Category: Commentary

Last week, I chaired an important judiciary subcommittee hearing that I found extremely upsetting and troubling. It focused on the increasing number of violent attacks on individuals who are homeless, a population that is often our most vulnerable. From being beaten to death by a baseball bat to being doused with gasoline and set ablaze, the […]

(NNPA) – Not surprisingly, embattled Bishop Eddie Long turned to the Bible to defend himself against charges by four men who filed suit last week in which they charged that as teenagers, Long showered them with money, expensive gifts, cars, and international travel to entice them into having a sexual relationship with him. On Sunday, […]

Two years ago, we stood up and led as Americans of good conscience came together in an historic effort to elect Barack Obama as president of the United States. Now, once again, we must stand with our president and defeat those who are working to devastate his legislative achievements and block our nation’s progress. Our […]

We need to change the way we think about health in this country, I want us to move from a system based on disease and illness to one based on wellness and prevention. We need to prevent people from getting sick in the first place, to stop illness and disease before it starts. During my […]

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The US Census Bureau’s recent report on poverty in the United States is a clarion call to our nation and our elected leaders. We in the United States possess the greatest resources and wealth ever known to humankind.  So, to have over 44 million people – 14 percent of our population – and 20 […]

Most African Americans in America are not more than a few generations removed from the farm. At the turn of the century there were more than a million Black farm families. But, in Washington, D.C., and other urban areas it can be hard to connect with Black farmers, even though it is so much a […]

(NNPA) — President Obama showed positive leadership after the catastrophe in Haiti by pledging the resources of the United States government to our neighbor in need.  Yet, eight months after the quake, many of the country’s internally displaced persons (IDPs) remain without food, water, sanitation and shelter. Additionally, civil society and local non-governmental organizations in […]

I want to share a couple of thoughts surrounding Billy Murphy’s recent remarks published in the Sun regarding incumbent Pat Jessamy’s candidacy for state’s attorney. Frankly, it’s not Murphy’s “silence” that has been a “failure in leadership” as he suggests, but rather his vocal innuendos that fail and hinder the progress of the Black community […]

On Oct. 2, the National Urban League will join a coalition of more than 150 progressive organizations and tens of thousands of Americans at a national rally for jobs, education and social justice at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The goal of the One Nation Working Together (ONWT) rally is to galvanize Americans of […]

Election year 2010 is so important for Maryland’s African-American families that it is essential we remain engaged, register to vote and vote in large numbers this November. Fortunately, here in Maryland, we hold the future in our own hands. The congressional races this year will have a lasting impact on our community – and the […]

(NNPA) — Ronald Walters, the highly-respected political scientist who died last week of cancer at the age of 72, exemplified the true meaning of a public intellectual. To many, the term public intellectual regretfully has become synonymous with selfish private advancement, largely through the writing of books that lead to appearances on television that lead […]

Four days before Maryland’s primary election on Sept. 14, Baltimore State’s Attorney Patricia Jessamy was out at the corner of Auchentoroly Terrace and Gwynns Falls Parkway, near the main entrance of Druid Hill Park in the heart of West Baltimore. Jessamy, waving vigorously and smiling broadly at passing motorists, was joined by a group of […]