries and ‘Charm City’ […]

James Clingman The movie we are watching in Baltimore is a re-run and a sequel. The price of admission has always been too high, but we continue to pay the exorbitant price, anyway. As the opening line in the old TV show, “Dragnet,” proclaimed, “The story you are about to see is true. The names […]

Congressman Elijah Cummings Respect for human life is at the core of our Constitution.  It is the cornerstone of America’s legal system and the social glue that holds our diverse society together. This is why for us — and, especially, for our young people — respect for human life must be the “North Star” in […]

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. TriceEdney – The natural or practical laws that shaped the behavior and conduct of “the old folks” are often tossed to the side in our modern world.  Rather than depending upon the common-sense reliability of the tried and true, we defer to some modern perspective.  After reflecting on upon several […]

It is incontestable and deplorable that Black and Brown people have committed crimes, but they are derivative crimes. They are born of the greater crimes of the White society, imperialism and racism. The two are intimately connected, with each reinforcing the other. “Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they […]

E. R. Shipp The battle has not been won yet, though it sure felt like a Super Bowl victory to people young and old who high-fived, pumped fists, honked horns and literally danced in the streets when State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby uttered these words Friday: “we have probable cause to file criminal charges.” The medical […]