Category: OPINION

Marion Barry No one is neutral about D.C. “Mayor for Life” Marion Shepilov Barry Jr. You either love him or despise him; there is no in-between. He gave no room for in-between. He was, indeed, “all that!” The larger than life “People’s Prodigal Prince,” as I once dubbed him while he was singing his redemption […]

Lauren Victoria Burke In 1983, it was Michael Stewart, 25. He was a graffiti artist who was beaten to death in police custody in New York. No one paid a price for his death. On the day of Stewart’s arrest, the Committee Against Racially Motivated Police Violence was holding a news conference. There were vigils. […]

Marsha Joyner Tuesday evening November 25, 2014 we in Honolulu gathered to stand and walk  in solidarity with Mr. Brown’s family, the people of Ferguson and communities around the country who are committed to transforming this tragic miscarriage of justice into a powerful movement to replace racism, injustice, violence and the militarization of police with […]

James Clingman Here’s a sobering statement from Economic Policy Institute (EPI): “Fifty years ago (2013), the unemployment rate was 5% for Whites and 10.9% for Blacks. Today, it is 6.6% for Whites and 12.6% for Blacks.” Can you believe that? We are at the same relative position now as we were when MLK gave his […]

Lauren Victoria Burke Even though the next Congress, which starts on January 6, will feature 48 African Americans, the largest number in history, the question is: Can they get anything done in a Congress that’s been gridlocked for four straight years? But since most Black members will serve as members of the minority party in […]

Dr. E. Faye Williams ”We, the members of the National Congress of Black Women, express our deepest sympathy to the family of Mayor Marion Barry.  There is, and never will be, another like him.  He led the making of Washington, DC to be the great city it is today.  It’s easy for those who don’t […]

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq We, the members of the National Congress of Black Women, applaud President Barack Obama for finally moving us toward comprehensive Immigration reform!  The ball is in the court of the House Republicans now. How is it that people who stole this land from another group can now think no one […]

Congressman Elijah Cummings As Washington prepares for a Republican-controlled Congress, I, like most Americans, have concluded that expanding our economy must remain our top domestic priority. Acknowledging the importance of more broadly shared economic growth will enhance, not diminish, our ability to achieve other national objectives in the areas of education, healthcare, housing, the environment […]

Jesse L. Jackson Sr. In response to what he calls the president’s “war on coal,” future Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell says, “I’m going to war with him.” For McConnell, the historic agreement the president signed with the Chinese, committing them for the first time to dramatic reductions in their greenhouse gases, is an outrage, […]