Category: Commentary

Grief can be a terrible blinder.  Tears fill our eyes and make it hard to see, even though we feel more clear-eyed in the face of tragedy.  I fear that the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York will blind us and foster illusions about the political actions the Black […]

Charly Carter, executive director of Maryland Working Families. Maryland is reported to be the wealthiest state in the nation, yet if you ask anyone on the street, they would say something different. You would hear concern over the ever-rising costs of housing, food and utilities; climbing student loan burdens; and a government that seems increasingly […]

Dr. E. Faye Williams Washington, DC –Some companies get it.  Some don’t, but they will.   There are still a lot of people who believe the NFL is too powerful for anything or anybody to force changes in the league.  All they’ve got to do is look back to the Civil Rights Movement where Black Americans, […]

Dr. Gregory E. Thornton I am very pleased to report that our school opening on Aug. 25 went smoothly, and that our students started the new school year with enthusiasm and excitement. For me, the first day of school is pure joy. I visited families in their homes, walked children to school and greeted hundreds of students and their families – many of whom shared their […]

Across the country it’s back to school time. I hope it is a year full of promise and not disappointment and added stress for all children, especially those most vulnerable. I also hope this school year begins with a renewed commitment by all teachers and school administrators to help every child succeed. Every year too […]

When a North Carolina judge last week vacated the prison sentences of 50-year-old Henry Lee McCollum, who had spent nearly 30 years on the state’s death row, and his 46-year-old half-brother, Leon Brown, sentenced to life in prison, for a heinous rape and murder DNA evidence had finally proved they had not committed, the court […]

Dr. E. Faye Williams, National President of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. Washington, DC — Dr. E. Faye Williams, National President of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. has said the following with respect to not only the Ray Rice incident, but about domestic violence in general: “Several times in recent weeks I have […]

Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League. “Never did we think we would be planning a funeral, we were waiting on his first day of school. They robbed us of that.” Lesley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown. “In too many communities around the country, a gulf of mistrust exists between local […]

What’s a firewall?  It’s an impenetrable barrier meant to stop an undesirable action. In politics, consider the example of the 1988 U.S. presidential race.  After several embarrassing defeats in early primaries, then-Vice President George H.W. Bush’s campaign manager announced to staff and supporters that South Carolina and its influential primary would be the firewall for […]

The powers of influence, including the United States, have undercut Iraq’s “democratic experiment” and emboldened the war-torn nation’s most violent-prone minority group, the elitist Sunnis. Americans can hope this is true: For now, the Iraqi-area terrorist combatants don’t possess the missiles, war ships or planes capable of cracking the U.S. protective shield. There’s also hope […]

Ramona Edelin, Executive Director of the D.C. Association of Chartered Public School. Recently, the D.C. Association of Chartered Public Schools, Eagle Academy Public Charter School and Washington Latin Public Charter School filed in court to require the District of Columbia government to end its practice of underfunding charter school students.  For the past eight years, […]

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson The number of senior citizens in our country is growing faster than at any other time in our history. They are living longer lives, and many are in need of physical and mental healthcare that will be provided, in many instances, by members of their families. Data from the 2010 U.S. […]