Category: Commentary

I am constantly amazed by the lack of any meaningful, insightful post-election analysis on the various media outlets (radio, TV, newspapers). You would think that everyone is hanging out at the same places because all the analysis seems to be the same: “Republicans have to find a way to garner more of the Hispanic vote.” […]

I am writing this holiday message as many of our neighbors remain homeless and suffering, while others are filled with anxiety about what the future will bring. If you are among them, please know that you are in my prayers as I offer this small story of hope. Those who know me well are aware […]

President Obama’s decisive victory in this year’s presidential election signaled a shift in both demographics and attitude in America. While 93 percent of African-American voters supported Obama, his victory reflected a cross-section of America, including substantial numbers of Whites and a growing number of Hispanics and Asian Americans. African Americans again made the difference in […]

Media Matters, the media monitoring group, has published a report titled, “Myths And Facts About The Right-Wing Witch Hunt Against Susan Rice.” It is a point-by-point rebuttal of some of the most flagrant lies about United Nations Ambassador Susan E. Rice, President Obama’s leading candidate to succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Below are […]

There is a missing component to the national discussion concerning how to strengthen and rebuild the American economy. It is true that high unemployment, a weak national infrastructure, the need for stronger public education, the concentration of wealth and the deficit are all challenges to the nation’s economy but being left out of the discussion […]

Cancer strikes without regard to politics. One in two men and one in three women will hear the dreaded words: “You have cancer” and 75 percent of households will care for a cancer patient at some point. No matter their political persuasion, cancer patients and caregivers will benefit from the next stages of Affordable Care […]

It was October 1996. I had finished a round of campaigning for an Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) seat in the Pleasant Plains district of Washington, DC. That fall, I served as Volunteer Coordinator for the Howard University Student Association (HUSA) and helped to register over 3000 plus students to vote that year, 1,800 of them within the District […]

As the Congress returns to Washington from the Thanksgiving district work period, our most urgent responsibility is reaching the compromises on taxes, government programs and the national debt limit that will avoid pushing our nation off the “fiscal cliff.” If ever there was a time for common sense to prevail in Washington, that time is […]

The 2012 presidential election has raised a challenge for several different interest groups regarding the role of faith communities dominated by people of color. But none has been more publicly courted by policy and political initiatives than the Black Church. Evident is a continued recognition by those in the political community of that historical platform […]

Twenty one years ago, on Nov. 7, 1991, America was jolted with the news that basketball legend Magic Johnson had contracted HIV and would immediately retire from the sport. Almost immediately, Johnson began taking the antiretroviral drug AZT, and his health quickly improved. Just three months later, Johnson returned to basketball to play in the […]

Elie Wiesel once wrote “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Sadly, as we learned at Penn State University, silence among leaders empowered an alleged child abuser. The Baltimore Child Abuse Center sees more than 900 abused children annually. In 90 percent of […]

Will we jump from the cliff? Congress and the president will determine whether we fall, jump, or back away from the cliff. While I trust they will get together and make the right decision, I think we should be prepared for the worst case scenario. How do we prepare? First of all, learn what the […]