Category: OPINION

Now, the world knows something of the story of Solomon Northrup, a “free” Black American from New York who was kidnapped by slave-hunters in the 1840s and for the next 12 years suffered the life of a captive in America’s man-made hell of Negro Slavery. And now, the world knows a truer version of what […]

Last month, President Barack Obama challenged America to do more to help young men and boys of color succeed in life. His charge was a personal one for me, as it should be for everyone who cares about the future of our country. The president showed vision and courage as he acknowledged that his own […]

Today, middle class households feel the same financial stress that low- and moderate-income families have borne for years, says new research by the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED), a national nonprofit organization working to alleviate poverty and create economic opportunity. In its report, Treading Water in the Deep End, CFED analyzes the financial security of […]

Alumni and friends of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore recently gathered on the Princess Anne campus for the annual homecoming festivities. During the week, many of us commuted from our hotels in Salisbury, passing by Salisbury University as many as several times a day. We could not help but notice the tremendous contrast between […]

Last week in New York, the Ford Foundation hosted a conference with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on “Changing the Conversation on Growth: Going Inclusive.” Both are mainstream organizations, grounded in the elite consensus. Their public engagement challenging the orthodoxy that inequality is the price we pay for economic growth is important. […]

Too often during the presidency of Barack Obama, the nation’s first African-American president, he has felt the need to chide Black Americans to take responsibility for their destiny. In announcing his new “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative targeting young men of color, the president again waded into the personal responsibility waters and told the nation our […]

I found myself thinking about the notorious Dred Scott decision (1857) by the US Supreme Court while traveling the streets of Occupied Palestine this past January. I was there leading a small delegation of African Americans who were trying to better understand the nature of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. There are many ways that the conditions of Palestinians […]

WASHINGTON, D.C., Today’s groundbreaking launch of My Brother’s Keeper Initiative and My Brother’s Keeper Task Force is critical to providing equal access and opportunity for success for boys and young men of color. “The Lawyers’ Committee commends President Obama for following through on his commitment to take bold and necessary actions in addressing decades-long issues […]

by Dr. Carlton McLellan (Ph.D.), carlton@myinternational.org Black history studies are about celebrating, elevating, and even critiquing Black leadership in every field of human endeavor. However, other than Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, the first two Black Secretaries of State, or Ralph Bunch, the first Black American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his […]

Six months after George Zimmerman was acquitted for shooting and killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, a trial involving similar circumstances concluded. This time the defendant, Michael Dunn, was convicted on three counts of attempted murder for shooting into a car occupied by four Black teenagers. Jurors could not agree on the most serious charge of first-degree […]

The best way to recognize and celebrate African-American History Month is make more history. We need to look at our new generation of young, committed, and talented freedom fighters and usher them to their rightful place in African-American history. There are valid and urgent reasons why we need the Civil Rights Movement revitalized by a […]

No working American should be forced to survive in poverty. That is why I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of the proposed “Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013,” (H.R.1010) introduced by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif). Our bill would increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour over three years, increase the […]