Category: OPINION

Kim M. Keenan I remember the first time I saw a Black raised fist. I was watching the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and two Black athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, raised their black-gloved fists and bowed their heads on the medal ceremony stand during the playing of the “The Star Spangled Banner.” […]

George E. Curry When Senator Ted Cruise was running for president, Donald Trump, now the presumptive Republican nominee, enjoyed referring to him as “lyin’ Ted Cruise.”  At one rally, he said, “Lyin’ Ted Cruise – L-y-i-n-dash.” Actually, he should have said “apostrophe” instead of “dash,” but accuracy is not important to Trump.  Fact checkers have […]

Fifty-one years after his assassination and the publication of his autobiography, Malcolm X—who would have been 91 this week—has now earned his place in mid-20th century history, alongside Martin Luther King, Fidel Castro and other radical luminaries. Most see Malcolm X, also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, from his “front view”—from “The Autobiography of Malcolm […]

John R. Hawkins III Everyone knows that a commencement is all about the great students who have completed their courses of study; however the 148th commencement at Howard University was that and more. As greats such as L. D. Britt, world renowned surgeon and educator, Ambassador Horace G. Dawson, distinguished in education and diplomacy and […]

Elijah Cummings Even looking beyond the campaign speeches and rallies of this election year, the contrast between the political parties on civil rights has been striking — and, where the Republican candidates and their positions are concerned, alarming.  Last week, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich suspended their presidential campaigns — virtually […]

Bonnie A. Sullivan The greatest number of Maryland’s low-income minority older adults lives in Baltimore City. In 2010 nearly 41 percent of low-income minority adults 60 years and older lived in Baltimore City, according to the Maryland Department of Aging. As the executive director of the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS), I’ve seen first hand […]

Marc H. Morial “Eschewing political banalities, sloganeering and appeals to fears and suspicions, the candidates should seize the opportunity to challenge the nation to regain her sense of purpose by facing her imperfections, not apologetically, but with the firm resolve that this nation can and should do better.”   – National Urban League Executive Director Vernon […]

Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. The Flint water crisis is now 2 years old – and the water still isn’t safe to drink. There have been civil and criminal investigations, two congressional hearings and extensive reporting, particularly during the presidential primary in Michigan. Gov. Rick Snyder appointed a special task force. Yet, only 33 pipes – […]

Marian Wright Edelman Stories of Mother Love “They didn’t want me to have Walter because of my age. But I finally convinced them that age has nothing to do with love…What I had to give was love. And that’s what Walter needed . . . I never doubted that I could help Walter. Never, if […]

Lee A. Daniels Ted Cruz is gone – and good riddance. The Texas senator fully deserved his humiliating defeat by Donald Trump in the May 3rd Indiana GOP primary. He was undoubtedly the nastiest politician to prowl the halls of the U.S. Senate since the Red-baiter Joseph McCarthy back in the 1950s.  Unfortunately, the social […]

George E. Curry Leave it to Pat Buchanan, a former Richard Nixon speechwriter, to summarize why Whites fear an increasingly diverse United States.  As MediaMatters documented, he appeared May 5 on NPR’s Morning Edition to rant about America no longer looks like the America of his childhood. NPR Host Rachel Martin pressed him on his […]