Category: Commentary

Shirley A. Jones Everybody loves a birthday or anniversary celebration, right?  So, guess who is turning 40 years old in 2015? Blacks In Government (BIG) is! Yes, BIG was established in 1975 (incorporated in 1976) by a small group of Black federal employees at the Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) Department in Rockville, Md., to […]

Marc Morial “You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have […]

As if we needed any more evidence, President Obama’s recent meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus revealed a deep-seated hostility toward the plight of struggling Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). According to Lauren Victoria Burke’s Black Caucus blog, CrewOf42.com, “President Obama was critical of Historically Black Colleges and Universities during a meeting with […]

Blacks in America tend to reject Republicans; now Blacks in that party are rebuffing each other. William Reed Raynard Jackson recently publicly aired grievances with the Republican National Committee (RNC), its outreach staff and their methods and practices.  A Black Republican, Jackson has “had it” with certain factions in his party and will be “staying […]

LeConté J. Dill Nearly 40 years ago, a metaphor or fable, if you will, about “upstream-downstream” was created by healthcare practitioners to better explain and argue for the value of preventative health care measures. The fable describes a group of community members standing near a river who witness someone drowning. Some of the community members […]

“NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams has finally admitted that he had incorrectly asserted that a helicopter he traveled aboard in 2002 while reporting on the Iraq War in 2003 was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, forcing an emergency landing. “This was a bungled attempt by me to thank one special veteran and by extension […]

Eddie Bernice Johnson Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the Harvard trained historian who brilliantly birthed the idea that led to the celebration of Black History month, believed that all people regardless of their race, color or national origin should study and embrace the history of Black people in the United States. His belief led him to […]

George H. Lambert Jr. As president of a regional affiliate of the National Urban League, I sometimes have to step back from daily business to reflect on the legacy of the organization and the courage, intelligence and creativity that lay the foundation that my staff and I stand upon. Black History Month is the perfect […]

Roger Caldwell As the Senate Judiciary Committee begins its confirmation hearing for Loretta Lynch, it is no accident that President Obama has picked the first Black women attorney general for that post. There are many members of Congress, who are angry and disgusted with Eric Holder, the present Attorney General. Many felt that Holder was […]

Advocacy comes in many forms and the large group of women present at the confirmation hearing for attorney general nominee, Loretta Lynch, was a true demonstration of advocacy in action. At the Senate Judiciary hearing chaired by Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Ohio), U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch was the epitome of great intellect, a solid […]

Marcia Griffin Buying a house or a piece of property to call your own is part of the American Dream. But, if you’re African American, that dream is becoming further and further out of reach. Whether you’re a renter trying to buy your first home or a homeowner looking for a modification to avoid foreclosure, […]